Sutton (On-Site)
£47,532 - £55,620 (£57,663 unconsolidated maximum)
About the Borough
In Sutton, there is much for us to be proud of both as a council and as a borough. This includes high levels of resident satisfaction, the quality of our services, our success in addressing our financial challenges to date, the way that we involve and engage with residents on key issues facing the borough, and the enthusiastic and motivated staff that we employ.
Looking ahead, there are plans for the delivery of new homes and new schools and the London Cancer Hub is being developed, while the Council is also seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment.
All of this demonstrates a good track record and an authority that is ambitious and set to deliver more improvements for the borough. We've set out our vision for the future of Sutton in our corporate plan - Ambitious for Sutton. This strategic plan will shape the outcomes we achieve, the services we provide, and the impact we have on residents, to make Sutton a great place to live, work and raise a family.
Situated in Zone 5, Sutton is less than 30 minutes by train from central London, and south and south west London are easily accessible by public transport. There are 10 train stations which serve key neighbourhoods within the borough providing direct connections to London Victoria, London Bridge, London Blackfriars and St Pancras International. Sutton also has direct rail connections with Epsom, Dorking, Guildford and Horsham, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and West Croydon for the London Overground. There’s also an extensive road network which provides close and easy access to the M25 and M23.
About the Service and Team
The Children Looked After and Leaving Care Service in Sutton is dedicated to supporting all Children in Care and Care Leavers on their journey toward independence. Our primary responsibility is to ensure high-quality care planning for permanency, fulfilling our statutory obligations to Children in Care and Care Leavers. We strive to provide a consistent, restorative approach that prioritises the voices of children and young people while being trauma-informed.
Joining Sutton, you can expect to receive:
- A broad range of post-qualifying education opportunities designed to encourage continuous learning and professional growth, as part of the Developing Together Social Work Teaching Partnership (SWTP) with Kingston University and regional partners
- Opportunities to attend conferences, workshops, and access research and practice resources for ongoing development.
Sutton Council is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace, featuring various staff network groups such as the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic +A Network, LGBTQ +A Network, and Women’s +A Network. These groups empower staff to have a voice and actively drive positive change within the organisation.
About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate
Join Children Social Care as a Team Manager in our Leaving Care and Children Looked After Team and enjoy a Golden Hello along with a Recruitment and Retention Bonus, outlined as follows:
- £1,000 paid with your first month's salary
- £1,000 for your first completed year of service
- £2,000 for your second completed year of service
- £3,000 for your third completed year of service and each year thereafter
With a total salary package of up to £63,172, inclusive of bonuses and benefits, this is an excellent opportunity to elevate your career in social care.
As a Team Manager for the Children Looked After Team, you will play a crucial role in overseeing the care and support provided to children in our care. Your responsibilities will include:
- Leading and managing a multidisciplinary team to deliver effective social care services for looked after children.
- Ensuring that all interventions are child-centred, emphasising the best interests of the children and young people in our care.
- Overseeing the assessment, planning, and review processes for looked after children.
- Ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, policies, and professional standards.
As a leader, you will foster a positive and inclusive team culture that encourages professional growth and continuous improvement. You will oversee care planning, quality assurance reports, and the direct work of your team, while chairing meetings and collaborating with multi-agency professionals to safeguard the children and young people in our care. This role offers challenges in a dynamic and diverse environment, allowing you to expand your knowledge and skill set within children’s social care. Our teams are renowned for their ability to create exceptional care plans that prioritise the needs and voices of our service users, incorporating input from professionals, families/carers, and external agencies to achieve the best outcomes.
Are you ready to take the next step in your social care career? We are committed to supporting your growth in a diverse and inclusive environment, as you embark on your career with Sutton’s Adult Social Care. Apply now and join us on our journey!
This position offers an excellent opportunity for existing team managers and experienced social workers with outstanding communication skills and a compassionate manner, capable of effectively managing high levels of emotional distress. We encourage applications from candidates with experience in childcare and those passionate about delivering person-centred care.
In addition, we would expect the following from all suitable candidates:
- To be registered with Social Work England and hold a degree in Social Care or similar.
- Experience of working with children within a care environment.
- Significant experience of leading and managing a multidisciplinary team.
- Have sound knowledge and ability to deliver social work support to service users and their families.
- Ability to communicate complex social issues clearly to both patients and professionals.
- Ability to plan and coordinate social care plans and aspects of patient discharge.
You will join a welcoming, supportive, and energetic team dedicated to providing first class supervision and ongoing professional development opportunities.
For more information about the role and/or an informal conversation, you can view the Role Profile or contact Debbie Owen Head of Service Corporate Parenting (debbie.owen@sutton.gov.uk)
Our Offer to You
As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across - however big or small - will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.
In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps. Our Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme embraces new ways of working. It provides improved work life balance for our staff as it allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week.
Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:
- Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
- General Council Flexi-time (Please note, this applies to roles at grades 1-9 only)
- Public Health Service Localised Flexi-time Scheme - accrual of up to 5 days per year
- Three volunteering days per year in Sutton
- Comprehensive learning and development programme
- Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities
- Interest free season ticket loans
- Local Government Pension Scheme
- Car parking scheme
- Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
- Zip car scheme
- Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
- Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
- Subsidised gym membership
Application Process
Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.
To support our diversity agenda and reduce the risk of bias in our recruitment activities, our short listing process completely anonymises personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc. Our hiring managers review and short list applications based on the information provided as part of your application as to how well you meet the requirements and criteria for the role, as outlined in the job profile.
The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Additional Information
We pride ourselves on being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Borough and we aim to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve - the key highlights from our recent Equalities Workforce Report can be seen here. We are respectful of difference and realise the positive value of diversity in our workforce. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. As part of our Disability Confident Committed status, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.
We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.
The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.