Description Social Work in Cornwall Make a difference – Children’s Social Work in Cornwall “Senior leaders and politicians are relentless in their drive to continue to improve the lives of Cornwall’s children and families” Staff’s care, commitment and child focussed approach shine through when they talk about their work. This positive working environment helps to foster a culture in which an enthusiasm and commitment to do the best for children is found at all levels in the organisation.” Ofsted, July 2024 The Service & Team: Team Managers make a real difference to the lives of children in Cornwall. We believe that the children of Cornwall deserve the very best. We put their needs at the heart of everything we do, and we are looking for people who share our determination to improve their lives and make a brighter future. If you believe in humane, relationship-based social work with children and families we offer the opportunity to develop your management and leadership career in an innovative and ambitious children’s service in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. We have a range of exciting opportunities leading and managing our high performing social work and multi-disciplinary children’s social care teams. Across our teams we have a range of skilled professionals including Family Workers, Targeted Youth Worker, Psychologists and Functional Family Therapists working alongside our social work staff. As part of our commitment to outstanding practice, we have put in place a comprehensive core curriculum and career and qualification pathway for our Team Managers to develop their knowledge and skills to deliver the most effective social work and multi-disciplinary interventions with children and families. If you are committed to continuing professional development, can demonstrate strong leadership skills, learning in your practice and in improved outcomes for the children you help and protect, we will provide you with the career options and remuneration that match your expertise. Cornwall is one of the best places in the country to live, work and bring up a family. We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our staff and we recognise that they need a good work/life balance as well as supportive leadership and support in the workplace. Cornwall’s location and landscape offers unique opportunities for a healthier, happier way of life. The Role: Team Manager – Kinship Team The team manager will be based within the Kinship Service; responsible for assessing, supervising and supporting kinship carers. The team provides comprehensive support across the entirety of the County, with responsibilities extending out-of-County as required. The Kinship Team undertakes kinship fostering and special guardianship assessments to determine appropriate permanency arrangements for children. Additionally, the team assumes case responsibility for children in private fostering arrangements. The Team Manager must possess an in-depth understanding of the fostering and kinship legal framework, including all relevant statutory duties and responsibilities. The successful candidate will demonstrate a proven track record in the supervision of social workers and multi-agency professionals working with children. Substantial experience in conducting thorough, evidence-based assessments, as well as providing clear and confident testimony in high-pressure environments, is essential. The team manager will be comfortable presenting to the Fostering and Permanence Panel and in Court. Proficiency in collaborative, multi-agency working and direct engagement with families—including the facilitation of groups and delivery of training—is required. This role demands exceptional organisational skills, the ability to prioritise effectively amidst competing demands, and a proactive problem-solving approach. The successful applicant will excel in cultivating a supportive team culture and championing best practice across all aspects of kinship care. Flexibility and resilience are key attributes, as the role frequently requires prompt responses to dynamic and complex family circumstances. Further information about our teams is available here. This is a public/customer-facing role, where the statutory English language requirement for public sector workers applies. This position will be subject to an enhanced criminal record disclosure check. Working Pattern: The working pattern will be Monday - Friday 37 hours per week. What you’ll need to succeed: We have opportunities for experienced social work managers with a track record of effective management, and also experienced social workers looking to take the first step into a Team Manager role. You will need to be a Registered Social Worker with Social Work England, with substantial experience in statutory social work with children and families. You will be able to evidence how you have applied your learning to your practice and have a track record of practice that improves the lives of children. You will have evidence of post qualifying learning in child and family social work to demonstrate your specialism as a Child and Family Social Worker, preferably at Masters level or equivalent. You will have significant experience of evidence-based practice with children and families and the expertise and approach to effectively supervise and manage social workers and other social care practitioners. You will be working alongside Advanced Practitioners within your teams supporting practice, learning and development of our Social Workers and social care professionals. Please read the role profile for the full details of this role attached below in this advert What you’ll get in return: Cornwall Council’s ambition is to be an employer of choice, a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract, motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff. This helps provide our employees with a greater work/life balance. Whilst still ensuring that service needs are met. Our core employee rewards and benefits include: · a competitive salary. · a defined benefit pension scheme, based on your career average earnings. This includes the option for extra voluntary contributions · a generous annual leave entitlement with the potential to purchase additional leave. · A national award-winning employee health and wellbeing programme · Employee benefits scheme giving employees access to a wide range of discounts to local and national goods and services. Additional Information: Cornwall Council is unable to offer visa sponsorship or transfer existing sponsorship for this role. The full role profile is attached here We recommend saving a copy of this to refer to if you are invited to an interview. For further information or to arrange an informal discussion regarding the position, please contact Service Manager, Lowenna Blee, on 07591 444546 or via email at Lowenna.blee@cornwall.gov.uk Application Process Please attach a supporting statement to your application, you can add your Education & Qualifications details manually using the application form timeline or you can upload your CV. Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points marked as ‘Application’ on the Role Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had. Guidance on how to complete your application can be found here – The application process. Please note that applications cannot be edited after they have been submitted, please contact careers@cornwall.gov.uk if you have any queries or require assistance with your application. Existing employees must apply using their Cornwall Council email address through the Opportunity Marketplace on Oracle