Service Manager

We are looking for a social work qualified Service Manager to lead our FACT22 (Families Achieving Change Together) service. This service aims to achieve positive outcomes for families with children aged 0 to 19-years-old who are identified as Children in Need. In this role you will have a strong focus on the strategic development of the service, working closely with partners to develop practice, evidence effectiveness and to promote innovative solutions.

As Service Manager, you will ensure quality practice and the effective management of teams of practitioners, safely managing risk and improving outcomes for children and families. You will also support organic and new growth of the service, further testing innovations in staffing and delivery models.

Main duties and accountabilities

• Provide operational and strategic management, currently of FACT22 Coventry, ensuring effective service delivery and high-quality performance, demonstrating improved outcomes for service users in each service and in accordance with contractual requirements and service specifications.
• In partnership with the Assistant Director, to implement service monitoring and evaluation processes and procedures in line with the requirements of the DfE, commissioner, Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and key strategic partners to ensure that services remain on target and contract compliant; and to report regularly to Catch22, the DfE and other local strategic groups.
• Manage and develop a team of staff including volunteers, some of whom will be social work qualified, directly line-managing through monthly supervision and support sessions, quality audits, team meetings, service training and development events.
• Ensure all statutory requirements and functions for the service are undertaken according to relevant legislation, guidance and regulations, in particular: The Children’s Act 1989 and 2004 and Working Together to Safeguard Children
• Liaise and work with other agencies and promote joint working in line with statutory guidelines to ensure an integrated approach and multi disciplinary working, making best use of different skills and resources for the benefit of children and their families
• Ensure there is a performance management framework in place for recording relevant output and outcome data including service user feedback, such as that required by Catch22, funders and stakeholders; collating and interpreting information on a regular basis in order to inform commissioner and organisational reports, as well as service development and improvement.
• Ensure all service user information and interventions are recorded on the relevant data management system and that work is timely and completed to agreed case management standards including to reflect safeguarding and risk management issues
• Support the Assistant Director to manage and oversee the service budget, ensuring that resources are best utilised at a local level, including tracking spend and as necessary to ensure delivery stays within budget and achieving the agreed margin.
• Keep personal development needs under review, keep informed of current changes in guidance and practice and be alert to the partnership’s training programme and policies.
• Work flexibly to meet the needs of children and their families. This may include a regular pattern of working in the evenings and at weekends and on call duties.
• Have an up to date knowledge of national and local developments in guidance and research relevant to the service portfolio.
• Ensure that services are aligned with relevant local agendas such as the Children and Young Peoples Plan, Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and in relation to the portfolio area and as directed by the Assistant Director.
• Ensure services work in a participative way where service users are informed, consulted and involved in relation to their own case and supported to assist in improving service performance and outcomes.
• Contribute to the delivery of the overall Catch22 and YP and F plans and  to develop, implement and review aligned service plans,  local objectives, contract requirements and individual staff targets
• Promote Catch22 provision at service level taking every opportunity to advertise positively the work of Catch22, acting as an ambassador for the organisation at all times and including to enable growth
• Be responsible for ensuring that all service activity is safe for all involved, to include adherence to Catch22’s policies including safeguarding, accidents, incident and injury reporting, fire safety and risk assessment.
• Support the Assistant Director with undertaking disciplinary investigations and hearings as may be required.

Corporate accountabilities

Catch22’s vision is to build a strong society where everyone has a good place to live, a purpose and good people around them, no matter what.

To support this vision, you will be expected to be:

• Motivated to achieve success and inspire others to do so in a positive manner.
• Take strategic action to resolve situations and learn from challenging experiences.
• Work collaboratively with other departments in order to ensure that Catch22 strategic direction core values and strategic objectives are achieved.
• Make sure that you read, are familiar with, and follow all Catch22’s policies and procedures. You are expected to look at Connected at least weekly to up date yourself with any new or amended policies or procedures and to update your teams accordingly.
• Uphold the Catch22 equal opportunities policies and practices in carrying out your main responsibilities.
• Undertake any other duties which, can be reasonably expected of you within the level of your job.

Company Description

At Catch22, we are proud of our reputation as a modern and progressive employer. Our 1,300 colleagues and 300 volunteers work at every stage of the social welfare cycle, supporting over 64,000 individuals from cradle to career. Our work spans education, social justice and rehabilitation, children's social care, family support, social action and getting people into work.

We work with Young People & Families in trouble, providing early intervention, targeted and specialist support services to those in crisis, leaving care, missing from home or with substance misuse or mental health problems. 

FACT22 is Catch22's innovative social care model, which has provided statutory support to families at Children in Need level with great success. The model is based on using a Pod of  4 family practitioners, supervised and supported by a qualified Advanced Social Worker. Each pod supports 48 children and young people using a Solution Focussed Approach to manage and reduce risk whilst reducing escalations and re-referrals into Children's Services.

Person Specification

Essential Qualifications

• HCPC recognised social work qualification and HCPC registration
• Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable Qualifications

• Management Qualification.

Essential Experience

• Significant experience as a practising social work professional in a statutory setting
• Comprehensive understanding and experience of risk management, child protection, safeguarding, the principles of early intervention and the principles from Munro
• Recent management experience of a statutory children’s social care frontline team
• Significant experience of involvement in Ofsted inspections
• Experience of staff management including recruitment, induction, supervision and challenging practice
• Demonstrated ability to manage and monitor budgets, working within organisational financial procedures.
• Experience of working on your own initiative to an agreed action plan and effectively monitoring service quality standards and performance.
• Substantial experience of working in a multi-agency environment and the proven ability to develop effective working relationships with other professionals/organisations.
• Excellent negotiation skills, and an ability to handle sensitive issues and sensitive people with tact and diplomacy.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation.
• Demonstrated ability to incorporate and demonstrate an equal opportunities perspective in all areas of work, including race, disability, sexual orientation and gender.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of statutory frameworks, local and national policy and guidance for children’s social care and early intervention and prevention
• A clear understanding of relationship management and the capacity to establish and maintain effective communication and working relationships.
• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of data protection legislation and guidance.
• Strong organisation and prioritisation skills
• Ability to empower vulnerable young people, adults and their families, enabling them to make positive and informed choices in their lives.
• Ability to achieve results and meet deadlines and to motivate and manage staff and volunteers to do the same.
• Ability to assess the needs of individual staff and volunteers to establish effective development plans, involving them in the process, and supporting and monitoring their achievement and review
• Ability to achieve results and meet deadlines and to motivate and manage staff and volunteers to do the same
• Ability to lead and co-ordinate direct reports to ensure a culture of shared leadership.
• Computer literacy including the use of Email, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Effective written and verbal skills of communication to a range of audiences including children, parents and professionals and key strategic groups.
• Proven ability to perform effectively when faced with challenging situations and demonstrating resilience

Personal Qualities

• A high level of communication, interpersonal and presentation skills
• Evidence of a sustained commitment to Catch22 corporate values
• Ability to liaise and work collaboratively with professionals from other agencies including commissioners, managers and key stakeholders
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and with minimal supervision
• Honest and reliable
• Commitment to the organisation and also their own personal and professional development
• Ambitious high performer who is able to inspire those around them
• Commitment to diversity and implementing equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice

Desirable Experience

• Experience of delivering effective services to children and their families using a solution focussed therapeutic approach.
• Experience of setting, managing and monitoring complex budgets
• Experience of project implementation and management within an inter-agency setting
• Experience of compiling and presenting reports for a variety of audiences, including commissioners, manager, strategic forums and other key stakeholders

Additional information

The service is currently funded until March 2020 so the post is offered on a fixed term contract until this time, however, there is a potential for this to extend dependent on funding. The post is offered on an initial fixed-term basis subject to the retention of a minimum level of income.

The post may manage one or more services.

Contract: Fixed term, part time - 25 hours per week, spread across 5 weekdays.

Salary: From £35k (Grade H QSW) pro-rated to £23,648.65 for a 25 hour week

This role is subject to an Enhanced DBS check.

This post will involve some travel, and occasional evening and weekend working.