Team Manager (Permanence) - Expiring Soon!

Team Manager (Permanence) 37 hours (flexible working considered) Salary £46,464 - £52,429 Blandford/Sturminster Newton, combined with home-working What you can expect to be doing: As a Team Manager, you will lead a close-knit and supportive team that strives for excellence and adopts a strengths-based approach in their work. Collaborating with fellow team members, children, their families, and other professionals, you will be responsible for managing and ensuring the quality of all statutory work for our children in care. The post holder will demonstrate the ability to: Develop effective locality working, delivering high quality statutory Social Work services, supporting and safeguarding children and young people. Lead and manage work with children in permanent placements Work closely with internal and external providers to ensure resilient and sustainable placements for children in care. Support life long links for children in care Inspire staff through strong and effective leadership and management. Drive performance through high expectations and high support of staff to secure continuous improvement Provide expert advice, guidance and direction regarding all aspects of Social Work practice and management. Provide clear performance data to evidence effective practice leading to positive change for children and families Be highly motivated to work with all aspects of the community to build cohesive and lasting relationships which support resilience About you: To succeed in this role, you will be a qualified social worker and ideally have experience managing a dynamic team of Social Workers, Social Work Students, and Family Workers, with a strong emphasis on reflective supervision. As the ideal candidate, you demonstrate: A child-focused approach: Prioritising the well-being and interests of children, ensuring their needs guide decision-making. Effective communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills enabling successful collaboration with diverse individuals and agencies. Relationship-building expertise: Proficiency in establishing and nurturing relationships, fostering collaboration among multiple agencies. Advocating for reflective and strengths-based practice: Actively engaging in reflective practice, encouraging others to identify and develop their strengths. Skills in managing risk and uncertainty: Capable of assessing and managing risks confidently, navigating uncertain situations effectively. Strong reflective abilities: Proficiency in critical self-reflection, continuous learning, and refining professional approaches. Supervisory experience: Previous role as a supervisor, providing guidance, support, and feedback to a team. Use of performance data: Skilled at leveraging performance data to inform and improve practice, driving positive outcomes for children and families. Passion for development and improvement: Genuine enthusiasm for professional growth, actively seeking opportunities to enhance skills and contribute to practice enhancement. What's in it for you: Are you seeking a rewarding career in Children's Services? Be part of designing social work for the future. Join our exceptional teams in children's services, where you'll be fully supported and appreciated throughout your career - whether you're newly qualified, or an experienced practitioner. In Dorset, we are dedicated to fostering an environment where every child can thrive, and we want our colleagues to do the same. At the heart of our program is a commitment to support outcomes that matter - fostering environments where children, young people, and families not only stay together but thrive. We're dedicated to providing the essential help they need, ensuring they are surrounded by the support of their family network, and creating safe spaces both inside and outside their homes. What sets us apart is our unwavering dedication to ensuring children in care and care leavers find stable, loving homes. This isn't just a job; it's a chance to make a lasting impact on the future of those who need it most. We take immense pride in leading the way nationally, pioneering ground breaking initiatives that have garnered recognition from the government. Join a team of dedicated professionals in Children's Services who, in recent months and years, have set new standards in their commitment to the well-being of children and families. Here at Dorset Council, you won't just be an employee - you'll be a vital contributor to a legacy of positive change. Be a part of a community that values your skills, appreciates your passion, and recognises the difference you can make. Join us in creating a brighter future for children, young people, and families. Your journey towards meaningful work starts here. In July this year, the Department for Education officially announced the Families First for Children Pathfinder. Dorset has been recognised for the fantastic work with children, young people and families taking place by being selected to be one of only three initial pathfinder sites nationally, testing the delivery of key reforms across the sector. This is a fantastic opportunity and comes with central government grant funding and support which recognises the scale and ambition of the work we need to carry out. Find out more here: Our focus is on supporting families to meet the needs of their children and keeping children at home where it is safe to do so. You'll find a variety of exciting challenges, working with our children, families, and partners, in a workplace that inspires you to grow professionally and personally. As part of our model, we have developed multi-agency locality teams bringing together colleagues from across Early Help, Children's Social Care, Educational Psychology, SEND and Inclusion services under the leadership of Heads of Locality and Strategy. We also have truly exciting initiatives. Some examples are: The Pineapple Project that provides safe havens in Weymouth to help to keep young women safer when they are outside of their family home using the principles of community guardianship. Safeguarding Families Together; embedding specialist multi-disciplinary professionals within teams and working 'whole family'. After successful pilots in Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester the project is due to be rolled out across all localities In the East of the county, the first two family hubs (with more locations planned) provide visible, appealing and welcoming spaces for families to access help and support from Dorset Council and partner services. Join us and be part of our exceptional Children's Services team, recently recognised as Good with Outstanding Leadership by Ofsted. This is not just a job; it's an extraordinary opportunity to empower children and help them reach their full potential. With Pathfinder, we will be changing the way Social Care and how working with families is approached in Dorset and helping to shape this across the country. As a Team Manager here in Dorset, you'll truly make a difference to the lives of children and young people in our beautiful county. We prioritise your wellbeing by offering access to talking therapies, a network of Mental Health Champions, and workshops facilitated by our dedicated Employee Wellbeing Team. You'll join a forward-thinking service, where you'll be encouraged to think creatively, question how we do things, and devise new, innovative approaches through our 'Diagonal Slice' initiative - our Children's Services' employee forum. Our innovative model of working, Dorset Children Thrive, will support you to be part of a service that: Puts children and families at the heart of everything we do Focuses on 'getting it right first time' by providing early help Makes services easily accessible for all Develops a skilled, supported and confident workforce Provides quality and efficient services that meet the highest standards Measures success by how we have made life better for children and young people Find out more about Children's Services in Dorset: Jobs in Children's Services - Dorset Council . What our people say: "Dorset is a great place for children to thrive - I am very proud to be part of an organisation that recognises the strengths of our staff and the creativity we have in achieving great outcomes for our children, young people and families." "It was great to feel listened to about the big issues and developments within Children's Services". "I am proud of the service I work in for their commitment to children and young people, working hard to collaborate with colleagues and agencies to achieve good outcomes." Additional Information For an informal discussion about the role, please contact us at This post requires significant travel. You must have a vehicle (or transport we deem suitable) available for use as needed. This post involves working with children and/or vulnerable adults and/or having access to significant information about them. It will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check. See our policy on the employment of ex-offenders . See our policy on safeguarding children and young people . See the children's social worker framework . You must: . click apply for full job details