| Salary £51,356 - £55,612 Per annum | Permanent | Full Time, 37 hours per week | North Lancashire |
Lead the Future of Contextual Safeguarding within Lancashire
Social Work Team Manager – EmPower Contextual Safeguarding
North Lancashire | Lancaster base with flexible working
Salary: £51,356 – £55,612 | Permanent | 37 hours
This role goes beyond traditional children’s social care; This is about leading real change.
Lancashire has made a strong and sustained commitment to Contextual Safeguarding and we are now looking for an inspirational Social Work Team Manager to help us take the next stage of our ambition.
If you are someone who:
1. Is passionate about adolescents
2. Recognises that young people’s risks often sit beyond the family home
3. Wants real scope to influence practice and shape change
4. influence systems and lead creatively
…this role has been designed with you in mind.
Why join EmPower?
Our EmPower Service works with young people experiencing or at risk of experience harm beyond the home – including exploitation, violence, peer abuse and harm linked to places, spaces and group dynamics.
You will be part of a joined‑up, system‑wide response to adolescent harm and you willworking alongside police, education, health, community safety and voluntary partners to make environments safer for young people.
This is a leadership role where thinking differently is expected, curiosity is valued and courage is supported.
About the role
As Team Manager, you will:
5. Lead and inspire a skilled, multidisciplinary team working with complex adolescent risk
6. Shape and embed Contextual Safeguarding practice across Lancashire
7. Influence multi‑agency responses to exploitation, serious violence and peer harm
8. Create a culture where practitioners feel supported, challenged and valued
9. Balance strategic leadership with a manageable caseload (average c.12 children)
10. Have the space and permission to try new ideas, learn and adapt
This role would suit:
11. An experienced Team Manager seeking meaningful, values‑driven work
12. Or a Senior / Advanced Social Worker ready to step into leadership with the right support
What makes Lancashire different?
13. Genuine flexibility – working in ways that support good decision‑making and wellbeing
14. Visible, supportive senior leadership
15. Innovation encouraged, not restricted
16. Investment in learning, development and wellbeing
17. A culture that supports managers to make brave, child‑centred decisions
18. You’ll be trusted to lead with autonomy and professional judgment.
Who we’re looking for
We’re looking for someone who:
19. Is SWE registered with a Social Work qualification
20. Has experience working with adolescents and contextual safeguarding
21. Can lead with empathy, confidence and integrity
22. Is excited by partnership working and influencing systems, not just services
23. Wants to be part of something ambitious and evolving
You don’t need to be a Contextual Safeguarding expert already — curiosity and values matter more than jargon.
Interested?
If you’d like an informal, honest conversation about the role, the team or the direction of travel, contact:
For an informal discussion, please contact Jimmy Craik on