As part of our grow your own culture in Bracknell, internal promotions and investment in management capacity, we have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Assistant Team Manager to join our Children Looked After team. At Bracknell Forest, we pride ourselves on being a council which is stable and well-managed where our employees can thrive in a supportive environment. We understand the importance of a good work-life balance. About you You will be a qualified social worker registered with Social Work England and have significant post qualifying experience, working with children and families in the statutory sector. You will want to make a difference to the lives of children and young people. As an Assistant Team Manager, you will have direct management and supervisory responsibility for social workers, including newly qualified social workers, students and support staff. The Assistant Team Manager plays a key role in working alongside the Team Manager to deliver our vision and strategic values. You will be expected to build and maintain effective professional relationships, demonstrate robust assessment and analytical skills, and possess a comprehensive understanding of assessment, planning, and intervention processes. Additionally, you will be required to contribute effectively as a member of the management team. About the team The Child Looked After Team is a stable and established team. They work closely with colleagues within the Leaving Care Service and Permanency team to improve the life chances of the children and young people in the care of the Local Authority. The team are dedicated to hearing from those we work with to enhance our services and to encourage collaboration with the children and young people we support. The team work with children and young people who have established Care Orders or where Section 20 is the agreed long term permanency plan. We also work continually and creatively to establish long term permanency plans for our children and young people, as well as working with other agencies and the child’s support network. We are a small, welcoming, and friendly local authority. We are proud of our connected and inclusive culture, with a strong focus on wellbeing, which provides our workforce with a strong sense of belonging. Our leadership team is visible, available, and approachable. Everything we do in Children’s Social Care is about improving the life chances of Bracknell’s children, put simply, we change lives for the better. You can read what our team have to say about working at Bracknell Forest via this link: Meet children's social care staff | Bracknell Forest Council Key responsibilities Collaborate closely with the Team Manager to drive performance, ensure the right plans are in place and needs-led services and intervention is provided for children and families. To support the Team Manager with managing a team of staff, including recruitment/retention, induction, training and development, performance support and management, disciplinary/capability, and succession planning. Deliver high-quality, reflective individual and group supervision in line with the supervision policy, offering constructive feedback and performance analysis. To take a lead role in strategy discussions, placement support meetings, professional forums, and other multi-agency settings. Working collaboratively with partner agencies to ensure safe, proportionate decision-making in line with threshold guidance, and to support effective care planning for children in our care. To regularly review and monitor performance data alongside the Team Manager, including completing audits and contributing to audit programmes and frameworks. To promote listening to children and young people at every opportunity and be part of participation planning, ensuring their views are heard, recorded and acted upon in an appropriate and timely manner. To actively engage with parents and carers so that their views contribute to service improvement, including responding to complaints and feedback. Our benefits 28 days increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service. The opportunity to buy up to 10 additional days annual leave per year and sell 5 days. Flexible working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance. Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme for an electric car at a fixed monthly cost (subject to eligibility). An inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks. Local government pension scheme. Life insurance cover (linked to the pension scheme) Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave. Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits such as annual leave entitlements, occupational maternity/paternity leave, and more. (Terms and Conditions apply – please refer to candidate pack for more information.) Career development through internal and external training opportunities. A great office location next to travel links and Bracknell Forest’s thriving town centre. Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing. Sports and Social Club. Staff dental and health plans. Discounted leisure centre and gym membership. Supermarket discount. Our values At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting recruitmentbracknell-forest.gov.uk. We will work with you to support you throughout the process. Interview date Interviews will be held on 29 th April 2025 Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment. We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible. Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration. Want to ask us a question? For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact: Chloe Herniman, Team Manager - Life Chances Email: chloe.hernimanbracknell-forest.gov.uk At Bracknell Forest we champion equality, diversity and inclusion. At Bracknell Forest Council, we are always learning, ambition and inclusive. Please see our candidate pack for more details. Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process. Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of working within the current Social Care System and Framework. Social Work England registration fees can be claimed back from the Council. We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK. Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis. No agencies please.