Senior Manager within the Child protection team

THE ROLE 

Working in a critical operational area the post will impact on the Council's corporate vision and reputation to maintain/increase Public confidence. The post holder is a lead professional with pivotal involvement, working with the Head of Service to develop, implement and provide direction at a senior level to inform the operational strategy of the service area.

Responsibility for managing a cluster of specialist teams, ensuring that children, young people, carers and families receive first class specialist assessments and timely support to meet their needs, manage risks to children and maximise children’s life chances.

Manage direct spend and staffing budgets maximising service provision but ensuring spend remains within allocated resources. Deliver inspection, contribute to serious case reviews, and plan outcomes for the continuous professional development of staff and improvement of the quality of services for which responsible. 

The Senior Manager will support the delivery of effective support and services to children, young people and families in line with the vision for Children and Families

RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Ensuring delivery of Service Plan objectives for the specialist service area of responsibility and delivering results to meet the needs of the community or customer through effective leadership of people.
• Developing and embedding a performance culture that delivers results through rigorous challenge, disciplined delivery, and continual improvement, ensuring that resources are targeted on business priorities and meeting customer needs.
• Maintaining effective systems for monitoring, reviewing, and evaluating staff and own performance against the group’s objectives. Take appropriate corrective action as necessary.
• Supporting the Head of Service in the preparation of proposals for the strategic direction of the service function which supports the Council's overall future direction.
• Being fully conversant with alterations to national, regional, and local influences, legislation, council procedures etc. and plan for consequent changes to services.
• Providing leadership and direction to staff; setting out the service goals; conveying how they support the fundamental purpose of the council and energise staff towards their achievement incorporating the Council’s values and behaviours.
• Ensuring that the Council performs its duties and functions in fulfilment of its statutory obligations.
• The managerial leadership of the group and its services and functions set within the Specialist Service.
• Promoting managerial responsibility for cross-organisational group working, and across boundaries with other agencies and partners, to improve services and solve problems in a coherent and integrated manner.
• Ensuring that relevant and best professional advice, guidance, and information is available in an intelligible and timely fashion to appropriate senior officers as required.
• Sustaining and improving the overall reputation of the Council and acting in the best interests of the Council through effective representations locally, regionally and/or nationally

Effective Processes

• Supporting the development of the Council’s policies, processes, practices, and systems in respect of the service function, contributing to and ensuring that they are current, of a high standard, conform to best practice, comply with legislation and/or meet the needs of the Council within that service area.
• Ensuring, within own group, that all Council policies, processes, practices, and systems, including those covering service delivery, resource and relationship management, are operated/implemented in accordance with Council requirements.
• Reviewing, evaluating, and recommending the necessary action to amend service processes, practices and systems that lead to improved service delivery.
• Reviewing as appropriate the effectiveness of other Council policies that impact on the delivery of services by the group and working with the corporate organisation for the overall improvement of services to the community.
• Establishing mechanisms for the collection of a range of information and/or data on the service function and its performance, including its analysis, interpretation, processing, and presentation.
• Writing reports, and making presentations when required for a wide audience, such as Council Members, Project Boards, Cabinet and Council Committees, Community Groups etc.
• Ensuring that effective arrangements are in place to secure the well-being and the health & safety of all employees and people delivering services for the Council.

Organisation Learning, Growth and Sustainability

• Ensuring that all group members keep abreast of the Council’s changing legal obligations and mandates.
• Using internal/external relationships to get feedback on effectiveness of services delivered, continuously re-evaluate these services and make recommendations for, or take action to, make appropriate changes.
• Continuously reviewing and supporting the development of the strategies, policies, procedures, and processes relating to own professional area and group remit, taking into account the views of all stakeholders both internally and externally.
• Provide positive leadership, acting with openness, honesty, and integrity, and instilling a clear sense of direction, priority and pace.
• Leading people in an inclusive way to deliver strategic and operational objectives.
• Ensuring workforce capacity and capability and for development activities to maintain the professionally safe delivery and viability of services.

Service Delivery

• Ensuring delivery of Service Plan objectives for the team’s areas of responsibility and delivering results to meet the needs of the service users through effective organisation of the team and monitoring of workflow.
• Developing and embedding a performance culture within the team to ensure targets are met and poor performance is effectively managed.
• Maintaining effective systems for monitoring, reviewing, and evaluating staff and own performance against the team’s objectives within the Service. Take appropriate corrective action as necessary.
• Visibly and actively supporting and promoting the corporate activities of the Council and the values and behaviours of the Council.
• Being aware of changes to policy and procedures and plan for consequent changes to services.
• Leading a process of continual improvement to contribute to improved life chances for children, young people, and their families.
• Ensuring all staff are trained, supervised, developed, and supported to provide the best possible outcomes for children, families and carers, seeking help from more senior managers and corporate colleagues as appropriate.
• Ensuring that the Council performs its duties and functions in fulfilment of its statutory obligation.

Management of staff

• To ensure the team has in place appropriate systems and procedures to prioritise and manage demands on the service by allocating staff and resources appropriately, in accordance with social care assessed need and Education and Children's Services policies.
• To monitor the team’s performance with reference to local and key performance indicators for Children’s social care services, producing performance and statistical reports as required.
• Supporting the development of the Council’s policies, processes, practices, and systems in respect of service functions, contributing to and ensuring that they are current, of a high standard, conform to best practice, comply with legislation and/or meet the needs of the service.
• Authorising assessments, reports and care plans and taking responsibility for ensuring plans for children and carers are implemented in accordance with statutory and Council requirements.
• Reviewing, evaluating, and recommending the necessary action to amend service processes, practices and systems that lead to improved service delivery.
• Undertaking audits in line with the service’s quality monitoring requirements.

Partnership and Collaborative Working

• Engagement with children, young people, and families to ensure that their requirements are at the heart of the design and delivery of services in accordance with the Council’s customer service strategy. Giving prompt attention to any complaints/concerns raised about the services/decision making of the team.
• Building and promoting successful partnership working across agencies and with children and young people and their families, to deliver more cost effective and valued services. Ensuring that the needs of all stakeholders are met by modelling behaviour, which fosters equality of opportunity in service provision and employment.
• Using internal/external relationships to get feedback on effectiveness of services delivered, continuously re-evaluate these services and make recommendations for, or take action to, make appropriate changes.