Children’s Social Work Team Manager

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Landmark House, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 5PF. Office based
• Salary: £55,563 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Hours: 37 hours per week
• Contract: Permanent

At Suffolk County Council, every role is a chance to create positive change.

As an experienced, visible and confident Team Manager, you'll lead one of our Integrated Front Door teams at a key stage in our improvement and development journey. Through your leadership, you'll help ensure children and families receive the right support, at the right time, while shaping practice and driving continuous improvement across the service.

As Team Manager, you'll have the opportunity to influence practice at the very start of a child's journey, supporting high-quality safeguarding decisions and helping shape the service as part of Suffolk's ongoing improvement programme. Join us and turn your passion for progress into action

Reimagine the possibilities.

Your role and responsibilities 

You'll lead a busy, multi-agency Front Door team responsible for safeguarding decision-making and ensuring children and families access the right support at the earliest opportunity.

You will:

• lead, motivate and develop a high-performing team
• drive timely, safe and effective decision-making
• provide management oversight on contacts, referrals and thresholds
• support practitioners to deliver strengths-based, child-focused practice
• embed high-quality safeguarding and risk management
• drive performance, quality assurance and continuous improvement
• build strong partnerships across the multi-agency network
• create a culture of learning, accountability and professional curiosity
• be a visible, accessible and supportive leader, providing regular oversight, guidance and challenge to practitioners within a busy Front Door environment.

You will need: 

• to be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England
• to lead from the front and thrive in a fast-paced environment
• understanding that visibility, accessibility and support are key to success
• significant management experience within Children's Social Care
• strong understanding of safeguarding, thresholds and risk
• the ability to provide direction when complex decisions need to be made
• to develop and inspire practitioners to be their very best
• a track record of improving performance and driving change.
• A passion for achieving outstanding outcomes for children and families.

Experience in Front Door, MASH or Assessment Services will be highly desirable

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (JPP), which you can find in the ‘How to apply’ section towards the bottom of this advert.  If you believe you can succeed in this role, even if you don't meet all requirements, please still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The team 

At Suffolk County Council, we aspire for every child to live their best life.

The Integrated Front Door is a fast-paced, multi-agency environment bringing together professionals from across the partnership, including social care, police, health and education, to ensure concerns are responded to quickly, consistently and effectively.

You’ll be part of a service that:

• Supports early decision-making and earlier help
• Works within a shared safeguarding framework and statutory duties
• Promotes joined-up, high-quality responses for children and families
• Plays a key role in Suffolk’s Families First approach.

This is an office-based role, five days per week. We believe that being together matters. Visible leadership supports better decision-making, stronger oversight, professional development and a culture where practitioners feel supported to do their best work.

Empowering Everyone 

We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report.

For more information 

Please contact either Scott Wentworth or Milly Clark for a casual conversation. You can reach them by either calling 01473 296371 or 01473 260673or emailing [email protected] or [email protected]

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word).

Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application. 

Step 3 - Upload asupporting statementanswering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use theSupporting Statement template (Word).

1. Describe a time when you led and developed a team to improve performance, practice or outcomes for children and families. What was your
   approach and what impact did it have?
2. Describe how you have supported practitioners to develop their skills, professional curiosity and confidence. What did you do and what impact
   did it have on practice?
3. Tell us about a complex safeguarding situation where you had responsibility for overseeing or making a significant decision. How did you
   assess risk, apply thresholds and ensure the child's needs remained central to decision-making?

Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.  

For guidance on completing your application, please see our How to Apply page. 

We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences, so we encourage you to present your own work and ideas throughout the process. You can also read our Using AI in Your Application and Interview guidance to understand acceptable and unacceptable use of AI. If AI is used inappropriately, your application may not be progressed. 

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team by emailing[email protected]or calling03456 014412. You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages. If you're invited to the next stage, you’ll have another chance to request adjustments. 

Closing date: 11.30 pm, 1 November 2026.

Promoted as FJ (Featured Job) on Suffolk Jobs Direct.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Onsite