£63,801 - £74,346 inclusive of Choices Flexible Benefit of £4,050

Be there for those who need us most

Judged to be ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, our investment in children’s social care services has created a professional environment where social workers can concentrate on what they do best: supporting and helping families. Our investment in practitioners and managers was recognised alongside our strong oversight of practice, and we believe in relationship-based practice to ensure a respectful collaboration with those we work with.

We have created an environment where our staff can do the work they came into the profession to do - to support and help families to stay together where this is in children’s best interests and it is safe enough for it to happen. This intention forms the spine of our vision for children, young people, families and carers in Bexley. You will find here, that our social work practice, our training, our daily conversations and decisions, our supervision, our leadership, our innovation and our future plans are all highly dependent on the Children Act 1989 principle, that families should be first and foremost supported to bring up their own children with help from a children’s service when it is required . Of course, we act to protect children and young people quickly when they are not safe. Sometimes that means they cannot remain within their families, but we work quickly to establish permanent alternatives or a return to their family networks.

Our Head of Service for Professional Practice, Workforce Development & Quality Assurance is a critical promoter, leader and barometer for whether we are getting things right for families in Bexley. Whether we are helping practitioners to be the best they can be, whether we are listening to and learning from families, whether we promote the best practice environment for our staff, whether as leaders we model and lead with high expectations and exceptional support and whether our knowledge and oversight of practice is used to reach for further improvement and respect for those we are trying to help.

We are looking for a senior leader who has exceptional passion and commitment for brilliant social work practice, alongside sound knowledge of our chosen Signs of Safety practice model, driving hard at relationship- based work.  You will be line managing the Principal Social Worker, setting the standards we need for practice in an outstanding children’s service, but also leading relentlessly to retain our strong permanent staff whilst attracting the best to come to Bexley. You will want to know and engage every day in conversations and collaborations about what is working and what needs to improve. You will be an appreciative enquirer, taking a position of interest and curiosity about the performance of our teams and the evidence in practice. We have high expectations about accountability for judgements and decision making but we know high challenge must be met with strong coaching and management support. 

First and foremost, we need you to be deeply interested in the conditions that make for the best social care practice and leadership. You must believe firmly in the rights of families to bring up their children safely, and where they need support, help the Director and senior team to develop respectful and authentic offers of help, protection, and care. You will need to believe in the value of collaborative reviews of practice, have experience in supporting independent review and child protection functions as well as the capacity to produce high quality reports about standards of practice and priorities for improvement.

In Bexley, we pride ourselves on innovation, close partnerships, a strong implementation of Signs of Safety, respectful practice and an accurate account of what we do well and what needs to improve. You will already be an experienced service manager with consolidated experience of overseeing and reporting on the quality of social work practice and leadership. In addition, you will be creative and collaborative as a leader working closely with colleagues across a multi-agency practice system.

Expectations are high, and we do not want these services to stand still; this is a chance to build on what we already do well, whilst seeking out further improvement and innovation. You will be a champion for our Signs of Safety practice model and have a strong work ethic and commitment to high standards of professional evidence based practice.

For more information about the role or for a confidential discussion about your suitability, please contact Frazer Thouard (07384 810 743) or Sian Roberts (01978 862768) from our recruitment partners, GatenbySanderson, or please click apply below

Closing date: Midnight, Sunday 30^th January