Job Introduction
Team Manager – Care Leavers Service
18 Month Fixed Term Contract
About Bradford Children and Families Trust
Bradford Children and Families Trust was established in April 2023 with a clear mission: to transform the quality and delivery of Children’s Services across our district and make a real difference in the lives of children and young people. This is a bold ambition, one that requires dedication, determination, and resilience.
With a new Chief Executive, a strong Senior Leadership Team, and an unwavering commitment to achieving the best outcomes for children and families, we are on the right trajectory. Ofsted monitoring visits over the past 18 months confirm that significant improvements have been made and are being embedded. We know there is still work to do, but we are confident in our progress and committed to getting it right.
Working for Bradford Children and Families Trust means joining a passionate team in a city rich in diversity and culture. We work collaboratively with partners to ensure families receive the right support at the right time. Here, you can make a real difference, helping shape services that meet the needs of Bradford families and improve life chances for children and young people.
We believe families are the experts in their own lives, and listening to their voices is central to everything we do. That is why we have invested in our Voice and Participation Service to ensure children, care leavers and families are actively involved in shaping the support they receive. Our aspiration is that all service development is co-produced with those who matter most.
We are also committed to becoming a restorative and relational organisation. For over a year, we have partnered with the Leeds Relational Practice Centre and renowned expert Mark Finnis to embed relational practice across our workforce. Through conferences, workshops, and leadership development, we are building a shared understanding of what this means for children, care leavers and families and we are excited about the journey ahead.
About the Care Leavers Service
Care-experienced young people face significant challenges as they transition from care to independence, often leaving home at a much earlier age and without the consistent family support their peers enjoy. Many have experienced trauma, instability, and adversity, which can impact their confidence and opportunities. Sadly, care-experienced young people are statistically more likely to face poorer long-term outcomes compared to their peers: they are less likely to be in education, employment, or training, and more likely to experience homelessness, long-term mental health difficulties, and involvement in the criminal justice system.
At Bradford Children and Families Trust, we are committed to changing this narrative by reducing barriers, enhancing strengths, and increasing opportunities for care-experienced young people to succeed and thrive. We celebrate their resilience, skills, and achievements, and work to empower them through meaningful relationships, trust, and consistent support.
To support this ambition, Bradford Children and Families Trust is expanding its Care Leavers Service as part of a planned development to strengthen resources and enhance support for care-experienced young people. This includes creating a new team, increasing the number of Personal Advisors, Managers, and Practice Supervisors to ensure we deliver the highest quality support, be the best possible corporate parent we can, and provide consistent care and guidance as children and young people transition from care to independence.
We are looking for passionate and experienced Team Managers to join our leadership team in the Leaving Care Service. In this pivotal role, you will help shape the future for children in care and care-experienced young people aged 16–25 years, ensuring they receive high-quality, person-centred support.
Our service is built on strong foundations: a permanent and experienced management team, high levels of permanent staff, low staff turnover, and a culture of high-quality support and supervision. This stability enables us to continue to develop standards and provide a reflective, learning environment where staff and young people can thrive.
We want young people leaving care to feel loved and cared about and to know that we have high aspirations for their future. If you believe this too, believe that you can be that caring person for young people leaving care and make a positive impact on their lives, we want to hear from you.
Ready to make a difference? Join us and help shape a brighter future for Bradford’s care leavers.
About the Role
As a Team Manager in the Care Leavers Service, you will play a key part in promoting independence, driving positive outcomes, and making a lasting difference in the lives of children in care and care experienced young people. You will lead and inspire a dedicated team of Social workers, Personal Advisors and Practice Supervisors, ensuring excellent relational and restorative practice and consistent support for children in care and care-experienced young people. You will provide high-quality supervision, drive performance, and champion a culture of learning and improvement across the service.
The service is looking to recruit two managers to the service. One team manager will be lead a team of personal advisors and the other leading a specialist team of social workers and personal advisors supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in care and care leavers. As such, we are especially interested in hearing from social work practitioners with a background working with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
Key Responsibilities
- Leading and managing a team to deliver outstanding pathway planning and support for care-experienced young people.
- Ensure pathway planning, care planning for children in care is delivered in line with statutory legislation and regulatory guidance.
- Oversee risk and vulnerability management, ensuring robust plans are in place to safeguard children and empower young people.
- Ensuring asylum seeking children in care have the best possible support in care and leaving care including access to the immigration, advocacy and therapeutic support they need to be settled and thrive.
- Ensuring pathway planning and care planning are robust, aspirational, and focused on improving outcomes for children in care and care leavers.
- Driving planning, outcomes, quality assurance and practice improvement through audits, observations, and reflective supervision.
- Supporting the development of the Care Leavers Local Offer and contributing to service-wide initiatives.
- Working collaboratively with multi-agency partners to ensure young people receive the support they need.
- Strong decision-making skills and the adaptability to thrive in a dynamic setting.
- Champion staff development and wellbeing and contribute to the development of our learning culture.
- Contribute to service development and innovation, helping shape strategies that make a real difference.
What We are Looking For
You will be a confident and proactive social worker manager with a strong commitment to relational practice and corporate parenting principles. You will have:
- A recognised social work qualification and registration with Social Work England.
- Significant experience in children’s social care, including work with children in care and care-experienced young people.
- Depth of knowledge and experience in respect of safeguarding and permanency planning
- Proven ability to lead and manage teams, providing high-quality supervision and support.
- Strong relationship building, communication and partnership-working skills.
- A passion for improving outcomes and reducing disadvantage for care-experienced young people.
Benefits
- Annual retention payment (paid monthly, reviewed annually).
- Enhanced annual leave: 31 days rising to 34 (plus bank holidays).
- Generous Local Government pension contributions.
- Competitive salary and structured pay progression.
- Flexible working and hybrid options (subject to service needs).
- Comprehensive wellbeing support, including Occupational Health and counselling.
- Enhanced parental leave policies.
- Access to Blue Light Card discounts.
- Professional development and career progression opportunities.
Want to Know More?
If you’d like more information about the role, the recruitment process, or working for Bradford Children and Families Trust, please contact:
Service Manager Jon Nevill or Cairine Doyle-Morrill
Jonathan.Nevill@bradfordcft.org.uk | cairine.morrill@bradfordcft.org.uk
Interviews are expected to take place on Thursday the 29th of January.
Job Profile: see attached.
Bradford Children and Families Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.
If shortlisted, you will be required to disclose relevant information regarding criminal history prior to interview.
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check including a check against the Children’s barred list, will be carried out on preferred candidates.
The Code of Practice on the English language requirement for public sector workers, Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 requires that Councils ensure that all candidates applying for customer facing posts must be assessed in order to establish their fluency in English. The criteria under special knowledge and experience on the job profile which is shown in this advert outlines what level of fluency you will be expected to demonstrate. Therefore, it is essential that you provide examples in your application.
We are an equal opportunity employer dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone, especially underrepresented groups like disabled individuals, care experience, and minority ethnic communities. Your unique perspectives are important to us.
We strive to ensure our recruitment process is fully accessible. If you have a disability and need any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview stages, please contact us and we can discuss how we can support you.
