Team Manager

37 hours per week

This role is office-based; however, it also offers some agile or remote working

On the Isle of Wight our Children’s Service Leadership team understand that our social workers, managers and our staff require the right environment to succeed in this challenging, rewarding and important field.

Our vision is ‘creating change together’, using language that cares which drives our values and behaviours to create change - in partnership with our children and families, our dedicated Children’s Service staff, our partners, and community services, to improve the lives of children on the Isle of Wight.

We value and respect the work you do and ensure our social work teams are given the right tools, conditions, support and guidance needed to make real change happen. Are you ready to take your next career step with us one of our Team Managers for Children’s Support and Protection Services. You are a successful manager within children’s social care, you have the skills, but have you considered WHERE you want to be, to make a real difference?

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest and second-most populous island in England. It is in the English Channel, between two and five miles off the coast of Hampshire, separated by the Solent, 11 minutes by Hovercraft. The island has resorts that have been holiday destinations since Victorian times, and is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery, and landscapes of fields, down land, and chines. The island is designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and over half is designated an area of outstanding natural beauty.

However, hidden behind all this beauty, many families really struggle, and we have areas of socioeconomic deprivation and child poverty. Parts have a low paid rural economy reliant on tourism and agriculture, now further affected by the covid pandemic. However, we also have dynamic international high-tech companies, national and local investment, and world class sporting events; making the Isle of Wight a great place to live and work.

On the Isle of Wight, the overall average house price means you get more for your money compared to many other places in the South East. A relocation grant of up to £8k makes buying your first home affordable or moving up to a bigger house achievable. You have 32 days annual leave a year to enjoy all what the Isle of Wight has to offer. In a recent poll with social workers across the South East, work life balance was their top priority when deciding on a job. We will invest in you and your career by providing you with five extra days for you to take to focus on your professional development with our support. We operate a nine-day fortnight which means you get an additional 26 days’ time off in lieu a year.

Our Council has invested further in children’s social care and due to progression, we are now recruiting a team manager.

The benefits of our redesigned Children’s Support and Protection Service include:

• Less children in line of sight of managers
• Greater capacity to provide management oversight/grip/reflective supervision
• Smaller teams, that can focus on quality assessments/plans – get it right for families first time
• Each team is on duty once every four weeks

We have a really positive, supportive culture and working environment. Even our agency workers don’t want to leave and if they do, they ask to come back or choose to go permanent as they have said the Isle of Wight is the best children’s social care service, they have worked in. We work to Isle of Wight model which is a strengths-based, multi-disciplinary approach focussed on building resilience in individuals, families, and communities, whilst managing risk and safeguarding children.

Please get in touch and start your senior management journey with the Isle of Wight today.

For further information or an informal discussion, please contact Service Manager for Operations, Lauren Wicks at lauren.wicks@iow.gov.uk or by calling on 01983 821000.

Join #TeamIWC and you'll receive our staff benefits package, including:

• Annual leave entitlement of 32 days p/a PLUS public holidays!
• Local Government pension scheme
• Discounted Solent ferry travel
• Island bus network discount
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff parking permit scheme
• Discounted island sports & leisure gym membership
• National and local discounts & benefits schemes
• Relocation scheme of up to £8,000 may be available for some roles (subject to criteria)
• Travel allowance may be available if commuting from the mainland (subject to criteria)

To discover more about our careers please visit Jobs and careers - Isle of Wight

Find out more about Our culture and environment & living on the Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight Council currently does not have a license to sponsor overseas workers.

We actively promote the diversity of our workforce, and provide flexible working options (where appropriate) to support the different needs of our employees. We are an equal opportunities employer, proud to encourage applications from all cultures, backgrounds and abilities to better reflect the diversity within our local community.

We are a Disability Confident employer. Along with a number of commitments, this means, providing you meet the basic essential requirements of the advertised role and have declared yourself as disabled, you will be offered an opportunity for an interview within the council.

The Isle of Wight Council protects its employees from discrimination, and this is supported by;

unacceptable behaviour policy

employee code of conduct

The Isle of Wight Council’s Terms & Conditions of employment are available upon request. Please contact our recruitment team via adverts@iow.gov.uk if you would like to receive a copy.

The Isle of Wight Council reserve the right to close vacancies earlier than stated, if required. To ensure your application is considered, it is recommended to submit your application promptly.

Please note, appointment to a regulated role will require you to provide additional personal details, including full employment history, referee information, and consent for any required safeguarding checks, as part of the Council’s commitment to safer recruitment and compliance with regulatory requirements.

This council and its schools recruit according to the council’s Recruitment, Policy and Procedure and are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.

The Isle of Wight Council is committed to supporting all newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) via a robust post-graduate competency framework, the ‘Assessed and Supported Year of Employment’ (ASYE). The ASYE is intended to be the first stage of continuing professional development for Registered Social Workers. The framework will be closely allied to the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF). You will be therefore, be required to satisfactorily complete the ASYE programme within a 12-month period (or 18 months if part-time).

For support completing your online application or for further information on how to apply, phone 01983 823134 or email callcentre@iow.gov.uk. Only applications submitted online by the closing date will be accepted.

We often receive a high volume of applicants for our vacancies. If you do not hear from the recruiting manager within three weeks of the closing date, we regret that your application will not have been successful on this occasion. Please revisit our job page for alternate posts that may be suitable.