Job Introduction
Bradford Children and Families Trust are looking for Experienced, Innovative and Dedicated Team Managers to drive our services forward and to ensure that our promise to improve the lives of Children and Young People in Bradford becomes a reality.
You will have a passion and drive to ensure children are at the heart of all we do. You will lead within a relational and restorative culture of continuous learning and reflective practice that inspires staff to give their best in their roles.
If you’re up for the Challenge and want to help us achieve our vision, then we’d love to hear from you!
About Us:
Bradford Children and Families Trust was established in April 2023 to bring a step change in the quality and delivery of Children’s Services across our district.
Our purpose is clear - to ensure that our promise to improve the lives of children and young people in Bradford becomes a reality. It’s a tough ask. It requires dedication, determination, and resilience – but under a new Chief Executive, Senior Leadership team and an unswerving drive to deliver the best outcomes, we are confident that we will achieve our ambition.
Working for the Bradford Children and Families Trust offers the opportunity to work with some great people who are passionate about delivering change in a city whose culture offers as much diversity as it’s geography. You can make a real difference to families and children and be an active part in delivering the service Bradford families should receive.
About the role:
You’ll know how to keep everyone in your team energised and focused on doing the right thing for the children of Bradford.
Managing a team of professional Social Workers and Community Resource Workers, you’ll help us achieve our aim of delivering outcomes for the children, young people, and families of Bradford. It’s about showing strong leadership, driving continuous improvement, and putting the needs of children first, always.
Here in Bradford, we lead from the front, and we know our most valuable resource is our staff, helping us to meet the needs of our communities. We have built a strong culture of listening to our staff and involving them to ensure every child receives the right help.
Bradford is a great place to build your career. You’ll receive an extensive training and support package that will help you develop as a professional, a manageable caseload that will enable you to make a difference and the backing of a supportive leadership team.
We are recruiting for Team Managers in the following Services/Localities:
- Bradford East - currently based at Sir Henry Mitchell House
- Bradford South – currently based at Sir Henry Mitchell House
- Keighley and Shipley – based at Keighley Town Hall
The East Locality covers the eastern suburbs of the district and includes the areas of Thackley, Eccleshill, Bolton and Undercliffe, Bradford Moor, Bowland and Barkerend, and Little Horton.
Working for the East locality offers the opportunity to work with some great people who are passionate about delivering change in a city whose culture offers as much diversity as it’s geography. Bradford East has a diverse population, and our social work teams reflect and celebrate the diversity of the area. There are great transport links which allows for easy access around the locality.
As a locality we pride ourselves on being restorative, collaborative, and supportive. You will be supported via manageable caseloads and receive support from experienced leaders at all levels.
We have eight social work teams within the locality each made up of social workers, practice supervisors and community resource workers. Our practice supervisors play a key role in supporting best practice and developing a learning culture in the locality by offering coaching, mentoring, co-working, reflective supervision, and lunch time learning sessions.
The South Locality covers the southern suburbs of the district and includes areas such as Tong, Queensbury, Great Horton, Wyke, Wibsey, Royds and Holmewood. Bradford South has a diverse population, and our social work teams reflect and celebrate the diversity of the area.
We have eight social work teams within the locality each made up of social workers, practice supervisors and community resource workers; one of our teams is dedicated to supporting and developing newly qualified social workers. Our practice supervisors play a key role in supporting best practice in the locality by offering guidance, mentorship, and group learning through their Teaching Tuesday sessions.
There are great transport links which allows for easy access around the locality.
Our families face a number of challenges in South Bradford, including socio-economic pressures but in the South, we are committed to high practitioner support, manageable workloads and working both collaboratively and restoratively with our families, our partners and with each other.
Keighley and Shipley are towns located to the north and west of Bradford and the locality teams cover both these urban areas and the rural areas stretching out to Ilkley and Haworth.
Working in social work within Keighley and Shipley offers several benefits. The area is home to diverse communities, providing opportunities to work with various cultural backgrounds and support and address unique challenges faced by our children and families. Social workers collaborate with local organisations, schools, and health services, fostering a supportive local network that better meets the needs of families. Both towns have strong community ties, allowing social workers to build meaningful relationships and understand the needs of local families better.
Social work in Keighley and Shipley is relationship based, fulfilling and impactful and offers a chance to contribute to the well-being of the community while developing as a professional within a stable, creative and forward-thinking service area.
Key Responsibilities:
- Managing a team of 6 social workers of differing levels, a practice supervisor and a community resource worker
- Supporting social workers to help and support families while managing and reducing risk
- Offering reflective supervision to workers, both case and personal
- Supporting progression of your workers and tackling performance issues when needed.
- Performance monitoring of your team through audit activity, reflective group supervision and quality assurance activity.
- Undertake audit activity and disseminate identified learning.
- Undertake practice development projects with those who use our services, colleagues, and stakeholders.
- Attendance at relevant partner agency meetings and service manager meetings.
- Implementing and supporting change within the team and offering a supportive and nurturing leadership style
- Chairing multi-agency meetings and making decisions linked to a thorough understanding of safeguarding thresholds.
About you:
Essential Requirements you will have:
- Hold a DIPSW or equivalent qualification and are registered with the Social Work England as a qualified social worker, with at least four years post qualifying experience.
- Be registered with Social Work England (Formerly HCPC) as a qualified Social Worker
- Strong interpersonal skills.
- Experienced and expert in managing the delivery of quality outcomes for children and young people.
- An ability to build strong relationships with children, their families, colleagues and partner agencies.
- Passionate about the development of others
- Embrace change and strive for excellent practice placing children and young people at the heart of decision making; you have experience of tackling the most complex needs with enthusiasm, drive, and determination.
- An experience and understanding of relevant statutory and legal requirements to safeguard children and young people
Benefits:
- Excellent pension with 15.2% employer contribution
- Competitive salary and pay progression structure
- Real living wage as the minimum rate of pay
- Supportive carer and parental policies
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
- Access to Occupational Health and confidential counselling services
- Supportive staff networks
- Access to Blue Light Card discounts
- Professional development/support
- Career progression
- Enhanced annual leave entitlement - 31 days and rises to max of 34 days with service. (plus, public holidays)
- Social Worker Registration fees paid
- Flexible working / hybrid options subject to service need
Want to know more?
If you would like to know more about the role, the recruitment process or working for Bradford Children and Families Trust feel free to contact Kasem Khan - kasem.khan@bradfordcft.org.uk.
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.
