We’re on an ambitious journey and looking for a passionate and committed Service Manager to lead and manage our Front Door Service.  

The front door comprises of the Duty and Advice team, the Risk and Vulnerability team and our Emergency Duty Service.  Our front door is multi agency and as part of the management team and working closely with the Head of Service and Transitional safeguarding manager, you’ll work strategically to design and implement service changes and practice improvement.  You will help shape the service to ensure children are safeguarded and receive appropriate service and intervention at the right time.  You will have oversight of the development and delivery of a complex service in line with policy, best practice, professional standards and legislation, ensuring children are always at the centre of social work practice. 

Kirklees is on an improvement journey and our last Ofsted monitoring visit in December 2018 highlighted the progress stating “the local authority has made significant progress in improving its initial response to children and young people who need help and protection. Improvement is gathering pace and there is now increasing focus on quality as well as ensuring that statutory compliance is met.” We are not complacent and continue our hard work on our improvement plan to ensure that we offer the best service to children and families in Kirklees.

Our progress so far is clear:

• Our partnership with Leeds City Council, a national Partner in Practice, is flourishing and has added strength and stability to the way we work.
• The social work teams are now close to full complement.
• Investment in Advanced Practitioners is providing more support for social workers and more focus on developing practice.
• Working in locality teams and building effective relationships with partners.

We are looking for an experienced Social Work Manager with a proven track record in managing employees, budgets and performance. You will have a strong understanding of what best practice looks like and be passionate about inspiring and improving children’s lives, as well as the continuous professional development of social work practitioners. We are pioneering a Restorative Practice approach to social work which involves innovation and locality working with high quality relationships at the heart of our approach.   A creative and flexible approach to work and the drive and motivation to improve our services are key.  

In return we will provide you with a comprehensive induction programme, dedicated supervision and a range of comprehensive Continuous Professional Development opportunities. 

You must hold an HCPC recognised Social Work Qualification and be registered with the HCPC.

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check is required for this job.  Please note that a conviction may not exclude candidates from appointment but will be considered as part of the recruitment process.

If you wish to discuss this opportunity please contact Head of Service Charlotte Jackson on 01484 221000.

To apply for this job please complete the online application form.  For more information and details on how to apply please click here