INTERNAL ONLY

You must either be an existing employee or a current agency worker with the London Borough of Bexley for your application to be considered for this role.

Children’s Social Work

Service Manager – Children with Disabilities Service

Management Grouping: Children’s Services

Location: Bexleyheath                       

Salary: £57,675 - £65,598 (inclusive of Choices Flexible Benefits & Market Premium)

Contract: Permanent / 36 hours per week            

Closing Date: 1 February 2019

Job Reference: ECS0000391

Bexley is a safe and supportive place to work with highly creative work undertaken by a skilled and well – supported workforce – Ofsted - August 2018

The Council, its staff and partners, were delighted in August last year when Ofsted judged the overall effectiveness of children’s social care services to be ‘outstanding’!  We were especially pleased that our investment in practitioners and managers was recognised alongside our strong oversight of practice. 

We have been working for four years to create an environment where our staff can do the work they came into the profession to do - to support and help families to stay together where this is in children’s best interests and it is safe enough for it to happen. This intention forms the spine of our vision for children, young people, families and carers in Bexley. You will find here, that our social work practice, our training, our daily conversations and decisions, our supervision, our leadership, our innovation and our future plans are all highly dependent on the Children Act 1989 principle, that families should be first and foremost supported to bring up their own children with help from a children’s service when it is required . Of course, we act to protect children and young people quickly when they are not safe. Sometimes that means they cannot remain within their families,but we work quickly to establish permanent alternatives or a return to their family networks. 

Our Children with Disabilities Service is responsible for children with disabilities across the borough. It fulfils the Council’s statutory responsibilities for disabled children in need, including those in need of protection and looked after children. This can involve legal proceedings in court and child protection plans. In short, it’s a complex area that has a major impact on the safety and wellbeing of children. To excel as Service Manager you will need to demonstrate exceptional leadership skills be a creative and innovative leader who can manage and oversee work with a range of partner agencies and deliver a first-class service.  

You will need to be a qualified Social Worker and HCPC registered, you’ll have an in-depth understanding of safeguarding and relevant legislation. You’ll also have a track record of changing young lives for the better. With these credentials, plus strong management skills, you’ll be equipped to handle budgets, develop a positive performance culture and develop excellent social work practice. 

If this sounds exciting and reassuring, we want you to get in touch with us. Our workforce is stable with over 90% permanent staff, but we are always looking for practitioners wanting to come and practice confidently as part of our team making a difference for families and children.

Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. 

What we Offer:

• An excellent working environment at our fantastic offices
• Professional supervision
• Mentoring/coaching
• Opportunities for flexible working with excellent ICT facilities
• Bexley has a flexible and generous package to support you moving to work in Bexley.  We will pay up to £8k which you can use as you wish, e.g. to pay a deposit or mortgage, to meet housing costs, fees and other expenses.
• Career progression pathways for training and continuous professional development
• Signs of Safety Training and the opportunity to become an SOS Practice Lead
• Opportunity to engage in our Aspiring Leaders Programme
• Reimbursement of HCPC subscription
• Our Choices Benefits include a lease car or cash options to the value of £2,322 per annum
• Excellent local government pension scheme
• Performance related pay with the opportunity to earn a 5% bonus each year
• MyChoice Staff Benefit Scheme – Includes Childcare vouchers, cycle to work scheme, access to high street shopping vouchers and online discount codes.
• Annual Leave Purchase Scheme

View more about our employment deal here.

How to apply

• Closing Date for your application: 01/02/2019 

• Please visit our website to find out more and apply.  CVs will not be accepted unless they are submitted with a completed application form.
• Anticipated Interview date: 13/02/2019

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

This post is considered by the authority to be a customer-facing position; as such it falls within scope of the Code of Practice on English Language Requirement for Public Sector Workers. The council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the JD/Person Specification. These will be applied during the recruitment/selection and probationary stages.

Follow us on Twitter @LBofBexley and @BexleyCareers or connect with Bexley Careers on LinkedIn

To apply or find out more please visit www.bexleycareers.co.uk

CVs will only be accepted if submitted with a completed application form

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Keywords: Service Manager, Children With Disabilities Service, Children's Services.