At Bath & North East Somerset Council we have one overriding purpose to improve people’s lives.
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If your passion is around collaborative work with families, centred on building relationships in order to help families develop resilience and make changes for their children, then we are the Local Authority for you. Working with families to keep children at home wherever possible, our dynamic teams work with families from point of contact through to long‑term support and intervention. Our practice model is underpinned by relationship‑based, systemic approaches to facilitate change, alongside trauma‑informed practice.
Bath and North East Somerset Children’s Social Care is an innovative small Local Authority focused on therapeutic assessment and support. Rated Good by Ofsted, with a continued vision and drive to improve further.
About the Role
You will work in partnership with the Team Manager to lead an enthusiastic team of Family Support practitioners, Family Group Conference coordinators and administrative staff. This rewarding role will see you leading the New Way domestic abuse service and have oversight of our Caring Dad’s Group. A passion and experience in thinking and doing differently in working with the complex issues surrounding domestic abuse practice is sought.
Alongside this you will have oversight of our Footprints service which supports parents who have had their children removed from their care. The Family Support Plus team has oversight of the Lighthouse Family Group for parents managing their mental health issues (which utilises the MBT model) and knowledge of this approach is preferable, although training will be provided.
You will also supervise one casual Supervised Family Time Practitioner and have oversight of requests from the Williamson Charity Fund. Additionally you will actively support the team manager in the delivery of the Family Group Conference and Lifelong Links services.
Working closely with colleagues across the service and established partnerships with agencies across health, education, support services and adult services you will continue to develop the diverse services offered by the Family Support Plus team to ensure we can respond as effectively as possible to the needs of children, young people and their families.
The post holder will offer monthly one‑to‑one supervision to the Footprints and New Way staff, oversee allocations, coordinate Caring Dads and Lighthouse groups, and provide support to practitioners. We are seeking a deputy manager who is committed to understanding and promoting the performance of the Family Support Plus team to ensure children receive a consistent and high‑quality service.
About You
Ideally you will have management and supervisory experience or relevant experience of supporting less experienced workers in a social care setting. Applicants need to have very strong organisational skills to manage their time while continuing to develop the diverse services within the Family Support Plus Team effectively. You must be committed to working as part of a team to support colleagues in delivering optimum services to children and families.
You Can Expect
* A comprehensive induction
* Regular supervision at a minimum of monthly one‑to‑one
* Monthly Peer Circles to ensure strong relationships and support between Deputy Team Managers across the teams
* Extensive training opportunities, including SARI workshops, a 6‑month training in Systemic Supervision, attachment‑based workshops and trauma‑informed workshops
* Excellent administrative support
* Bi‑annual Social Work Conferences with guest speakers who are experts in their field
* Paid Social Work England membership renewal
* Access to Research in Practice
* Access to coaching
* Laptop for flexible working
* Relocation payments are available
* A stable leadership team
To Apply You Will Have
* A relevant social work qualification
* Significant social work experience
* Ideally supervisory experience and/or a PEPS qualification
* Sound knowledge of the legislative framework and guidance governing children’s services and safeguarding children
* Knowledge of theory and practice applicable to social work
* IT skills to enable operation of standard electronic systems
* Well‑developed emotional literacy
* Passion, commitment and motivation to support the most vulnerable families in our area
How to Apply
If you are interested in this post and would like more details or to discuss the role, please contact Freyja Baber, Team Manager Family Support Plus, on 01225 396961 or email you@email.com. Interview dates will be confirmed at a later date. Please note that no agencies will be considered.
Other Information
We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply. We are a Disability Confident Employer.
Please note that this role is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.
Safeguarding Statement:
The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable groups and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. Anyone working in a post with children or vulnerable groups will be expected to undertake an Enhanced DBS check.
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