Team Manager - Children Looked After

London Social Work for Children; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - GBP 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority is seeking a Team Manager in the Children Looked After Service in Wandsworth. The role requires leading a talented group of social workers to deliver high-quality care for vulnerable children and families. Applicants should hold a social work qualification and have leadership experience within children's services. The organization promotes a supportive environment with benefits such as 40 days annual leave, flexible working arrangements, and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

40 days annual leave

Flexible working

Generous pension plan

Professional development opportunities

Relocation package for experienced social workers

Qualifications

• Proven experience in children’s social care services.
• Strong understanding of Keeping Children Safe legislation.
• Ability to manage a team and work with multi-agency partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of social workers to provide high-quality care.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and partners.
• Support vulnerable children and families in Wandsworth.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Social work practice

Creative problem-solving

Education

Social work qualification with Social Work England membership

Job description

Can you inspire, encourage and develop excellent social work practice to make a real difference in the lives of children and young people?

Our goals and vision are all about keeping families together where it is safe to do so. We work with each family’s strengths to help them meet the challenges they face, alongside supporting our practitioners to do the transformational work needed to reduce or prevent the need for children to be taken into care. When children do need to come into care, we want them to understand why, and we want to support them to achieve stability and permanence as soon as possible.

As a Team Manager in the Children Looked After Service, you will be responsible for leading a talented group of five Social Workers. You will be working collaboratively with your colleagues across the department and with partners, to deliver high-quality and responsive social work to some of the most vulnerable children and families in Wandsworth.

You will be a valued member of the service and a leader and champion of exemplary practice, able to work with families to make changes, and to achieve early permanence for children when they cannot remain at home.

Closing date: 22 February 2026

Shortlisting date: w/c 23 February 2026

Interview date: w/c 2 March 2026

We may close this vacancy early once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Richmond & Wandsworth Better Service Partnership are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.

We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to these posts will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees such as 40 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays), flexible working and a generous pension plan.

About you

• You will hold social work qualification with Social Work England membership and have completed your ASYE Year.
• Proven experience of working across voluntary and statutory agencies with applied knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance.
• Experience of leadership and management within Children’s Social Care Services, with specific knowledge and interest in services for Children Looked After.
• You will be a passionate and driven social worker who is looking to develop further your management experience in practice with disabled children and their families.
• You will be innovative and creative in your approach to delivering services to children and families and be able to work closely with your team and manager including multi-agency partners to provide a service that meets each child’s needs.
• You will have an understanding and commitment to the changes we are implementing in response to ‘Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families thrive’ and our Outstanding Practice Framework.

If you can see yourself promoting outstanding practice in Wandsworth and would like the opportunity to shape the lives of children and their families, we encourage you to apply for this position.

About Wandsworth

Our social workers are at the heart of our success, and we’re looking for Social Workers who share and are excited by our vision. Come and be part of our success.

All children and families deserve an outstanding level of practice, let’s work together to provide them with the very best.

Our shared vision and values to improve outcomes for children and families will drive practice. Our outstanding practice framework will support us collectively to do that. We want to apply solutions to complex problems in the simplest way. Having a robust practice framework will enable a shared language, understanding and value base from which we can all work creatively with children and families to achieve the best outcomes for them.

We know that to recruit passionate, dedicated social workers - where there’s simply more demand than the available resource - we must show our appreciation in more tangible ways. That\'s why we have put together an attractive package for all our social workers.

In return for your skills, knowledge and experience, you will receive an appropriate starting salary and a friendly, kind, positive and supportive working culture.

We also offer:

Performance related salary progression scheme

32 days annual leave to all employees plus bank holidays

Relocation package for experienced social workers moving to London

Manageable caseloads

Agile and flexible working arrangements

Professional development and CPD opportunities

Regular reflective supervision and peer group supervision

Refer a friend scheme

Welcome payments and retention bonuses for harder to recruit to areas of our services

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.

We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to these posts will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

If you have any questions about applying for this role, please get in touch with Simi Sabo on [e-mail]

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