Team Manager (Carer Support, Fostering Recruitment & Assessment) -Internal Only Maternity cover up to 12 months

This position is open to internal candidates only. Any applications received from external candidates will not be considered and will be automatically rejected. About Barnet Council Barnet is a borough with much to be proud of. Our excellent schools, vibrant town centers, vast green spaces and diverse communities all help make it a great place to live and work. As a council we want to build on these strengths as we move into the future. We are growing and developing as an organisation to meet the challenges facing our borough and we are committed to working with partner organisations and residents to make Barnet even better. As an organisation, our staff are committed to Our Values: Learning to Improve, Caring, Inclusive, Collaborative – which drive everything we do. About the role We’re recruiting a Team Manager to fit a dual role for the Carer Support Team and Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Teams; this is a maternity cover for up to 12 months. The Carer Support team sits within the Corporate Parenting Service, and will be responsible for supporting children and their families within Kinship arrangements, including supporting life story work, as well as managing all private fostering referrals and arrangements within the borough. As the Team Manager of the Carer Support Team, you will be responsible for timely and robust screening and allocation of referrals from various children’s teams. Alongside this, you will ensure that there are robust support packages in place that support Kinship arrangements in providing permanency for children for their minority. As the Team Manager of the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team, you will be responsible for increasing the number of excellent quality Foster Carers for children and young people in Barnet. This includes working alongside Marketing Officers, Recruitment Coordinators and assessing Social Workers. As the Team Manager you will be responsible of all screening and quality assurance of prospective Foster Carers from enquiry through to approval, including working closely with Barnet's Fostering Panel. You will need to be a strong systemic leader who models effective, attuned management and communication skills. You will manage a a large multi agency team of practitioners. You will ensure that the teams are well supported and receive regular reflective supervision as part of their roles. Please click here to download the Job description for this role. About you You will be a qualified social worker with a minimum of 3 years post qualifying experience, preferably in a statutory setting. You will be highly organised and able to deliver to deadlines, and able to work independently whilst maintaining a team and whole service focus. Your will have a track record of excellent knowledge and understanding of complex child safeguarding, alongside your strong grasp of relevant legislation. You will have strong verbal and written communication skills, as well as either experience or a sound understanding of social worker supervision and change management . You will be responsible for the day to day management of the work allocated to your teams, ensuring that this is completed to the highest standards and with the child’s welfare central to decision making. Alongside this, you will ensure that effective working relationships are maintained with referring teams and those being assessed, whilst being confident to appropriately challenge when required. Your role will have a strong element of quality assurance and it will be expected that you bring strong analytical assessment skills to the job. You will develop your team members by ensuring they receive regular, reflective case and personal supervision, and that service and corporate priorities are met. You will provide management cover within the service areas when your colleagues are on leave. You will ensure that Human Resource policies and procedures are adhered to, including robustly and effectively addressing any performance, capability, sickness absence or similar issues. In all cases, you will ensure that concise and accurate records of your management decision making and direction is evidenced and communicated. Above all, you will be committed to assisting the service to ensure that we are a forward thinking, responsive service which meets the diverse needs of children, young people and their families in Barnet, by contributing to service and departmental strategies, policies and procedures. What we offer 31 days annual leave, plus public and bank holidays Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, which provides a valuable guaranteed income in your retirement together with security for your dependents Work-life balance options may include hybrid working, flexitime, job share, home working, part-time A vast range of lifestyle discounts from major retailers, supermarkets, energy suppliers and more Broad range of payroll benefits including cycle to work, eye care vouchers, travel and gym membership Excellent training and development opportunities Employee well- being training programs including confidential employee assistance How to apply Read the job description and person specification before clicking ‘Apply’ to commence the online application form. If you would like any further information about the role before applying, please contact Samantha.Speke@Barnet.gov.uk Barnet Council 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. Barnet operates stringent safer recruitment procedures, this may include AI Detection Screening, Biometric ID/Right to Work Checks, Qualification and Registration Checks, Up to 6 years of Employment Data and Insights to Accelerate Screening (Konfir), Up to 5 years of Employment History References, DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) Checks, Credit Checks and Social Media, Sanctions and Occupational Health Screening. To deliver Barnet Council’s commitment to equality of opportunity in the provision of services, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. As such we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds. Barnet Council embraces all forms of flexible working (including part-time, compressed hours, and hybrid working) and is committed to offering employees a healthy work-life balance. Candidates are encouraged to talk about relevant requirements and preferences at interview. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking. Barnet Council is a Disability Confident Committed Employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply All posts with the council are subject to a probationary period of six months, during which time you will be required to demonstrate to the council satisfaction your suitability for the position in which you will be employed. Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient number of applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible. Please ensure you regularly check the email account (including JUNK MAIL folders) that you use to submit your application, as any further communication regarding your application will be sent electronically. Should you not hear from us within four working weeks of the closing date for this post, then regretfully in this instance, you have not been shortlisted.