About this role
Job summary Team Manager - Family Support & Safeguarding
Join Oxfordshire County Council's Family Support & Safeguarding Service and lead a dedicated team making a real difference to the lives of vulnerable children, young people and families.
As a Team Manager, you will provide leadership, management and professional oversight to a team delivering high-quality safeguarding, assessment and support services. You will be responsible for ensuring children and families receive timely interventions that reduce risk, improve outcomes and promote long-term stability and wellbeing.
Working closely with Service Managers and partner agencies, you will support service development, oversee performance and quality assurance, ensure compliance with safeguarding legislation and policies, and drive the effective implementation of Oxfordshire's Family Safeguarding Plus practice model. You will lead group supervision, support staff development and ensure children's plans progress effectively and without delay.
This role is ideal for an experienced social work leader who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and families, developing others and shaping the future of children's social care. You will be joining an organisation that values innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement while offering excellent professional development opportunities and a supportive leadership culture.
Main duties of the job As a Team Manager within Family Support & Safeguarding, you will lead and support a team of social care professionals delivering safeguarding and support services to children and families. You will provide management oversight, drive high-quality practice, develop staff and ensure children receive effective interventions that improve safety, stability and long-term outcomes.
About us Oxfordshire County Council Children's Services is committed to helping children, young people and families thrive through high-quality, relationship-based practice. Using restorative approaches and the Family Safeguarding Model, we work alongside families to build on strengths, reduce risk and create lasting positive change.
Rated consistently as Good by Ofsted, we are ambitious for the future and continue to invest in children, education and family services to ensure the best possible outcomes for Oxfordshire's children and young people. Our culture encourages innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement, providing opportunities for staff to develop their careers while making a meaningful difference to communities across the county.
Job description Job responsibilities
Empowering change - childrens social care
Together, were shaping childrens social care for the future. Every day, our colleagues are helping to transform the lives of the residents of Oxfordshire.
In our Children, Education, & Families directorate, were committed to delivering lasting change, by helping the children, young people, and families of Oxfordshire to thrive. We know the importance of building relationships, empowering people, and building on strengths and this is reflected in our restorative, relational practice approach.Weve been consistently rated as good by Ofsted, but we are not content with that; we are ambitious and want to do even better! Were a financially stable local authority which is committed to investing in Children, Education, and Families, to ensure that we have the resources we need to make a real difference to the families we work with including successful operation of our transformational model Family Support and Safeguarding (FSS).
About UsWe are focussed on making every day the best it can be for our residents. Whatever you do here, youll look around and say, I make a difference. Because were all creating lasting change to peoples lives in Oxfordshire.Everyday youll be challenged in a new way, supported by your team, in an organisation that is free thinking, flexible, and helps people achieve their ambitions. Were not afraid to do things differently and our dynamic culture means this is a place where new ideas are embraced, and innovation thrives.
We believe that together, our differences make us stronger, and that diversity is the foundation for innovation. Here, you can create a unique career for yourself while raising the bar for the future of childrens social care.Are you in?About the RoleJoin our dedicated team at OCC as a Team Manager!You will play a crucial role in ensuring that children, young people and families in need of help and protection receive timely, high quality assessments and support. Your efforts will help identify and meet their needs, reduce risks and safeguard their wellbeing.
Key responsibilities include:
Team Management: Lead a team to deliver exceptional services to vulnerable children and families. Service Development: Support the Service Manager in the continual development, delivery and review of services to maximise life chances and implement permanency plans for children. Practice Model: Ensure adherence to Oxfordshire's Family Safeguarding Plus practice model, including effective group supervision and timely progression of children's plans. Policy Compliance: Ensure all relevant County policies and procedures are followed, and concerns are raised appropriately. Budget Management: Oversee the effective management of the team's budget.About youYoure free-thinking and brave, and that sets you apart. Youll be supportive and energised; you dont accept the norm if it can be done better - finding answers through exploration and courage. Just as importantly, you will embody our values in everything you do.Fundamentally, youll be passionate about delivering stand-out public services, because were here to make every moment the best it can be for the residents of Oxfordshire.
This is an opportunity for a proactive and passionate leader to join our team and develop our service. You will be a competent and dedicated manager who has insight and experience of the needs of care leavers.
Does this sound like you?
If so, we look forward to receiving your application!
To apply, you will need:
Social Work Qualification and registration with Social Work England Ability to form positive working relationships with children, families and a range of colleagues across agencies Ability to engage children, young people families who are resistant to intervention Please refer to the job description attached for a full list of essential criteria. Curious to learn more?
Contact our friendly team for a confidential and informative chat!Sue Evans, Service Manager:[email protected] orJoel Carvalho, Assistant Director Family Support & Safeguarding: [email protected]
Rewards and Benefits
Welcome and Loyalty payment of £3,500 for eligible roles. Relocation allowance of up to £8,000 for eligible roles. Annual leave starting at 30 days per year (plus bank holidays). Option to buy additional holiday. A comprehensive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Flexible working. Employee Assistance Programme including access to health and wellbeing support 24x7. Range of family-friendly policies. Childcare vouchers, cycle to work scheme, electric car scheme, range of staff discounts including travel, holidays, insurance, food, health & leisure activities. Excellent learning and development opportunities.Our commitment to Flexible WorkingWe are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexitime, part time working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.Our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and InclusionAt Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education, and safe spaces for all.Our commitment to Guaranteed Interview Schemes
As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships.We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.Our commitment to Safeguarding
Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults. We expect all employees, workers, and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.
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If you encounter any technical issues with the application system, please contact us at: [email protected]
Person Specification
General Requirements Essential
Please refer to job description above
Desirable
Please refer to job description above
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Oxfordshire County Council
Address
Oxford
OX11 8QX
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)