Children's Services Manager

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Are you an experienced leader passionate about making a difference in children's lives?

We are seeking a dedicated Social Work Manager to join our team and lead high-quality, child-focused services in our Armagh and Newry Family Resource Centres.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape practice, support a skilled team, and ensure the best outcomes for children and families. If you thrive in a dynamic environment and are committed to safeguarding and excellence, we'd love to hear from you.

If you have a passion for family support, then this role is for you.

As Children's Services Manager, you will:

• Lead and manage a dedicated team of practitioners delivering a range of services to children, young people and families.
• Oversee service delivery, ensuring high standards of practice, safeguarding, and outcomes.
• Work collaboratively with community partners.
• Use your professional expertise to develop innovative approaches that reduce risk, promote children's wellbeing and ensure children's needs are met.
• Monitor impact and contribute to strategic planning and funding development.

Please ensure that you outline on your application how you meet the criteria below:

• Hold a professional qualification in Social Work recognised by the NISCC, have completed the AYE and be registered with the NISCC on part 1 of the register.
• Ability to lead and support staff in managing safeguarding concerns, ensuring timely and effective responses, and escalation as required.
• Can outline your experience of working with children and young people and in leading others to best practice in the delivery of children's services.
• Can demonstrate, using an example, how you have worked constructively with partner agencies, commissioners and other stakeholders, in a way that enhances the reputation of the organisation externally.
• Demonstrable experience in managing budgets within a children's services setting, including responsibility for financial planning, forecasting, and monitoring.
• Can evidence the ability to set clear team and individual objectives, and to coach and support staff in achieving high performance through regular feedback, development planning, and promoting a culture of continuous improvement.
• Hold a valid driving licence and have access to a vehicle with business class insurance to use during working hours (alternatively, those applicants with a disability that prevents them from holding a driving licence should be able to demonstrate how they can meet the mobility requirements of the post). The post is office based and requires regular travel across both office locations and at times across the Southern Trust.

Ready to make a difference? Apply now.

Post will be based in either Armagh and Newry with expectation of regular travel across both office locations and throughout the Southern Trust area.

£42,856.32 - £54,240.03

37 per week

Permanent

Midnight, Sunday 4th January 2026

13th and 15th January 2026

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We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values. We are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity and part of our People & Culture Strategy.

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full-time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata.
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Holiday Plus scheme.
• A host of family-friendly leave options including company Maternity, Paternity and…