Team Managers - Family Support Team

Job Introduction

We’re looking for experienced and knowledgeable Team Managers to join our Family Support Team within Children’s Social Care.

In this well-established role, you’ll manage a team consisting of Senior Practitioners and Social Workers to fulfil Milton Keynes City Council’s statutory requirements under Children Act 1989, adoption and fostering services regulations and other legislation and statutory guidance.

You’ll lead your team to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people and their families.

You will be joining a service where all senior and frontline managers are in permanent positions. We’re a dedicated service and are always willing to go the extra mile to do all we can to keep children and their families together.

This role is eligible for you to be referred by an MKCC employee, as part of the Children’s Services Social Worker Referral Scheme. The successful candidate, and the referrer, will, subject to all conditions of the scheme being met, receive £1000. The reward is split into two £500 payments, the first received on appointment, and the second after the first-year anniversary of being in post. You must indicate in your application, the name of the person referring you, for this to apply. It cannot be applied retrospectively

This role is also subject to a £4,000 market supplement.

Interviews will be held for this role on the week commencing 22 April

Main Responsibility

• Ensure that all children in need, in need of protection, and/or in care are safeguarded and their well-being is promoted effectively, through the application of specialist theory, practical and procedural knowledge.
• Ensure a range of interventions appropriate to the needs of the families are provided to support children in need and at risk to live safely within their family wherever possible.
• Lead and facilitate partnership working with key agencies, ensuring best possible outcomes for children.
• Ensure that a team of social workers are effectively managed and supervised, and casework is allocated and monitored across the team’s area of responsibility.
• To comply with the standards set out by the professional body Social Work England.
• Assessments, care planning and case work reviews are conducted in line with legislation, and agreed national standards, performance targets and regulatory requirements are met.
• Utilise detailed and complex analysis from highly complex information and from a variety of sources and quality to underpin creative short- and long-term solutions in highly complex and risky situations.
• To make and be responsible for appropriate decisions and exercise initiative with a view to safeguarding children only referring to a more senior level where there are significant resource and policy issues or matters of a particularly sensitive or complex nature.
• The designated team budgets are effectively and creatively managed to ensure that every pound spent, and staff and resources used, delivers the most benefit to children and families.
• Staff performance conforms to the required professional and performance standards, including full electronic recording of work on ICS.​

The Ideal Candidate

• Qualified Social Worker with a valid Social Work England registration, eligible to work in the UK and hold a full UK driving licence. Minimum of four years post qualification experience, and post qualification award in subjects related to child or family work.
• Advanced specialist and detailed theoretical knowledge of childcare issues, legislation, policy and research. Included detailed knowledge of related specialist areas e.g., Health, Probation, SEN.
• Ability to analyse highly complex information, summarise and write/ record relevant information clearly and concisely so that it is easily understood by users and colleagues. Information will be from a variety of sources and may require careful interpretation.
• Monitor workflow and enable good throughputs of work to and from the team, whilst ensuring standards are met.
• Able to coordinate the complex work of the team ensuring cases are allocated appropriately and promptly; responding to crisis by directing the work of the team to ensure urgent action is taken to prevent escalation of the problem.
• Able to monitor workflow, set standards and monitor performance in order to promote quality throughout the team in order to provide a good standard of service to customers.
• Self-motivated with excellent verbal and written communication skills, and able to prioritise work, achieve deadlines and work effectively as part of a team in a solution focussed way.
• For this role you are required to have a full UK driving licence and provide evidence of your vehicle insurance with business cover and use of a vehicle. If you are successful, you will be required to supply evidence of your licence prior to starting the role.
• Should you be offered the role, as part of the pre-employment checks an Enhanced DBS will be actioned for you (unless you are on the DBS Update Service).

Package Description

In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years.  In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.

• Excellent pension – everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.

• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support and a childcare subsidy.

• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.

• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Our roles are either designated ‘site based’ or ‘home based’. ‘Site based’ roles can include up to two days a week working from home whilst ‘home based’ roles are based at home four days a week.  Of course, managers designate which category roles are in based on the needs of the service and the circumstances.

About The Organisation

Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.

We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference. 

We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.

We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.

If you’d like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council.