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About the role
We're excited to welcome an experienced colleague to join our fantastic team in North Dorset. We are proud of our commitment to our children and families to make Dorset the best place to be a child and the range of innovative initiatives that support this.
You'll join us at an exciting time as we move forward with testing the delivery of key reforms across the sector and designing social work for the future. Dorset has been recognised for the fantastic work with children, young people and families taking place by being selected to be one of only three initial pathfinder Local Authorities nationally. By joining our team, you will be part of helping us to shape the Families First for Children Pathfinder in Dorset and across the country. This is a fantastic 'once in a generation' opportunity and comes with central government grant funding and support which recognises the scale and ambition of the work we need to carry out.
As a Team Manager in North Dorset, you will lead a close-knit and supportive team that strives for excellence and adopts a strengths-based approach in their work. Collaborating with fellow team members, children, their families, and other professionals, you will be responsible for managing and ensuring the quality of all statutory work for children in need, Child Protection, Pre proceedings and Court work.
The successful candidate will demonstrate Dorset behaviours and their ability to:
* Lead and manage work with children and families using a high support high challenge model.
* Support and promote a strength-based approach.
* Develop the use of research and evidence to inform practice.
* Pro-actively manage a staff team to ensure that children and families are provided with the right support at the right time.
* Work as part of a multi-agency partnership to meet the needs of children and families.
About you:
To succeed in this role, you will be a qualified social worker and ideally have experience managing a dynamic team of Social Workers, Social Work Students, and Family Workers, with a strong emphasis on reflective supervision.
As the ideal candidate, you demonstrate through modelling:
* Child-focused approach: Prioritising the well-being and interests of children, ensuring their needs guide decision-making.
* Effective communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills enabling successful collaboration and mediation with diverse individuals and agencies.
* Relationship-building expertise: Proficiency in establishing and nurturing relationships, fostering collaboration among multiple agencies.
* Advocate with kindness, reflective and strengths-based practice: Actively engaging in reflective practice, encouraging others to identify and develop their strengths.
* Skill in calmly managing risk and uncertainty: Capable of assessing and managing risks confidently, navigating uncertain situations effectively.
* Strong reflective abilities: Proficiency in critical self-reflection, continuous learning, and refining professional approaches.
* Supervisory experience: Previous role as a supervisor, providing guidance, support, and feedback to a team.
* Use of performance data: Skilled at leveraging performance data to inform and improve practice, driving positive outcomes for children and families.
* Passion for development and improvement: Genuine enthusiasm for professional growth, actively seeking opportunities to enhance skills and contribute to practice enhancement.
What's in it for you:
Join our exceptional teams in children's services, where you'll be fully supported and appreciated throughout your career - whether you're newly qualified, or an experienced practitioner. In Dorset, we are dedicated to fostering an environment where every child can thrive, and we want our colleagues to do the same.
Our focus is on supporting families to meet the needs of their children and keeping children at home where it is safe to do so, fostering environments where children, young people, and families not only stay together but thrive. We're dedicated to providing the essential help they need, ensuring they are surrounded by the support of their family network, and creating safe spaces both inside and outside their homes.
Join us and be part of our exceptional Children's Services team, recently recognised as Good with Outstanding Leadership by Ofsted. This is not just a job; it's an extraordinary opportunity to empower children and help them reach their full potential. With Pathfinder, we will be changing the way Social Care and how working with families is approached in Dorset and helping to shape this across the country.
As a Team Manager here in Dorset, you'll truly make a difference to the lives of children and young people in our beautiful county.
We prioritise your wellbeing by offering access to talking therapies, a network of Mental Health Champions, and workshops facilitated by our dedicated Employee Wellbeing Team.
You'll join a forward-thinking service, where you'll be encouraged to think creatively, question how we do things, and devise new, innovative approaches through our Partnership Workforce Events - our Children's Services' employee forum.
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