Service Leader

Salary: Band 13, £57,578 to £64,473 per annum

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time (37 hours per week)          

Closing date: Sunday 1 December 2024, 23:59

Interview date: Tuesday 10 December 2024

Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. It is also committed to promoting quality childcare across the city that works to improve outcomes for children. 

DBS Disclosure at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. 

Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children’s Board safer recruitment procedures.

Why come to live and work in Portsmouth?

Portsmouth is a great waterfront city and a vibrant place to live and work. It is an island city with an “inner city” feel, a seaside location packed with attractions and events, and the advantage of fantastic countryside on its doorstep. With fast road and rail links to London, Brighton and major airports, and ferry links to Europe, it is the perfect place to live and work. Portsmouth has a strong history of partnership working and has successfully integrated several local services. 

The Service:

Children's Social Care provides social work interventions to children in need (including children with disabilities and those subject to protection plans) and children looked after and care experienced young people. As a service we take pride in our work by valuing others, focusing on what's important so that we make a real and positive difference.

Your New Role:

You will have responsibility for Children We Care For in Portsmouth, and deliver on our 'Going Home & Strengthening Families' approach. You will lead a service of team leaders, social workers, and other staff, and ensure the efficient running of the service. You will ensure all statutory requirements are met and delivered to a high standard, and lead quality assurance activity including service audits and regulatory inspections. You will ensure all team requirements are met regarding workforce development, performance management, supervision and appraisal, compliance with statutory guidance and local policies and procedures, quality improvements, and budget management. You will work creatively and autonomously, and promote a restorative, strengths-based approach to work.

Please read the job profile for the full details of this role. 

What you'll need to succeed:

You have a recognised professional qualification in social work (Social Work Diploma/Degree/MSc or equivalent) and are registered with Social Work England. You have substantial post-qualification experience in social work with children and families, including management experience at least at a team leader/manager level. You are a confident and inspirational leader, and can demonstrate a level of authority and ability to support, challenge and scrutinise professional practice. You take responsibility for your own learning and can contribute to staff development through coaching and mentoring. You are curious and creative, and above all have a 'can do' attitude.

Please read the job profile for the full details of this role. 

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.

What you'll get in return:

We really appreciate our employees and fully realise they are essential to our success and look to offer an inclusive, supportive working environment where employees can reach their potentials with a healthy work life balance, offering the following rewards:

• Generous annual leave (27 days per year rising to 31, pro rata for part time hours) with the potential to purchase additional leave.
• A fantastic pension which allows you the opportunity to pay in more for that greater return.
• Flexible working options including hybrid working with a minimum of three days office based per week pro rata, giving you the flexibility to work up to two days at home every week. Hybrid working is dependent on the role and service needs, exact details will be discussed with you at interview.
• Access to a wide range of training and development opportunities including apprenticeships.
• Extensive wellbeing support through the Employee Assistance Programme 
• Discount on travel, travel loans and the bike loan scheme
• Discounts on a wide range of goods and services – access a range of discounts and offers from thousands of restaurants, shops and more.

Staff rewards: https://careers.portsmouth.gov.uk/working-for-the-council/

Additional Information:

The full job profile is attached here.

Contact Details for an Informal Discussion:

Mark Jowett, Head of Service: Children We Care For, mark.jowett@portsmouthcc.gov.uk, 023 92 437 593

A commitment to our values:

We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. Learn more about our values and behaviours.

Application process:

How to complete your application: https://careers.portsmouth.gov.uk/how-to-apply/

We are a disability confident employer - committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible and welcome applications from all areas of society.

Please submit both a CV and a cover letter/personal statement. Remember to demonstrate in your cover letter/personal statement why you are suitable against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person' section of the full Job Profile, using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had.

If you upload a CV without a cover letter/personal statement, it is unlikely that your application will be successful.

Please ensure you provide your full education history from secondary school, include name/address of establishment, details of relevant qualifications & awarding body. Please explain any gaps - this is essential for all safeguarding children's roles.

We will email applicants from time to time; please ensure you check e-mail folders as sometimes our e-mails may go into spam/junk folde