About this job
We have an exciting opportunity for a Service Manager for Practice Improvement in Children’s Care and Support to join our newly established CARES Academy in Barking & Dagenham. This is a new role, which will lead on providing a highly effective quality assurance, standards and training function which drives continuously improving practice We delivery, improving the lives of children, young people and families in the borough.
About you
You will be a qualified social worker with significant experience of leading quality assurance functions in local authority children’s services. Passionate about improving the lives of children, young people and families, you will have a well-developed understanding of the link between quality assurance and the training and development of staff to address areas for improvement and will have successfully led a similar approach elsewhere, including developing the training programme itself. You will be a tenacious and innovative leader, developing your service to respond to the challenges of the changes being implemented through the Families First Partnership Programme, working with the programme team to ensure that staff are equipped and confident to perform new roles, and that new ways of working and services are quality assured from the outset. You will also help shape the future of the CARES Academy itself—developing frameworks, processes, and partnerships that support its growth and impact.
About us
Our borough is vibrant and diverse, and this is something we are proud of. We value the diversity of people who live, work and visit Barking and Dagenham and it is our vision is to create a place where people understand, respect and celebrate each other’s differences. We are ambitious for our children, young people and families. Our new CARES Academy, in which this role sits, will be instrumental in ensuring that children and families receive services of a consistently high quality. The CARES Academy is more than a team, it is a movement for excellence in practice. It will provide a first class recruitment and onboarding experience, delivering a state of the art training and development offer aligned with the CARES Practice Framework. We will champion quality assurance and continuous improvement, ensuring statutory services like the LADO, Independent Reviewing, and Child Protection Conferences are delivered to the highest standards. It is a great time to join our caring, ambitious and resilient team to help us to deliver real change in this diverse and extraordinary Borough. We offer a competitive pay package, a positive approach to flexible working, investment in your learning and development as well as a commitment to your wellbeing. If you would like to discuss the role further, please contact Frank McSheffrey, Head of Service for the CARES Academy at k