Assistant Team Manager; Adolescent Services

“Please note, this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship and we can only consider applicants with existing right to work in the UK.”

Plymouth City Council is seeking a passionate and experienced Assistant Team Manager to support and lead our newly developing Adolescent Team. This specialist service supports young people at risk of extra-familial harm, including exploitation, Harmful Sexual Behaviour (HSB), homelessness, serious youth violence, and contextual safeguarding concerns.

Our Adolescent Team will deliver intensive family support to children and families, preventing problems from escalating further where multiple vulnerabilities are present and family needs are complex. You will be supervising Family Help Lead Professionals, social work qualified and alternatively qualified practitioners, creating the conditions for them to be able to work creatively and flexibly - undertaking specialist assessments and interventions to manage risk and promote recovery for children presenting with HSB, as well as ensuring family and professional networks around them are equipped to support them.

A robust understanding and practice experience in the field of HSB is necessary.

You will be overseeing practice, ensuring that workers are using evidence-based interventions and relationship-based practice to work with families to address multiple and complex needs. With the national social work reforms re-shaping how, we work with Children in Need this is an exciting time to be an Assistant Team Manager in Plymouth, and you will be part of a large team focussed on developing a service that delivers the right support for children and families at the right time.

You will be committed to working in a child-focused and strengths-based way and will understand the positive impact of whole family approaches which prevent needs from escalating and reduce risk. In return, you will be joining a service with a commitment to a ‘High Expectations, High Support, High Challenge’ culture, where we expect you to provide a high standard of support to our practitioners.

The ideal candidates will be able to demonstrate extensive experience of working with families, supervisory or management experience and a strong values-based practice approach rooted in empathy, kindness and compassion.

You will be able to demonstrate significant experience of working with children and families in a relevant health, youth work, education or social care setting and will have applied knowledge of the Children Act 1989. You will work well as part of a team, will understand key management tools and will be committed to driving forwards practice improvement through regular quality assurance activity, supervision, coaching and mentoring.

You will be able to demonstrate an ability to work with risk dynamically and will be responsible for overseeing practice with children and their families which balances our response to risk with upholding and defending each person’s physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual integrity and wellbeing.

The Disclosure & Barring Service Check requirement for this post is:
Enhanced DBS Children’s & Adult’s Barred List.

For more information or an informal discussion regarding this role, please contact Mark Anderson via email. m

Closing date:
Sunday 26 July 2026

Plymouth City Council is an equal opportunities employer. All applicants will be considered for employment regardless of age, care experience, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion/belief, sex or sexual orientation.

As part of our commitment to promoting equality we offer guaranteed interviews to those who meet the essential criteria and are considered disabled, care experienced or are an Armed Forces Service Leaver within the last two years.