Assistant Team Manager

37 hours per week

Please note: To apply for this position, you must be a Qualified Social Worker and be registered with Social Work England

Join Us in Making a Difference! Are you passionate about fostering and growing the number of safe and loving homes available for the Island’s children. An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic individual to step into the role of an Assistant Team Manager within the Fostering and Adoption Service.

About the Role: As the Assistant Team Manager in the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team, you will: 

• Sit alongside the other ATMs/ TM and carry out management functions (assessments sign off, auditing, policy development, attend/chair senior meetings).
• Support operational delivery of the Fostering Service
• Maintain oversight of Fostering Assessments including Form F and Form K assessments and ensure robust quality assurance.
• Liaise with and assist our Child Protection and Support Teams in the completion of Reg 24 assessments and Initial Viability Assessments (IVAs).
• Develop and deliver service improvements to support the recruitment and retention of Foster Carers.  
• Have excellent relationships skills in order to engage and build upon working relationships with partner agencies and other fostering providers including partners within the Local Authority Fostering South East (LASFE).
• Line manage staff / including supervision of Assessing Social Workers, Marketing/ Recruitment Officers and Practitioners.
• Monitor performance against KPIs and local measures.

This is a site-based role at County Hall, Newport, Isle of Wight, with agile and flexible work practices.

Requirements: To apply for this position, you must be an experienced Qualified Social Worker and registered with Social Work England.

Why Join Us? On the Isle of Wight, our new Children’s Social Care leadership team understands that our social workers and staff need the right environment to thrive in this challenging, rewarding, and important field. Our vision is ‘creating change together’, which drives our values and behaviours to create positive change in partnership with our children and families, dedicated children’s social care staff, partners, and community services.

We value and respect the work you do and ensure our social work teams are equipped with the right tools, conditions, support, and guidance needed to make real change happen.

A Unique Opportunity: This is a unique and exciting time to join Isle of Wight Children’s Social Care. Following the successful completion of our 10-year partnership with Hampshire County Council on January 31, 2024, we have welcomed a brand-new senior leadership team determined to build our new Children's Service. Together, we are already working to create one connected directorate, where Children’s Social Care and our Education, Inclusion, and Access services are 100% focused on improving the lives of children and families on the Isle of Wight.

This is an exciting opportunity for qualified social workers looking to progress their career in Social Care and develop their skills in management and join a dynamic, forward thinking and enthusiastic social work team.  The Fostering and Adoption Team encompasses the Fostering and Adoption services for the Isle of Wight. This is structured into three hubs with an Assistant Team Manager heading each hub. The Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Hub, The Fostering Support Hub and the Adoption Hub. The Hubs have defined activities although the team work together when needed to support each other.

Isle of Wight Children’s Services has an OFSTED rating of ‘Good’ and here in the Fostering Service we are reviewing and redesigning our support offer to Foster Carers with the aim of increasing the recruitment and retention of Foster Carers, improving the quality of reflective supervision and creating the right conditions for social workers to focus on supporting their carers to promote positive outcomes for them and the children they care for.

The post holders will be required to support the fostering service by undertaking the following:

Assist in the recruitment, training and assessment of potential foster carers

Maintain line management responsibilities to staff within the HUB, support staff development and provide reflective supervision to qualified Social Workers.
Manage a small caseload and deliver on targets set by Legislation and Council requirements. To deliver or co present comprehensive training, Skills to Foster, to prospective foster carers in line with respective legislation and regulation requirements To contribute to data monitoring and quality assurance including collating and analysing feedback to inform service development

We are seeking dedicated, skilled, and ambitious social worker who is looking to progress their skills and make a step into management who shares our vision to grow the Island’s community of Foster Carers and get things right for our carers and children.

Do you...

• Have skills in completing robust and analytical assessments
• Want a new challenge?
• Want to work in a dynamic environment?
• Want to focus on improvement and continual learning?
• Share our vision and ambition to increase the recruitment and retention of foster carers?

If the answer is yes, we would love to hear from you!

Our practice model is: 

• relational
• strengths based
• solution focussed
• restorative

We embody this model in all our relationships. We embrace an inclusive culture and will support you in your role and challenge you to be your best.

Join us in making a real difference in the lives of children on the Isle of Wight!

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)

Find out more about working for the Isle of Wight Council and living on the Island.

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

our values, culture and inclusivity

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.

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.

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.