Team Manager - SHiFT Lead Guide (Qualified Social Worker)

About Us: Children and Families is a dynamic service where social work thrives. We foster a culture of collaboration, integrity, and compassion, dedicated to the wellbeing and protection of children, young people, and their families. Our mission is to build resilience, remove barriers, and create brighter futures through early help, family support, and effective social work interventions.

SHiFT Tendring Partnership: SHiFT Tendring is a unique partnership hosted by Essex County Council (ECC), with staff employed on a fixed-term basis or secondment. Supported by SHiFT and guided by the Breaking Cycles practice model, we aim to make a lasting impact.

Your Role: As a SHiFT Team Manager, you will be a practising leader with social work qualifications and leadership experience. You will:

Guide and support your team with practice guidance, reflection, and professional challenges.

Coordinate the nomination forum, selecting a cohort of 27 children for an 18-month programme.

Work directly with one child, allowing you to focus on all aspects of your role.

Why Join Us? Be part of a fast-paced, high-trust, and high-expectation culture that delivers exceptional outcomes for children. Make a real difference in their lives and help shape a brighter future.

Key Responsibilities:

Model Excellence: Lead by example, demonstrating outstanding social work practice aligned with SHiFT and Children and Families frameworks.

Commit to Anti-Racism: Drive anti-racist practices and significantly improve outcomes for the most troubled children, working closely with up to 1 child and their family.

Collaborate for Change:Work within multi-agency networks to act as a catalyst for system change, embodying a "whatever it takes" attitude.

Provide High-Quality Oversight: Offer guidance through one-on-one sessions, group supervision, and practice observations, fostering continuous development.

Maintain Standards: Ensure compliance with ECC's Children & Families Service (CFS) and SHiFT practice standards, including timely and high-quality recording and assessments.

Safeguard Children: Follow ECC's CFS and SHiFT procedures promptly when child protection concerns arise.

Lead Decision Making: Support collective decision-making, manage personal budgets for each child, and ensure spending aligns with SHiFT and ECC guidelines.

Governance and Reporting: Contribute to programme governance, provide progress updates, and present impact findings.

Flexible Travel: Travel is essential; a full UK driving licence and vehicle are required,

Flexibility for out-of-hours work: Including weekends and evenings if needed., The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

· A qualified and registered Social Worker.

· Extensive experience of working with children / young people or young adults with complex needs for example in criminal justice or care setting and an understanding of the issues that affect young people and children in particular risk in the community.

· Experience of providing high quality reflective and reflexive case supervision to a small team of practitioners.

· Fundamental practice-based understanding of relevant children's legislation and of evidence informed practice.

· Excellent communication skills and IT literate and ensure high quality recording on both CFS and SHiFT case management systems.

· An ability to work on your own initiative and manage competing demands when under pressure and awareness of own strengths and area for development and a commitment to continuous professional development.

· Strong commitment to anti racist practice.

· Adept at working effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team and across organisational boundaries.

· Confident in analysing data to translate into analytic assessment of how the SHiFT practice is impacting on the lives of children as well as the ability to articulate this analysis.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service