Role Responsibility An exciting opportunity has opened up in Kent’s Integrated Children’s Services for a Service Manager for the Swale Island & Rural District. The post is based at Sheppey Gateway, Sheerness. The post holder will be responsible for overseeing 3 Children’s Social Work Teams covering the Swale Island & Rural district. The Children’s Social Work teams carry out statutory social work with children subject to child in need and child protection plans. The service is responsible for some looked after children prior to their transfer to our Children in Care Service in North Kent. You will be joining a district who are committed to achieving the best outcomes for children and young people, who are creative and innovative in their practice and strive for excellence. You will need an in-depth understanding of legislative and policy frameworks along with a commitment to continuous professional development. We offer a competitive salary and a range of professional development opportunities. The successful candidate will be a qualified and registered social worker with a significant experience in managing children’s social work teams. They will understand the importance of working with multi agency partners and the benefits of good preventative and early help work. About us We want the best for the children of Kent, and this can only be delivered as a team effort with everyone playing their part. So, we’re creating a culture that fosters excellence and collaboration – a place where social workers are empowered to be creative and share ideas and advice. And, with Ofsted recently rating our services as “Outstanding”, Kent County Council’s Children’s Services teams are working together, stronger than ever, to deliver strengthened services and improved outcomes. Kent is a large and diverse county, offering a broad range of challenges and opportunities to support children and young people from a variety of backgrounds and circumstance. As part of the interview process for this role you may be required to complete additional testing. This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring service and registration as a qualified Social Worker with Social Work England. This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification. Interviews will be held on Thursday 20 th and Friday 21 st February.