Early Help Assistant Team Manager

Overview

Are you ready to make a real impact in the lives of children and families? We are looking for a passionate and experienced Early Help Assistant Team Manager to join our dynamic team, which has recently recently transitioned to a locality working model combining level 3 and 4 services. In this role, you will lead a dedicated group of professionals, providing essential support and guidance to ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive. If you are driven, compassionate, and ready to take on a rewarding challenge, we want to hear from you!

This position is being advertised for Buckinghamshire Council internal and agency employees only.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.  

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

As the Early Help Assistant Team Manager, you will play a crucial role in leading and managing a team of professionals who provide early help services, working alongside Social Work colleagues. You will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of support to children and families, ensuring that our services are effective, efficient, and meet the needs of those we serve. You will also work closely with other team managers and partners to develop and implement strategies that improve outcomes for children and families.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage a team of Family Support Workers, providing advice, support, and clear management oversight.
• Oversee service delivery standards and contribute to improving children's and young people's life chances.
• Work alongside Social Workers and support the Team Manager in planning and coordinating high-quality support.
• Ensure high standards of practice within the team and support the development of direct reports.
• Complete performance and development reviews for all colleagues.
• Support recruitment, induction, and employee relations processes.
• Maintain clear management oversight and make evidence-informed decisions.
• Supervise activities undertaken by Family Support Workers, ensuring timely responses and meeting service targets.
• Ensure proper maintenance of records and documentation.
• Implement evaluation and quality assurance processes.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Build and sustain positive relationships with key partner agencies.
• Lead or contribute to projects and service developments.
• Participate in the development and delivery of multi-agency training.
• Promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

We are looking for candidates who possess the following skills and attributes:

• Leadership: Proven ability to manage, develop, and motivate a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and support staff.
• Communication: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the capacity to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Problem-Solving: Innovative and solution-oriented, with the ability to make evidence-informed decisions.
• Experience: Substantial relevant experience in working with children, young people, and their families, with a strong understanding of multi-disciplinary and partnership working.
• Organisational Skills: Strong planning and workload management skills, with the ability to prioritize and be accountable for work through supervision of staff.
• Professionalism: Behaves professionally and upholds the reputation of the service and the wider organisation.
• Continuous Improvement: Identifies opportunities for continuous improvement, including training needs, systems, and processes.
• Flexibility: Ability to work unsociable hours on occasion and travel to multiple diverse locations within the working day.

If you have these skills and attributes, we encourage you to apply and join our team!

Other information

For further information on this role please see the attached job summary.

Number of positions available: 1

Closing date: Midnight Sunday 24th November 2024

Interview-type / process: MS TEAMS, In person

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Buckinghamshire is a successful, growing place with fantastic natural assets, a highly productive economy and many resourceful and thriving communities. However, we are far from complacent and our new and ambitious unitary authority is well placed to tackle the challenges associated with growth, an aging population, climate change and inequalities in both opportunities and outcomes – particularly for our children and young people.

Children’s Services is on an improvement journey and as our very recent Ofsted report shows, we have continued to improve despite the pressures of the pandemic and have built solid foundations for future success. Relationships with partners are strong and our collective response to the pandemic has strengthened and deepened our work together.

We have a big, ambitious agenda for Buckinghamshire, and our teams work collaboratively and at pace to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people across the county.

We are looking for talented and driven individuals to help us achieve the best outcomes for our children, young people and families in Buckinghamshire. Our key priorities include continuing to protect vulnerable children and young people from harm, whilst sustaining an environment where social work practice can thrive. Through our vital work with our partners, including The Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Childrens Partnership, we continue to improve our collective response to children and young people who have been exposed to domestic abuse, exploitation, substance misuse and mental health issues.

No matter what role you take on in our Children’s services, you will be part of a team who is dedicated to supporting children and their families to achieve their full potential.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/