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Service Manager (Children's Social Work), CORNWALL COUNCIL
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Service Manager (Children's Social Work), CORNWALL COUNCIL
Service Manager – Mid Cornwall Children and Family Services
About the Role
Mid Cornwall Children and Family Services is seeking an experienced and passionate Service Manager to:
- Lead children’s social care services across Family Help teams
- Work in consultation and collaboration with the Head of Services
- Support service delivery and development across services for children in need of support, help, and protection
- Provide strategic and operational leadership to managers and practitioners
- Drive high-quality safeguarding practice, service improvement, and strong multi-agency partnerships
This is an exciting opportunity for a registered social worker with significant leadership experience to make a real difference for children, young people, and families in Cornwall through relationship-based, strengths-focused practice.
Key Accountabilities
Service Managers must be:
- A Registered Social Worker with Social Work England
- Accountable for ensuring that their service complies with:
- Legislation
- National minimum standards
- Associated regulations in service delivery
The Role
Service Managers are responsible for:
Leadership and Development
- Developing, supporting, and monitoring the professional capabilities of social workers and lead professionals at a strategic level
- Championing expertise in specialist practice within the organisation
Service Delivery & Safeguarding
- Overseeing the day-to-day delivery of statutory and non-statutory children’s social care and Family Help services
- Ensuring children are safeguarded, supported, and enabled to achieve positive outcomes
- Providing clear leadership and oversight to Team Managers, promoting:
- High-quality supervision
- Consistent standards
- Ongoing professional development across the service
- Making and overseeing timely, proportionate, and well-informed safeguarding decisions at key points:
- Referral
- Assessment
- Escalation
- Closure
- Driving continuous improvement through:
- Audit
- Performance information
- Learning
- Reflective practice
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Practice Approach & Partnerships
- Championing relationship-based, trauma-informed, and strengths-based practice (including responses to adolescent risk and extra-familial harm)
- Strengthening collaborative working with:
- Police
- Health
- Education
- Voluntary and community partners
Policy & Reform
- Leading children’s social care reform in line with national expectations, including:
- Strengthening Family Help and early intervention services
- Supporting service planning, workforce development, budget management, and preparation for inspections
Public Sector Requirements
- This is a public/customer-facing role, requiring the statutory English language qualification for public sector workers.
- Enhanced criminal record disclosure check required.
Working Pattern
- Standard hours: 37-hour working week, Monday to Friday
- Flexible working options available (e.g., compressed hours, term-time only, hybrid work arrangements).
What You’ll Need To Succeed
We are looking for an experienced and values-driven social work leader with:
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- A recognised social work qualification and registration with Social Work England
- Significant post-qualification experience in children’s social care
- A strong commitment to:
- Relationship-based practice
- Social justice
- Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI)
- Staff wellbeing
- Workforce development
- Proven experience as a Team Manager or Service Manager, including:
- Responsibility for statutory services
- Strong track record of:
- Leading teams
- Improving practice
- Delivering high-quality care
- In-depth knowledge of:
- Children’s legislation
- Statutory guidance
- Safeguarding frameworks
- Experience of effective multi-agency working and partnership leadership
- Confidence in:
- Leading change
- Managing risk
- Making sound professional judgements
What You’ll Get In Return
Cornwall Council is committed to being an: ✅ Employer of choice ✅ High-performing Council ✅ Learning organisation
Core Employee Rewards & Benefits
- Competitive salary
- Defined benefit pension scheme (career-average earnings, with optional extra voluntary contributions)
- Generous annual leave entitlement (including potential to purchase additional leave)
- National award-winning employee health and wellbeing programme
- Employee benefits scheme offering discounts to:
- Local providers
- National goods and services
- Flexible working options supporting a healthy work/life balance while meeting service needs
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