About the Borough : In Sutton, there is much for us to be proud of both as a council and as a borough. This includes high levels of resident satisfaction, the quality of our services, our success in addressing our financial challenges to date, the way that we involve and engage with residents on key issues facing the borough, and the enthusiastic and motivated staff that we employ. Looking ahead, there are plans for the delivery of new homes and new schools and the London Cancer Hub is being developed, while the Council is also seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment. All of this demonstrates a good track record and an authority that is ambitious and set to deliver more improvements for the borough. We've set out our vision for the future of Sutton in our corporate plan - Ambitious for Sutton. This strategic plan will shape the outcomes we achieve, the services we provide, and the impact we have on residents, to make Sutton a great place to live, work and raise a family. Situated in Zone 5, Sutton is less than 30 minutes by train from central London, and south and south west London are easily accessible by public transport. There are 10 train stations which serve key neighbourhoods within the borough providing direct connections to London Victoria, London Bridge, London Blackfriars and St Pancras International. Sutton also has direct rail connections with Epsom, Dorking, Guildford and Horsham, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and West Croydon for the London Overground. There's also an extensive road network which provides close and easy access to the M25 and M23. About the Service and Team : Children's Social Care at London Borough of Sutton are in the midst of a significant transformation driven by the growing demand for our services. Our focus is on implementing comprehensive changes to elevate the quality of care provided to children and families, while also fostering positive and supportive work environments for our staff. Through strategic recruitment of new leaders and experienced managers, we are infusing innovative ideas and driving meaningful changes throughout our service delivery. Our ultimate aim is to establish ourselves as a leading authority in children's social care, committed to delivering exceptional support that positively impacts the well-being of our community and provides an inclusive, diverse and stable workforce. About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate : We are looking to recruit a dynamic and conscientious individual to join the Sutton Placement Team as a Placements Team Manager - Children's Social Care. Reporting to the Service Manager, as the Placement Manager, you will be responsible for the leadership and management of the Placement Service to ensure effective delivery of services within timescales and budget. Leading and modelling best practices, you will ensure that our work adheres to statutory requirements. You will provide guidance on complex procedural matters and support your team members in their professional development. Furthermore, you will assist the Service Manager in fostering a culture of learning and improvement through supervision, mentoring, and sharing best practice knowledge. You will work within relevant practice frameworks to reduce the need for services and promote independence. This is a fast paced role where collaboration is key to its success working in partnership with a range of stakeholders including social workers, Youth Offending teams, and Independent providers, to address the needs of vulnerable children and young people. For more information about the role and/or an informal conversation, view the Role Profile or contact Geeta Rath, Service Lead - geeta.rathsutton.gov.uk or recruitmentsutton.gov.uk The ideal candidate will possess advanced knowledge and experience in commissioning and purchasing placements, along with a solid understanding of legislation pertaining to children looked after and care leavers. Strong leadership and management skills are essential, as is the ability to motivate and support your team effectively. You will be organised and flexible, and have sound knowledge of commissioning and purchasing residential, fostering, supported accommodation & secure welfare placements and an understanding of relevant legislation related to children looked after and care leavers. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are vital for building relationships with stakeholders. Additionally, you should be capable of managing multiple priorities and deadlines while working under pressure. A commitment to early intervention and prevention is also crucial for success in this role. In addition, we would expect candidates to fulfil the competencies including (but not limited to): Qualified Social Worker with a Social Work Degree or recognised qualification, registered with Social Work England, the relevant governing body. A minimum of 3 years post qualification and management experience, demonstrating the development of an advanced level of knowledge Detailed knowledge of relevant legislation, regulations and guidance relating to work with Children Looked After & young people leaving care. Experience and skill in leading multi-agency planning groups involving stakeholders, partners, parents, carers & colleagues e.g placement stability meetings, placement consultation/planning meetings Provide quality assurance and challenge to social workers about the quality of placement referrals & risk assessments, offering advice on content, and recommending changes Excellent communication skills including oral, written, negotiation and role modelling. Knowledge of commissioning will be an added advantage. You will support the service manager to develop and embed a culture of learning and improvement through supervision, mentoring, sharing of best practice knowledge, research and the competent application of legislative frameworks, including deputising for certain tasks in their absence. If you are passionate about making a meaningful impact in the lives of the children and families in our community, and thrive in a collaborative environment, we look forward to receiving your application. Our Offer to You : As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we're committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We're constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across - however big or small - will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team. In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps. Our Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme embraces new ways of working. It provides improved work life balance for our staff as it allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include: Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) General Council Flexi-time (Please note, this applies to roles at grades 1-9 only) Public Health Service Localised Flexi-time Scheme - accrual of up to 5 days per year Three volunteering days per year in Sutton Comprehensive learning and development programme Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities Interest free season ticket loans Local Government Pension Scheme Car parking scheme Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme Zip car scheme Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses Confidential wellbeing and counselling support Subsidised gym membership Application Process : Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application. To support our diversity agenda and reduce the risk of bias in our recruitment activities, our short listing process completely anonymises personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc. Our hiring managers review and short list applications based on the information provided as part of your application as to how well you meet the requirements and criteria for the role, as outlined in the job profile. The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Additional Information : We pride ourselves on being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Borough and we aim to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve - the key highlights from our recent Equalities Workforce Report can be seen here. We are respectful of difference and realise the positive value of diversity in our workforce. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. As part of our Disability Confident Committed status, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda. The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.