Family Team Manager; Social Work Qualified

About the role

We are pleased to have opportunities for Team Managers and aspiring Team Managers to join us at an exciting time as we shape the future of Family Help in Dorset.

You will play a central role in leading excellent practice, supporting confident and restorative social work, and making a lasting difference for children and families. Are you a reflective, values driven leader who is passionate supporting children? Are you committed to restorative, high support, high challenge practice and inspired by working in an Outstanding authority? If so, we would love to hear from you.

Join us in building a system where children can thrive, practitioners are valued, and strong relationships are at the heart of everything we do.

We’re proud that Dorset Council is a rated Outstanding authority by Ofsted for our work with children, young people and families. This reflects our strong commitment to high quality, child centred practice and the positive culture we’ve built across our services.

The Families First Partnership (FFP) Programme sets out a major national reform of family support and child protection in England, aiming to shift the system toward earlier, more joined up help for families.

Dorset was selected as a national Pathfinder local authority for the Families First for Children programme, placing us at the forefront of developing new ways of working with children, families, and communities. Now aligned with the national guidance:
The Families First Partnership (FFP) Programme Guide, we are bringing together a more blended model to support our families to receive the right support and intervention, at the right time.

As a Social Work Qualified Team Manager, you will manage a team consisting of an Assistant Team Manager, Social Workers and Family Workers, supporting the continuum of need from targeted early help, child in need right through to care proceedings and adoption.

We are bringing together our Family Help and Child Protection teams to support families in telling their story, only once, focussing on building and sustaining relationships with practitioners supporting them. Social Workers within the Family Help teams, support our children and families as one integrated team, supporting families from Targeted Early Help right through to care proceedings and adoption, promoting continuity and consistent relationships.

As part of the reforms, we are developing our multi-agency child protection teams. We are introducing Lead Child Protection Practitioners within the Multi‑Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT) and you will work closely with these practitioners and the MACPT to support the needs of our children.

Our approach keeps families at the centre having redesigned child protection conferences to encourage genuine collaboration and reduce jargon. Our Lead Child Practitioners will also work directly with families, helping explain processes, build understanding, and maintain regular contact in readiness for Child Protection conferences and you will work collaboratively with the LCPP to provide clear leadership and drive positive outcomes for our children.

We take professional development seriously and have an extensive training offer, including motivational interviewing, restorative practice and strengths-based approaches. We also have a commitment to leadership training and have a leadership pathway for our managers to access.

We are looking to recruit experienced, dynamic, energetic and strengths-based Team Managers a nd aspiring Team Managers to lead and manage work with our children and families using and promoting a strengths-based and restorative approach. The successful applicant will have…