Service Manager Safeguarding Care and Quality Assurance

About the job

Key information

• 37 hours – Full time position based in our Taunton Office. The role covers the whole of Somerset, and you will be required to work from all localities as need demands.
• Flexible working available, using a hybrid model – working from your contracted work base in Taunton and home
• 33 days’ annual leave

What will I be doing?

• Play a critical role in maintaining and improving the quality-of-service provision for children who have a child protection plan or children who are looked after
• Lead the Children’s Advocacy and Independent Reviewing Service to deliver on their priorities, leading to better outcomes for children
• Manage and oversee the work of Independent Reviewing Officers for Children Looked After, for children with a child protection plan and for foster carers. To manage and oversee the work of the LADO service and Route 1 Advocacy. Ensure that the statutory standards of work and review timescales are achieved.
• To escalate and support resolution of complex operational service-based problems and conflicts to ensure positive outcomes for children.
• Conduct regular audits to ensure adherence to Practice Standards, to identify good practice that we can learn from and to report on areas where improvements are needed for children.
• Develop strategic plans and collaborate with partners and other services to resolve quality issues.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you:

You will:

• Have a Social Work Qualification
• Have a track record of working and delivering projects and service plans to develop and improve service delivery
• Demonstratable knowledge of the statutory and legislative and policy frameworks that underpin the service
• Demonstrable experience of partnership working including the ability to influence and, where appropriate, lead multi-agency groups and projects to deliver services and initiatives.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What is in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

DBS check

In this role you will require a criminal background check via Disclosure and Barring Service.

Supporting documents and information

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Jane Sprague, Head of Service Quality Assurance & Partnerships at jane.sprague@somerset.gov.uk

Interviews will take place on 01/05/2025

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button – we can’t wait to hear from you.

Apply on the Somerset Council website

Apply now