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Family Group Decision Making Lead
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Sandwell Childrens Trust,
At Sandwell Children’s Trust we strive for excellence to improve the lives of children. Our ‘Sandwell Deal’, brings together our new improved offering that make Sandwell Children’s Trust a great place to work; it also sets out our expectations of you as a member of staff.
What we can offer you:
- Generous annual leave of up to 31 days, plus 5 additional days for long service recognition.
- Your birthday off paid in addition to annual leave entitlement and 8 Bank Holidays, plus a concessionary day at Christmas.
- A generous local government career average pension scheme with employer contributions of 21.6%.
- Recognition of individual loyalty with service awards from 2, 5, 10 and every 5 years onwards.
- Flexible working patterns that suit you and all of our roles have well-defined career progression.
- Competitive expenses for both mileage (55p per mile) and subsistence, plus access to a comprehensive employee benefits scheme.
With the work that we have done so far and with the ambitions we have for the future, it’s a really exciting time to join Sandwell Children’s Trust and to become part of our ‘Sandwell Family’.
Please visit The Sandwell Deal via this hyperlink
Permanent - 37 hours per week
We’re pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for a Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) Lead as part of the Families First Partnership Programme.
About The Role
We're seeking an experienced and motivated leader to drive the development and implementation of Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) across Sandwell as part of the national reforms in children's social care.
This is a critical leadership role focused on ensuring that children, young people and families are supported to identify strengths, make plans, and access support through wider family networks at the earliest opportunity. The successful candidate will lead the strategic development of the FGDM model, embedding family-led approaches that promote safety, strengthen family relationships and reduce the need for statutory intervention wherever possible.
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Working across the Families First Partnership Programme, you will be responsible for ensuring that FGDM is fully integrated within the local Family Help system and that practice is aligned with the Families First reforms and national expectations.
Whilst good progress has already been made, we are looking to recruit someone skilled, knowledgeable and passionate who can continue to drive improvement at pace, champion relational practice and achieve better outcomes for babies, children, young people and their families.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the implementation and development of Family Group Decision Making across Sandwell.
- Provide strategic and operational leadership to ensure FGDM is effectively embedded within Family Help and Children's Social Care services.
- Develop strong multi-agency relationships to promote a whole-family approach and maximise family participation in decision-making.
- Champion strengths-based and relational practice, ensuring children and family networks are at the centre of planning and decision-making.
- Oversee service development, performance and quality assurance arrangements for FGDM delivery, alongside the Intervention Service Manager Support workforce development and practice improvement, ensuring staff and partners understand and effectively utilise the FGDM model.
- Monitor impact and outcomes, using evidence and learning to drive continuous improvement. Contribute to the successful delivery of the Families First Partnership Programme and national reform agenda.
About You
This role requires a confident and experienced leader with a strong commitment to family-led decision making and relational practice.
You will be able to demonstrate:
- Significant management experience within children's services, early help, family help or statutory social care.
- Extensive knowledge and understanding of Family Group Decision Making and family-led approaches.
- A strong track record of leading service transformation and delivering practice improvement.
- Experience of working effectively across organisational and partnership boundaries.
- Excellent communication, influencing and leadership skills.
- The ability to work strategically whilst maintaining a clear focus on outcomes for children and families.
- Experience of implementing change programmes and embedding new ways of working.
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Working as part of Families First programme team, come and join an enthusiastic team with the passion and drive to improve outcomes for children in Sandwell.
This is a fast-paced and rewarding area of work, with a significant focus on implementing the Families First reforms ahead of April 2027.
How to apply:
To be considered for this role, please submit your up-to-date CV together with a supporting statement of no more than 1,000 words demonstrating how your skills, knowledge and experience meet the requirements of the role. Your supporting statement should address the essential criteria outlined in the person specification, providing relevant examples where possible. In order to comply with safer recruitment standards your CV should include a complete employment history, with any gaps clearly explained.
Please submit your application to recruitment_childrenstrust@sandwell.gov.uk
Closing date: midnight on Monday 31st August 2026
Interviews for successful applications to be held on Monday 10th September.
When people join the team at Sandwell they say it feels like they become part of the family…they have #ComeHomeToSandwell. With the work that we have done so far and with the ambitions we have for the future, it’s a really exciting time to join Sandwell Children’s Trust and to become part of our Family.
Sandwell Children's Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable groups including children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Completion of an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check is a requirement for working with children and young people.
If you require further information on the role or working for us please email recruitment_childrenstrust@sandwell.gov.uk and a member of our Recruitment Team will be happy to give you a call.
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