Team Manager (Family Help Service) – REF: 2872
12‑month secondment/FIXED‑TERM contract – Full Time.
Salary: £56,436 per annum, rising to £59,574 (including LW).
About Us
Located in the heart of South London, Lambeth Borough is a vibrant community of over 317,600 residents, stretching from Streatham to Waterloo. We are the 9th largest borough in London, with a diverse population speaking over 130 languages and home to significant LGBTQ+ and Portuguese‑speaking communities.
About the Team
The Families First Team (FFT) is an innovative, multi‑agency pilot at the front door of children’s services, designed to help families earlier, make better decisions faster, and prevent unnecessary escalation into statutory intervention. FFT operates a time‑limited, 10‑working‑day assessment and brief intervention model, bringing together social care professionals and embedded specialists to rapidly understand risk, need and family context, and take purposeful action.
It is a small, high‑impact, multidisciplinary team working alongside the Initial Response Hub/MASH.
The team approach is:
* Child‑centred and safeguarding‑led
* Evidence‑informed and analytically robust
* Multi‑agency from day one
Following a time‑limited assessment and brief intervention, the team will support clear, confident decisions to:
* Step families down to early help or community support
* Close cases where needs are met
* Escalate appropriately where risks require statutory intervention
FFT is a focused, action‑oriented service designed to reduce drift, improve family experience, and strengthen decision‑making at the earliest point.
Responsibilities
* Lead a flagship front‑door transformation pilot and shape system‑wide decision‑making.
* Hold thresholds and make complex safeguarding decisions at pace.
* Support clear, confident decisions to step families down, close cases, or trigger statutory intervention as appropriate.
* Provide leadership to a high‑performing, multi‑disciplinary team.
Qualifications & Experience
* Strong experience of front‑door or assessment services.
* In‑depth understanding and application of Pan London & CWD Level of Needs thresholds.
* Track record of leading high‑performing teams in fast‑paced environments.
* Excellent risk analysis and decision‑making skills under pressure.
* Ability to challenge constructively and provide clear direction.
* Experience of multi‑agency working and influencing across systems.
* Good communication skills and proficiency in data and information management.
Personal Characteristics
* Calm, decisive and authoritative.
* Committed to timely, proportionate intervention.
* Passionate about improving outcomes through earlier help and smarter systems.
* Motivated by purposeful change and able to bring staff along and inspire them.
Equal Opportunities
At Lambeth, we are dedicated to providing quality services and equal opportunities for all. We are committed to safer recruitment and are proud to be a Stonewall diversity champion, a Living Wage Employer, and to guarantee interviews for all disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria of the role. For a full list of our accreditations, please click here.
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