Team Leader - Children's Services, Social Work

Vacancy Information

Hourly rate of pay: £25.37 - £28.57

Days and Hours of Work:
Monday - Friday, 09:00-17:00
Flexi time is applicable.
To start asap.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a small team of Senior Practitioners and Social Workers in East Lothian's Support and Intervention Team.  You will be working alongside a group of experienced Team Leaders to ensure we get the best outcomes for East Lothian's Looked After children.  In order to do this, there are opportunities to be creative and there is an expectation that you will work alongside other managers to lead improvements where this is identified.

All of Children’s Services is located in an open plan office with onsite parking and we promote an open, trusting and communicative culture at all levels of the organisation.

 Applicants should have a sound value base, excellent communication and report writing skills and a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of methods of supporting children in complex situations including achieving permanency. You should also have a knowledge of Children and Families social work legislation, role and responsibilities. In East Lothian our social workers practice is focused on our Signs of Safety assessment framework with an emphasis on relationship based interventions.   

Candidates should work well under pressure and be able to manage competing demands including supporting staff, providing supervision and ensuring we provide high quality interventions with children and families.

East Lothian Children’s Services are absolutely committed to keeping The Promise and keeping children, young people and their families’ voices at the heart of everything we do. East Lothian Children’s Services are keen to recruit workers who are passionate about achieving the best possible outcomes for children, young people and their families.

We are committed to promoting an open and trusting culture at all levels of the organisation and prioritise continuous professional development and learning. Our staff are our greatest asset and we strive to be supportive, inclusive and child centred by prioritising effective supervision, manageable caseloads and a healthy work life balance.

Our vision is to support children and young people to live with their families when it is safe to do so. We have redesigned our services to ensure that the right support is offered at the right time and our staff are involved in developing services and implementing improvement activity around this goal.

We benefit from access to a clinical psychologist who supports our staff with complex work. We recognise the emotional impact of the role and strive to promote staff resilience.

We have an accessible senior management team who are committed to recruiting the best people to compliment the wide range of knowledge and experience that exists throughout the service. 

If you wish to discuss this job vacancy or working for East Lothian Council, please feel free to contact the recruitment manager on the details below:

Nicola Clark

01620 827962

Job Details

To provide management and leadership within Children’s Services (social work), in accordance with the Service Plan, Children and Families legislation, early intervention and prevention and joint working with partners in Adult Services, Education, Police, Health, Housing and other professionals as appropriate. 

Please download the Job Outline/Person Specification (available under 'Job Attachments') for the full range of tasks and duties associated with this job. You will need to refer to these in order to complete the application form. You must ensure you meet every 'essential' criteria stated on the Person Specification to be considered for interview.

The ‘East Lothian Way’– values and behaviours we expect our employees to demonstrate in their everyday work. Should you be invited to interview, you may be asked questions based on these behaviours. Please refer to the document via the link to familiarise yourself with them.

Job Requirements

Relevant Qualifications
Approved qualification in Social Work, and SSSC Registration.

Certificate in Child Protection or Post Qualifying award in Practice Teaching or Mental Health.

Driving Licence
As the duties of this role require you to effectively travel to successfully undertake the full remit of the role, you must hold a current driving licence and have access to a vehicle.*
(*Where a disability precludes you from obtaining a driving licence, ELC will take into account its responsibility to make reasonable adjustments to allow for your disability.)

PVG Membership
This post is considered as Regulated Work with vulnerable children and/or protected adults, as specified in the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.

All preferred candidates for posts carrying out regulated work with these groups will be required to become a PVG Scheme member, or undergo a PVG Scheme update if they are already a member, prior to any formal offer of employment being made by East Lothian Council.

Please note: PVG member’s records are constantly updated with any new vetting information that arises. Any information that is disclosed on a PVG membership or update check, if relevant to the post being applied for, will be discussed with the applicant and investigated prior to any formal offer being made.

Please note:
If you have spent more than 3 months working or living outwith the UK in the last 5 years then you will be required to present a copy of an overseas criminal record check. Details of how to apply and contact details can be found on the GOV.UKwebsite.

Additional Information

For additional East Lothian Council employment information please click on the following link: www.eastlothian.gov.uk/nonteachinginfo

If you have any difficulties creating an account on MyJobScotland or applying for this post please contact the MyJobScotland support team via this link https://www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/contact-us.

If you require further information about this vacancy, please call 01620 827868, or email us on recruitment@eastlothian.gov.uk

Please note: We do not accept CV's (either electronically or by mail). All our vacancies must be applied for by fully completing the on-line application form. Although there is an ‘import data from my CV’ function on MyJobScotland, this only imports very limited data and should not be relied upon to complete the application form.