Bristol City Council
Safeguarding Adults Team Manager
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Safeguarding Adults Team Manager
Location: Bristol
Salary: 53,051
Employment: Full time
Category: Social Care
Posted: 2026-09-24
Valid to: 2026-10-04
Job description
Full Time, Permanent
Lead the service at the front door of adult safeguarding
Every safeguarding concern requires a timely, proportionate and person-centred response. We are looking for a Safeguarding Adults Team Manager to lead Bristol’s safeguarding adults front door and help shape the next stage of our service’s development.
This is a newly established post with genuine scope to influence how safeguarding concerns are received, assessed and progressed across the city.
You will lead the team responsible for screening and triaging new referrals and deciding whether the criteria for a safeguarding enquiry under section 42 of the Care Act 2014 are met. You will have an opportunity to improve the timeliness and consistency of decision-making, develop a new operating model and help ensure that adults receive the right response at the right time.
What you will be leading
Bristol’s Safeguarding Adults Team is organised into two closely connected sections:
- the screening and triage of new safeguarding concerns; and
- oversight of safeguarding enquiries and specialist safeguarding functions.
You will lead the screening and triage section. You will directly manage three Senior Practitioners, with the potential for this number to increase as the service develops. The Senior Practitioners provide day-to-day professional oversight and support to seven Social Workers and two Social Care Practitioners responsible for making section 42 decisions.
Working alongside the Team Manager who leads safeguarding enquiries and specialist functions, you will provide visible, supportive and accountable leadership across the service.
The difference you will make
Your leadership will create the conditions in which practitioners can make high-quality decisions and adults receive a timely and proportionate safeguarding response.
Your initial priorities will be to:
- shape and embed the new safeguarding triage structure;
- improve the timeliness and efficiency of the triage pathway;
- reduce the number of referrals awaiting a section 42 decision;
- maintain consistent, evidence-informed and legally literate decision-making;
- use performance and quality information to identify pressures and support improvement;
- balance demand, capacity, risk and practitioner wellbeing;
- build a positive, inclusive and supportive team culture; and
- strengthen pathways to preventative and alternative support where the statutory safeguarding criteria are not met.
You will not be doing this alone.
You will work alongside experienced safeguarding colleagues and have access to established professional and organisational relationships across Adult Social Care.
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Working across Bristol
Partnership working will be central to your success. You will build strong relationships with the Advice, Information and Assessment Service, community social work teams and the Adult Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub.
You will also work with partner organisations to strengthen pathways, resolve barriers and improve the experience of adults and professionals contacting the safeguarding service.
The wider specialist service includes Organisational Safeguarding Adults, Multi-Agency Risk Management, MASH, and safeguarding learning and development functions.
These teams provide a strong professional network and opportunities to influence safeguarding practice beyond your immediate team.
About you
You will be a Social Work England registered Social Worker with substantial safeguarding adults experience and knowledge and be able to meet the requirements for a satisfactory Enhanced DBS check.
You may already be an experienced Team Manager.
Alternatively, you may be a Senior Practitioner or advanced practitioner who can demonstrate the leadership capability and professional credibility needed to take the next step into management.
We are particularly interested in your ability to:
- provide calm, visible and supportive leadership in a busy service;
- apply the Care Act 2014 and safeguarding adults principles confidently to complex situations;
- support defensible, person-centred and proportionate decision-making;
- manage competing priorities while maintaining professional standards;
- use performance and quality information constructively;
- support staff wellbeing, learning and professional development;
- communicate clearly and build effective working relationships; and
- lead change in a collaborative, practical and inclusive way.
You do not need to arrive with every answer.
We are looking for someone with sound professional judgement, a commitment to learning and the ability to bring people together around a clear purpose.
Please note that this role is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.
Why Bristol?
This is a rare opportunity to lead a newly established team structure and make a visible contribution to the future of adult safeguarding in Bristol.
You will join a supportive specialist service and work alongside experienced safeguarding professionals.
You will have the opportunity to:
- shape a developing service rather than simply inherit an established model;
- influence safeguarding practice across Adult Social Care;
- develop your leadership experience within a specialist area;
- contribute to service improvement at both operational and strategic levels; and
- lead a skilled team undertaking important and meaningful work.
If you are passionate about adult safeguarding, positive team cultures and high-quality public services, we would welcome your application.
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Why Bristol City Council?
At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation.
For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice mixing both home and office working.
Join us and you’ll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance.
In addition, you’ll be working in a supportive environment where you’ll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.
How do I apply?
If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below.
To be shortlisted for interview you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application.
On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your application.
We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people.
Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview.
We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.
Interested, but want to know more?
We recognise that applying for a management role is an important decision.
An informal conversation is an opportunity to learn more about the team, the service model and what success in the role will look like.
Please contact:
Alex Carbines
Service Manager for Safeguarding Adults, DoLS and AMHP
Email: alex.carbines@bristol.gov.uk
We particularly welcome conversations with experienced managers and practitioners considering their first formal Team Manager role.
At Bristol City Council, we value having a workforce as diverse as the city we serve.
We therefore welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community.
Appointments will be made on merit.
The personal information section (including your name) you’ll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.
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