Team Manager - Kinship and Permanence

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Contractual hours 37

Basis Full time

Region Fixed-Term / Full-Time

Job category/type Children's Services, Fostering/Adoption, Managerial

Hybrid working but based at Civic Centre, Reading, for a minimum of 3 days a week (to include Wednesdays)

Reading Borough Council is committed to improving outcomes for children, youngpeopleand families. We are looking for an experienced and passionate Team Manager to lead our Kinship & Permanence Service, playing a key role in securing stable, long-term family arrangements for children and young people.

This is an exciting opportunity for an accomplished social work leader to manage a specialist service that supports permanence planning, kinship care, specialguardianshipand private fostering arrangements.

You'lljoin a forward-thinking Children's Services team focused on delivering high-quality, relationship-based practice and achieving thevery best outcomes for children.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusionis the key to our success.

Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

As Team Manager,you'llprovide leadership,directionand oversight across the Kinship & Permanence Service, ensuring children and families receive high-quality,timelyand effective support.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and developing a specialist team delivering kinship,permanenceand special guardianship services.
• Ensuring permanence plans progress without unnecessary delay for children in care.
• Overseeing assessments, supportservicesand family-finding arrangements.
• Providing supervision,guidance and professional challenge to staff.
• Driving quality assurance, performance management and service improvement.
• Chairing and contributing to complex meetings and decision-making processes.
• Building effective partnerships across Children's Services and external organisations.

You'llalso playan important rolein shaping the future of the service, promoting bestpracticeand ensuring our work continues to deliver positive outcomes for children and carers.

We'relooking for a confident and experienced social work leader who is passionate about achieving permanence and stability for children.

You will be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England and have substantial experience within children's social care, fostering, kinship,permanenceor related services.

You'llbe comfortable managing staff, supporting professional development and leading practice improvement in a busy and evolving environment.

You will also bring:

• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Sound knowledge of legislation,safeguarding and permanence planning.
• Experience of quality assurance and performance management.
• The ability to build effective relationships with children, families,carersand professionals.
• Excellent communication, analytical and decision-making skills.
• A commitment to delivering high-quality services and improving outcomes for children

You’llbe part of a team that relies oneach individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day,you’llalso be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place. Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential asa great placeto live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success.

Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this: