Childrens Social Work Team Manager

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Landmark House Ipswich Suffolk IP1 5PF. Office based
• Salary:55563 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Hours:37 hours per week
• Contract: Permanent

At Suffolk County Council every role is a chance to create positive change.

As an experienced visible and confident Team Manager youll lead one of our Integrated Front Door teams at a key stage in our improvement and development journey. Through your leadership youll help ensure children and families receive the right support at the right time while shaping practice and driving continuous improvement across the service.

As Team Manager youll have the opportunity to influence practice at the very start of a childs journey supporting high-quality safeguarding decisions and helping shape the service as part of Suffolks ongoing improvement us and turn your passion for progress into action

Reimagine the possibilities.

Your role and responsibilities

Youll lead a busy multi-agency Front Door team responsible for safeguarding decision-making and ensuring children and families access the right support at the earliest opportunity.

You will:

• lead motivate and develop a high-performing team
• drive timely safe and effective decision-making
• provide management oversight on contacts referrals and thresholds
• support practitioners to deliver strengths-based child-focused practice
• embed high-quality safeguarding and risk management
• drive performance quality assurance and continuous improvement
• build strong partnerships across the multi-agency network
• create a culture of learning accountability and professional curiosity
• be a visible accessible and supportive leader providing regular oversight guidance and challenge to practitioners within a busy Front Door environment.

You will need:

• to be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England
• to lead from the front and thrive in a fast-paced environment
• understanding that visibility accessibility and support are key to success
• significant management experience within Childrens Social Care
• strong understanding of safeguarding thresholds and risk
• the ability to provide direction when complex decisions need to be made
• to develop and inspire practitioners to be their very best
• a track record of improving performance and driving change.
• A passion for achieving outstanding outcomes for children and families.

Experience in Front Door MASH or Assessment Services will be highly desirable

You can view a full list of requirements in theJob and Person Profile (JPP) which you can find in the How to apply section towards the bottom of this advert. If you believe you can succeed in this role even if you dont meet all requirements please still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The team

At Suffolk County Council we aspire for every child to live their best life.

The Integrated Front Door is a fast-paced multi-agency environment bringing together professionals from across the partnership including social care police health and education to ensure concerns are responded to quickly consistently and effectively.

Youll be part of a service that:

• Supports early decision-making and earlier help
• Works within a shared safeguarding framework and statutory duties
• Promotes joined-up high-quality responses for children and families
• Plays a key role in Suffolks Families First approach.

This is an office-based role five days per week. We believe that being together matters. Visible leadership supports better decision-making stronger oversight professional development and a culture where practitioners feel supported to do their best work.

Empowering Everyone

Were big believers in potential possibility and the power of different ideas. Were always searching for ways to encourage respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation as shown in ourWorkforce Equality Report.

For more information

Please contact either Scott Wentworth or Milly Clarkfor a casual conversation. You can reach them by either calling or or emailing or

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word).

Step 2 -Click Apply Now to start your online application.

Step 3 -Upload asupporting statementanswering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use theSupporting Statement template (Word).

1. Describe a time when you led and developed a team to improve performance practice or outcomes for children and families. What was your
   approach and what impact did it have
2. Describe how you have supported practitioners to develop their skills professional curiosity and confidence. What did you do and what impact
   did it have on practice
3. Tell us about a complex safeguarding situation where you had responsibility for overseeing or making a significant decision. How did you
   assess risk apply thresholds and ensure the childs needs remained central to decision-making

Please note:Without a supporting statement your interest will not be supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.

For guidance on completing your application please seeourHow to Apply page.

We value authentic applications thatshowcaseyour genuine skills and experiences so we encourage you to present your own work and ideas throughout the process. You can also readourUsing AI in Your Application and Interview guidanceto understand acceptable and unacceptable use of AI. If AI is used inappropriately your application may not be progressed.

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to applyIf you are disabled and/or haveadditionalsupport needs you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team by emailing or calling.You can find examples ofpossible adjustmentsonourReasonable Adjustment pages. Ifyoureinvited to the next stageyoullhave another chance to request adjustments.

Closing date:11.30 pm 1 November 2026.

Promoted as FJ (Featured Job) on Suffolk Jobs Direct.

This authority 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. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.#LI-Onsite