Due to the retirement of the current post holder, there is a rare and exciting opportunity to join Northumberland. We are looking for a dedicated Senior Manager with responsibility for the First Contact service and Children's MASH. The team undertake assessments, including child protection enquiries, those at immediate risk of harm and assess those children in need to identify the best support for children and families.
Northumberland has an established and effective multi-agency MASH Team, working alongside early help, health, education, police and domestic abuse support services. Our Front Door has satellite duty arrangements in the North and West of the County. We are extremely proud of our ‘Outstanding' Ofsted judgement.
Children benefit from high-quality social work practice that improves their lives and receive a highly effective response when they are referred into the ‘front door'/multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH).
Thresholds are well understood across the partnership, and this helps to ensure that children receive the right service according to their needs. Team managers' decision-making is clear, providing staff with appropriate case direction to ensure children receive the right level of support. Children who are exposed to domestic abuse receive a highly effective response. Daily meetings provide a multi-agency consideration of risk, with an immediate safeguarding response if needed. Well-established links to community organisations enable adult and child victims of domestic abuse to access support directly when this is required. A well-coordinated partnership initiative to address domestic abuse means that schools are made aware of police notifications, providing additional oversight of children and offer additional support when needed. There is an effective process to transfer children's cases to the early help First Contact from the triage service in the front door. Well-informed decisions, overseen by managers, are made as to who is the best person to support the family and what the next steps are. Management oversight and supervision in the front door and MASH is regular and is effective in progressing children's plans.
We are looking for an experienced Senior Manager that is Social Work qualified and registered with Social Work England. You must have a minimum of three-year Team Manager experience, ideally within a Front Door/ MASH duty setting.
We are looking for a highly motivated Senior Manager with a proven track record of risk assessment, sound and timely decision making and delivering excellent social care services for children. You will manage a team of dynamic, enthusiastic managers within a multi-agency setting to ensure that the statutory needs of children for support and protection are met through the delivery of high-quality services. The Senior Manager will also be a core member of several multi-agency meetings, such as our weekly Legal Gateway panel.
You will join a committed and well-established senior management team reporting to the Head of Service. Our leadership pledge demonstrates our child-centred, and relationship-based approach and we have effectively implemented and continue to embed the Signs of Safety practice framework across our services, that focuses on supporting family and friends' networks to identify their own safe solutions to difficulties wherever possible.
We are supportive of staff and with a strong ethos for flexibility, working in Northumberland Children's Services is like having a second family. We offer very flexible and supportive working conditions with an emphasis on work life balance.
For an informal discussion, please contact Patrick Boyle, Head of Service or Victoria (Vicky) McLeod, Director of Children, Young People and Families.
Please note - the interview dates will be the 19th and 20th December.
Why choose us?
Northumberland County Council's (NCC) vision is a Land of Great Opportunities for current and future generations. We believe there is no better place to live and work.
For further information about working for NCC, please visit our website.
We have some outstanding benefits and perks to offer you, including:
1. Pension - We provide a Local Government Pension Scheme;
2. Sick pay - We will pay up to six months' sick pay on full salary subject to service;
3. Annual leave - 26 days paid annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 31 days after 5 years' service. Employees can request to purchase additional annual leave via a salary sacrifice scheme.
4. Flexi Scheme: 2 days flexible leave per accounting period (pro rata for part time employees).
5. Maternity/adoption leave - Up to 52 weeks' leave of absence, with pay for a specified period dependent upon length of service and personal choice.
6. Access to car lease scheme following the probation period.
7. Free parking at council offices.
8. Access to the Blue Light Card Scheme.
9. Hybrid working.
To see all our excellent benefits and perks, please click here.
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For guidance on completing your application and for information about our Equality and Diversity principles, please see the attached guidance notes.
We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you wish to notify us of your eligibility for this scheme, please email hrrecruitment@northumberland.gov.uk or ring 01670 623930 with your name and the job title you have applied for and one of the recruitment team will ensure this is factored into the shortlisting process and kept anonymous. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format, please see the alternative methods below. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.
Alternative application format:
British Sign Language: northumberlandcc-cs.signvideo.net
For those with speech difficulties or hearing loss: Text relay service dial 018001 01670 623930
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