Team Manager - Safeguarding

Team Manager | Child Protection | Sandwell Children's Trust

Sandwell is looking for an experienced Team Manager to lead within its Child Protection Service, managing a frontline team committed to safeguarding children and achieving strong outcomes for families. This is an excellent opportunity for an established manager, or a strong advanced practitioner stepping up, who can provide clear leadership, robust oversight and high-quality support across complex child protection work.

This role will suit a confident and child-focused leader with strong statutory experience, sound decision-making skills and the ability to drive performance, practice standards and positive change across the service.

Role Overview

As Team Manager, you will lead a social work team within Child Protection, providing operational oversight, reflective supervision and clear direction across a complex and fast-paced service. You will support practitioners working with children subject to child protection plans, children in need and care proceedings, ensuring timely intervention, effective planning and strong multi-agency working.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and manage a frontline Child Protection team within children’s services
• Provide reflective supervision, support and challenge to social workers and senior practitioners
• Oversee complex caseloads and ensure effective risk management, planning and decision-making
• Ensure children receive timely and appropriate interventions in line with statutory duties and local procedures
• Maintain oversight of child protection, child in need and court work across the team
• Chair strategy meetings, planning meetings and other forums where required
• Drive performance, quality assurance and service improvement across the team
• Support staff development, wellbeing and progression through coaching and leadership
• Work in partnership with agencies including Police, Health, Education and Legal Services
• Promote strong practice standards and ensure children’s voices remain central to all planning

Benefits

• Opportunity to lead within a vital frontline safeguarding service
• Chance to influence practice quality and service performance
• Supportive leadership role with real impact on outcomes for children and families
• Opportunity to develop staff and shape team culture
• Join a service focused on improving practice and strengthening safeguarding responses

Requirements

• Social Work qualification and Social Work England registration
• Strong experience within child protection and safeguarding services
• Previous management, supervisory or advanced practitioner experience within statutory children’s services
• Strong understanding of child protection procedures, care planning and court work
• Ability to lead, support and challenge practice effectively
• Confident decision-maker with strong risk assessment and analytical skills
• Experience of working in partnership with multi-agency professionals
• Commitment to high standards, service improvement and child-centred practice

Interested?

If you are an experienced children’s social care manager looking for your next challenge in a busy and rewarding child protection service, this could be a strong next step.

To find out more or apply, contact:
Emily Cooper - ecooper@sheldon-phillips.com | 07745 200325

Know someone suitable? We offer a referral bonus for successful recommendations.