Role purpose:
To provide management and support which ensures the Team delivers a high-quality social work service to children and families, working in partnership with other statutory and third sector organisations.
To ensure excellent team management other staff are provided with excellent management, supervision, appraisal, and personal development opportunities.
To contribute to the development of practice and policy initiatives across children's services.
Main responsibilities:
To be responsible for the management of the Team and ensure that the service provided is of the highest professional standard and is responsive to legislative requirements as well as corporate and national priorities.
To be responsible for all the work held within the team and to ensure that it is prioritised and allocated promptly within the available resources.
To ensure the team's record keeping is maintained to a high standard and that managerial decisions are taken and recorded promptly within the appropriate frameworks.
To chair a range of practice meetings, including strategy meeting, core group meetings, monitoring the performance of agreed tasks for all participants.
To provide regular, high quality, challenging and reflective supervision of staff within agreed timescales and according to the departmental policy.
To be responsible for evaluating staff performance, including conducting probationary assessments, performance appraisals, sickness absence procedures and any other relevant procedures.
To promote staff learning and development including practice learning within the team and post-qualifying training for registered social workers and managers.
To facilitate and direct as necessary partnership with parents, carers, other professionals and partner agencies to ensure the best outcomes for children and young people.
To develop a service consistent with models of partnership working with other agencies, children and their families and to enable children to stay safely at home wherever possible.
To work with managers in and across the Children and Young people's Service to ensure children receive a seamless and holistic response to their needs.
To authorise, monitor and review financial commitments ensuring they meet children's needs, are within costs limits, adhere to Best Value principles and to contribute to the identification of any resource shortages and efficiencies.
To implement the service Business Plan, ensuring that team members are clear about their individual and collective contribution towards achieving the objectives, targets and standards contained within it and to manage performance against these.
To participate in quality assurance processes, including audit and review in order to identify and promote best practice.
To undertake all work activities ensuring that the Council's policies (including Equalities) are adhered to and that the organisational values are upheld.
To ensure that the team undertakes its work in accordance with Health and Safety legislation and Council Policy.
To take the lead role for defined areas of service, to deputise for their line manager, to ensure that all decisions are taken at an appropriate level and senior managers informed of identified risk, as and when necessary.
To act as a representative of the service in internal and external forums.
To undertake any other duties that may be reasonably required and assigned by the service.
Generic responsibilities:
Understanding, knowledge and ability to follow guidelines that ensures compliance with Health and Safety at Work, Data Protection and other statutory requirements.
Understanding and commitment to promoting and implementing the Council's Equal Opportunities policies.
Knowledge and experience of using IT.
To undertake any other temporary responsibilities aligned with the overall purpose and grade of the role.
The Person
They will be responsible for the day to day management of the work allocated to the team and the development of the team and its individual members in the context of the over-arching objectives of the service. They will conduct regular, reflective supervision with staff, be responsible for HR/people-related activity and act as part of the service management team.
Abilities/experience
Significant experience of working within a similar role, including the areas of safeguarding and child protection
Experience with care leavers and other vulnerable young people, including care leavers who are parents.
Evidence of good quality practice, consistent with notions of authoritative practice
Either experience of student/staff supervision and/or evidence of training and learning in supervisory skills and techniques
Qualifications
Relevant Social Work qualification and social work England registration
Evidence of post-qualification continuing professional development
Knowledge and Experience
Ability to provide leadership to the team
Ability to plan and manage own and others workload
Ability to supervise staff, to assess professional competence and enable further professional development in others
Ability to competently assess and manage risk appropriately
Good knowledge of child development and significant experience of child protection work
Good knowledge of all relevant legislation, especially that impacting on care leavers and vulnerable young people
Ability to support the development of a culture of professional and multi- agency learning and development
Ability to keep concise and accurate records of management decisions and supervision
Experience of chairing and recording multi agency meetings.
Relevant experience of contributing to service strategies, policies and procedures
Good level of IT skills to include Word, Excel, Internet explorer, e-mail and a thorough understanding of the social work workflow
Ability to take responsibility for planning and managing own time and the workload of the team, balancing competing demands and meeting objectives and deadlines.
Ability to implement HR and other council procedures.
Understanding and commitment to promoting and implementing the Council's Equal Opportunities policies and anti-discriminatory practice.
Communicates complex issues confidently and clearly both verbally and in writing, with an acknowledgement of the intended audience
Works collaboratively with other service and external partners to deliver successful outcomes — developing constructive relationships inside and outside of Haringey
Understanding, knowledge and ability to follow guidelines that ensures compliance to Health and Safety at Work, Data Protection and other statutory requirements as relevant to the post
Haringey is a vibrant and diverse borough located in the northern part of Greater London. With a rich history, diverse population, and a mix of residential, commercial, and green spaces, Haringey offers a unique and dynamic living experience.
Haringey Council has been through a journey of improvement over the past ten years, with continued aspirations to fulfil the first corporate priority of enabling every child the best start in life. We are looking for social workers that are ready for a fresh challenge, with the ability to make a real difference to the residents of Haringey.
We are investing in creating a better borough for all our residents and bettering the lives of children and young people in Haringey is our first corporate priority. With a population of approximately 250,000 people and a growing population of 0-19-year-olds, we are a diverse and fast-changing borough and tomorrow’s leaders; artists and innovators are busy growing up here.
Haringey is transforming its services for children and young people, and have already made exciting, innovative changes as we strive for excellence in all we do.
Our offer to staff includes:
Competitive remuneration packages
Investment in modern technology
Great Business support and experienced caring Team Managers
Haringey Academy – invests in continuous skills and learning development
Access to clinical support from Family Psychology Mutual, Anna Freud and Tavistock
Wellbeing service, leisure, and discount benefits (Council scheme)
Agile working
Travel Season ticket loans
A commitment to achieving excellence for our children
Strong, caring visible leadership
Remote and flexible working options
Local Authority pension