We are seeking a Team Manager, with current Social Work England registration, and previous leadership experience in a similar role in our Permanence Team

Your responsibilities will include allocating and prioritising workloads to ensure the child’s welfare remains paramount, while cultivating a culture of professional development and high performance. You will oversee the team plan, drive progress towards objectives, and ensure performance targets are consistently met, delivering an effective and efficient service.  

The right candidate will have responsibility for the team plan to meet objectives and ensure performance targets are achieved.

This role is based in One Angel Square, Northampton 

About the Team 

It is responsible for progressing care plans of achieving permanence through adoption,  finding safe, stable, and long-term homes for children who cannot live with their birth parents. They manage adoption processes, long-term foster care, and Special Guardianship Orders to ensure children have a permanent sense of belonging and identity. 

We are committed to continuous improvement, building a skilled, knowledgeable, and flexible workforce alongside promoting innovation and creativity whilst keeping children, young people and families at the heart of all we do.

We really value our workforce and offer you a great benefits package including:

• SWE Registration paid yearly (social care colleagues)
• Recruitment Welcome Bonus of £2,200
• Relocation costs of up to £8,000
• Retention bonus payments for established personnel
• 28 days annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time) and an additional 5 days, after 5 years
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health pension protection.
• Opportunity to purchase up to 25 days annual leave
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Flexible and family working arrangements including enhanced maternity benefits
• A permanent, supportive and inclusive management team where you will be empowered to make good professional decisions
• Extensive Learning & Development and career development opportunities
• Subsidised town centre car parking scheme

• You will oversee social workers responsible for all children looked after and children in care, including legal proceedings, promoting stable placements and positive long-term change
• You will need a robust understanding of children and young people’s whole journey, ensuring that they are protected from significant harm and their life chances are maximised. You will need to have the ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with key partners and agencies
• You will have sound knowledge and understanding of all children’s legislation, particularly statutory guidance, policies, procedures and frameworks
• You will maintain a high-performance culture by supporting your team to continually develop their skills so they can achieve the best outcomes.   Through regular reflective supervision with your team, you’ll champion their personal and professional growth and health and wellbeing, ensuring an inclusive approach
• You will have the drive and passion to provide clear oversight of all children and young people, ensuring consistent quality standards are maintained, championing good practice to reduce risks, build on strengths and achieve consistent positive outcomes together

The ideal candidate will be a qualified Social Worker with current Social Work England registration and, ideally, a Level 5 NVQ Management qualification or equivalent relevant experience. You will demonstrate the ability to lead and develop a team, addressing performance and development needs through effective support, supervision and coaching.  

Recent permanence experience is essential, along with excellent written and verbal communication skills. You will be able to build positive relationships and consistently deliver high standards of practice and performance. In addition, you will support your line manager and deputise in their absence and have the capability to represent the service at a senior level when required. Good IT skills and knowledge of Liquid Logic would be an advantage. 

Get in touch 

We welcome the opportunity to speak to any interested candidates so please feel free to email: Lesley Lown, Service Manager lesley.lown@nctrust.co.uk and they can agree a mutually agreeable time to call you.  

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Barred List check

At Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, children, young people and families are at the heart of everything we do. Every decision we make and every action we take is guided by our commitment to delivering high-quality services that make a lasting difference to the lives of children, young people and families across Northamptonshire.

We know that our people are our greatest strength. Our workforce is at the centre of our success, and we are committed to creating an environment where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to do the best job of their lives every day. We foster a culture built on kindness, collaboration and trust, where achievements are recognised, ideas are welcomed and innovation is encouraged.

We are proud of the positive impact we make together and delighted that our work has been recognised by Ofsted, with an Outstanding rating for Leadership and Management and Good ratings across Help and Protection, Children in Care and Care Leavers.

At NCT equality, diversity and inclusion are part of us and in everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and thrive in our organisation.  We are a Disability Confident employer and have a commitment to care leavers, who we guarantee an interview if they meet the essential criteria.

If you are passionate about making a difference and want to be part of an ambitious, supportive and forward-thinking organisation, Northamptonshire Children’s Trust could be the place for you. 

Supporting Children – A Career That Matters