Job Advert: Service Manager - Child Protection Advisors
Location: London, United Kingdom
Salary: PO8 Grade - 61,980 - 65,478 per annum (additional Market Supplement of 5,850 for Service Managers)
Contract Type: Full Time, Permanent (36 Hours per week)
Closing Date: Sunday, 2nd February 2025
Interview Date: Week commencing 10th February 2025
Target Start Date: 7th April 2025
Haringey is a fantastic place to live and work - the world in one borough. A place brimming with creativity, personality, radicalism, and community. It is a place where we stand up for each other. A place that is proudly distinctive. We'll be celebrating all this and more as the "rebel borough" when we are the 2027 London Borough of Culture.
Our history champions change-makers and everyday rebels; revelling in our differences, battling discrimination, championing equality, and doing things our own way. Haringey's people are a huge asset, with knowledge, expertise, and passion. Our staff members embody our organisational values: Caring, Creative, Courageous, Collaborative and Community-focused. These values keep us looking forward, ambitious for the future, and continuously striving to do our very best for all of our residents.
Role Purpose
As Service Manager, you will:
Drive safeguarding excellence within the council and across partnerships.
Be accountable for protecting children and providing safe, stable childhoods.
Oversee timely and proportionate responses to children at risk, in line with London Child Protection Procedures and Working Together to Safeguard Children.
Key Responsibilities
Leading Safeguarding Practice:
Foster a culture of self-reflection, debate, and professional integrity.
Uphold the highest standards in decision-making, theory application, and evidence-based practice.
Promote a safe environment for whistleblowing and constructive challenges.
Developing Practice Excellence:
Champion the Signs of Safety Social Work framework.
Ensure service responses align with analytical insights into family functioning.
Invest in staff development based on feedback from children, families, and colleagues.
Shaping the Practice System:
Motivate staff to be ambitious for children and families.
Build influential partnerships with practitioners and partner agencies.
Promote reflective thinking and responsive service adjustments.
Exercising Authority Ethically:
Apply statutory powers ethically, ensuring proportionality and collaboration.
Address patterns of professional relationships that could compromise child welfare.
Quality Assurance and Improvement:
Set ambitious practice standards with rigorous performance management.
Establish systems to monitor, evaluate, and improve practice quality.
Devise and implement timely improvement plans based on data insights.
About You
You will have a robust foundation in social work, demonstrated through professional qualifications and significant post-qualifying experience in statutory settings. Your experience includes managing high-risk cases, complex care planning, and deep knowledge of the legal framework protecting vulnerable children within the public care system. You excel at fostering a positive and forward-thinking environment, guiding teams with evidence-based methods and reflective practices. Expertise in the Signs of Safety framework and commitment to continuous improvement are essential.
You are also adept at:
Strategic inter-agency collaboration.
Navigating sensitive situations with authoritative and collaborative approaches.
Ensuring child-centred decisions while upholding equality and dignity for all.
Working for Haringey
At Haringey Council, we are committed to creating a workplace culture where everyone feels valued, included, and able to be their best at work. We welcome applications from all ethnicities and communities to continue making a difference to our residents and community.
Our benefits package includes:
Leave entitlement of up to 31 days + bank holidays.
Potential hybrid working opportunities.
Health and wellbeing support.
A generous local government pension scheme.
Discount schemes across leisure and culture.
Join us to shape a brighter future for children and families in our community.
Contact Phil at Ackerman Pierce on (phone number removed) or email for more information or to apply.