Grade/Salary: MGB £63,966 – £66,378 this role currently receives 2 spinal points for market pay which takes the salary range to £68,784-£71,181 per annum
Are you passionate about improving the lives of children in care and care experienced young people? Do you want to work within an ambitious, relational and child-centred Corporate Parenting Service that is committed to delivering outstanding support and outcomes for children and young people?
At the London Borough of Merton, we are proud that our Children’s Services have been judged Outstanding by Ofsted. In particular, our services for care experienced young people were recognised as a significant strength, with inspectors highlighting the strong relationships young people have with workers, the quality of pathway planning and the ambition and commitment shown to young people as they transition into adulthood.
We are committed to continuing to strengthen and develop our services so that children, young people and families receive the highest quality support at the right time.
We are: “A place where outstanding children’s services are offered, where children and young people feel they belong, stay safe and can thrive.”
We are now seeking an experienced, motivated and values-driven Service Manager to join our Corporate Parenting Service, leading and supporting services for Children in Care and Care Experienced Young People.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a forward-thinking leadership team and contribute to the continued development of high-quality practice, strategic service improvement and positive outcomes for children and young people.
As Service Manager, you will provide both operational and strategic leadership across Children in Care and Care Experienced services, ensuring children and young people remain at the centre of all decision making. You will lead high-performing teams and work collaboratively with partners across health, education, housing, safeguarding and youth justice to ensure children and young people receive effective, aspirational and relationship-based support.
You will play a key role in:
- Driving excellent practice and performance across Corporate Parenting services
- Supporting permanence, stability and positive transitions into adulthood
- Strengthening participation and ensuring the voices of children and care experienced young people shape service delivery
- Leading and embedding relational, trauma-informed and anti-racist practice
- Supporting workforce development, reflective supervision and practice learning
- Contributing to strategic development, inspection readiness and continuous improvement activity
- Developing strong partnership and commissioning relationships to improve sufficiency and outcomes for children and young people
We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic leader who:
- Is a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England
- Has substantial management experience within statutory children’s social care, particularly within Children in Care and/or Leaving Care services
- Can demonstrate strong leadership, decision-making and practice oversight skills
- Is passionate about relationship-based practice and improving outcomes for children and care experienced young people
- Has experience of leading teams through improvement and change
- Can work effectively within a multi-agency environment and build strong partnerships
- Has a strong understanding of safeguarding, corporate parenting responsibilities and relevant legislation
Our practice model combines relationship-based social work, systemic practice and Signs of Safety approaches. We are committed to restorative, trauma-informed and anti-racist practice across our services.
If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact:
Rosemary Frimpong – Head of Corporate Parenting at Rosemary.Frimpong@merton.gov.uk
Unfortunately, we are not able to offer international sponsorship at this time.
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