Social Care Team Manager

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: West Suffolk House, Bury St Edmunds IP33 3YU and Haverhill House, Haverhill CB9 9HB - Hybrid 
• Salary: £49,752 - £60,792 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Hours: 37 hours per week, flexible working options available
• Contract: Permanent

At Suffolk County Council, collaboration is at the heart of what we do. As a Team Manager in our Family Help Service, you'll lead social work practice that helps children and families achieve lasting and meaningful change.

You will join a service committed to delivering the right support at the right time, bringing together safeguarding, child protection, targeted early help and multi-agency working to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people across Suffolk. The role requires strong leadership, sound decision-making and a passion for developing high-quality practice. 

Team Manager roles available:

2 x Social Work qualified (SWQ), West Suffolk House

1 x Alternatively qualified (AQ), West Suffolk House

1 x Alternatively qualified (AQ), Haverhill House

Salary within Grade 7 will reflect the qualification requirements of the role. Social Work Qualified (SWQ) Team Manager roles will be paid at £55,563 while Alternatively Qualified (AQ) Team Manager roles will be paid at £49,752, the entry point of Grade 7.

Reimagine the possibilities.

Your role and responsibilities

You will lead and develop a multidisciplinary team, providing professional oversight, support and challenge to ensure children and families receive effective, timely and relationship-based interventions.

You will create a positive learning culture where social workers and practitioners feel supported to deliver their best work, while maintaining high standards of safeguarding practice and effective risk management. You will also play a key role in supporting service improvement and strengthening partnership working across the wider system. 

You will:

• lead, manage and develop a team of social workers and practitioners
• provide reflective supervision, professional guidance and performance management
• oversee complex child protection, safeguarding and family support work
• support effective decision-making and risk management across the team
• drive high-quality, strengths-based practice using Suffolk Signs of Safety and Wellbeing principles
• monitor service performance, case quality and statutory compliance
• lead on quality assurance activity, including audits and practice improvement
• support safe and effective transitions for children and families between services
• develop and maintain strong partnerships with professionals across education, health, police and other agencies
• contribute to workforce planning, recruitment, retention and staff development
• lead change, innovation and continuous improvement within the service. 

You will need

We are looking for an experienced and passionate social work leader who is committed to achieving the best outcomes for children and families.

You will bring:

• a recognised Social Work qualification and current Social Work England registration for SWQ roles or an appropriate equivalent professional qualification for AQ roles.

• significant frontline experience in children's social care, including safeguarding and child protection 

• experience of leading, managing and developing staff 

• strong knowledge of relevant legislation, statutory guidance and national policy 

• experience of complex decision-making, risk management and service delivery 

• the ability to build effective partnerships across professional disciplines 

• excellent communication, organisational and performance management skills 

• the ability to use performance information to drive service improvement 

• experience of leading service improvements or organisational change
• knowledge of Signs of Safety and solution-focused approaches
• understanding of evidence-informed interventions
• experience of working alongside a range of partner agencies
• an awareness of the wider operational and strategic environment within children's services. 

• due to the travel requirements of the role, you will need a driving licence and access to personal transport. If you can meet these requirements through other suitable means, please contact the Hiring Manager to discuss.

You can view the full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (JPP), which you'll find in the 'How to Apply' section of this advert.

If you believe you can succeed in this role, we encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet every requirement.

The team

We aspire for every child in Suffolk to live their best life.

Our Family Help teams bring together social workers and practitioners to provide coordinated support, early intervention, safeguarding and child protection services for children and families. We are committed to delivering relationship-based and strengths-focused practice that creates sustainable change and helps families build on their own strengths. 

You will be joining a supportive and collaborative service where learning, development and continuous improvement are actively encouraged. This is an exciting opportunity to influence practice, support colleagues and help shape the future of Family Help across Suffolk. 

Take a look at what makes our Ideal Worker, shaped by the voices of young people: find out more.

Empowering Everyone

We are big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report. 

For more information

Please contact Charnine De'Ath for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling 01728652379 or emailing: charnine.de'[email protected]

How to apply 

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word). 

Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application. 

Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement answering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the Supporting Statement template (Word).  

1. Please tell us about your experience of leading social workers and practitioners within children's services. How have you supported high-quality practice, professional development and positive outcomes for children and families?  And how have used data and management information to support this?
2. Provide an example of a time when you worked with a range of partner agencies to improve outcomes for a child or family. What challenges did you face and how did your leadership contribute to a positive outcome? 
3. Tell us about a service improvement, practice development or change initiative that you have led. What was your approach and what impact did it have on children, families, staff or service performance? 

Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.  

For guidance on completing your application, please see our How to Apply page. 

Planning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Please ensure your application still reflects your own skills, experience and ideas. If used inappropriately, your application may not be processed. Please read our guidance for using AI to understand what’s acceptable. 

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team at: [email protected] or 03456 014412.  You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages.  

Closing date: 11.30 pm, 15 November 2026.

Interview date: 24 November 2026

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid