Discover yourself in Lewisham where what you do makes a difference to our vibrant and culturally diverse communities!

We have a rich history of welcoming people from all over the world and are proud to be recognised as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary, for our work in championing the rights of refugees and migrants.

Introduction

We are looking for an inspirational leader for the Family Help Team. The appointment will be for a Social Work qualified Team Manager who will promote the use of evidenced based practice to support positive outcomes for children, typically adolescents who are affected by extra familial harm, the criminal justice and care systems.

What’s the role?

In the role of team manager, you will be a key member of our leadership team. You will manage a diversified team including advanced practitioner, social workers and family practitioners. You will be responsible for the professional development of your staff and will lead on practice improvement and development in your team.

The Family Help Team Manager will work closely with colleagues across the service and, partnerships to ensure practitioners are undertaking high quality assessments. You will be a skilled and reflective leader with a clear vision of what good practice with young people and families looks like. You will also need to be willing to work in new and innovative ways with to ensure our families receive the right help at the right time.

The ideal candidate should possess strong leadership skills and be able to inspire, motivate and support the team. Have excellent technical knowledge and experience of statutory safeguarding practices, for children in need of help and protection and children looked after, in the context of intra and extra familial harm.

Our aims

We aim to be Trauma Informed, Anti-Racist and use Restorative, Contextual Safeguarding & Signs of Safety Approaches to deliver interventions to children and their families

We aim to

Strengthen family relationships
Increase safety in the community and home in order to enable young people to live safely within their families
Support children and young people to return to the care of their families and local communities

What’s in it for you?

Excellent training and development opportunities, plus a range of benefits including:

Generous holiday allowance
Local Government Pension scheme
Flexible working and family friendly policies
Season ticket and bicycle loans
A range of staff discounts including local subsidised gym memberships
Supportive staff networks

What we’re looking for

value the importance of communication and seeking feedback.
can inspire and motivate those they work with, manage and lead.
are committed to developing their skills and expertise to deliver an excellent service.
are professionally curious and value thinking slowly and calmly in a balanced way.
work inclusively, collaboratively with others recognising their strengths.
take responsibility and make a positive contribution by focusing on solutions.
are transparent, are appreciative in enquiry, reflect and learn.

In return, we’ll offer excellent development opportunities, plus a range of benefits that includes a career average pension scheme, paid parking on site for social workers and senior social workers, flexible working, a generous leave entitlement and the opportunity to make a real difference to our local community.

Location

The job is primarily based in Laurence House, Catford, London, SE6 4RU, but we operate a hybrid approach where you will be required to work both in the office and from home on a regular basis.

Special conditions

Relevant social work qualification is needed
Social Work England registration is required for this job
The job is subject to a DBS check (Enhanced)

The recruitment process is anonymous and we don’t accept CVs.

Applicant handbook - please read the guidance in this handbook when applying. It is essential that you complete the application fully and that your supporting statement covers how you meet each of the person specification criteria listed.

For an informal discussion about this job, please contact FHCRecruitment@lewisham.gov.uk

Please click here to view the Job Description and Person Specification

Salary

£60,633 - £62,742 (SCP 45- SCP47)

N.B: All appointments will be offered at the minimum spinal column point (SCP) for the grade of the role. The only exception to this will be when matching current salary (up to the maximum of the scale), which is subject to evidential proof.

Diversity

Lewisham Council is a Disability Confident employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply

The Council reserves the right to close adverts early if there is a large response.

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