Social Work Manager

Please note this is a fixed term position until June 2027

Working hours: 20 hours per week

Interview Date: 6th June 2025

At Thorndale Parenting Service we help transform lives, families and futures.  We support children and families who face significant challenges in life, often as a result of trauma or adversity.  Offering a broad range of services and supports delivered through trauma-informed and relational-based approaches and interventions, we strengthen families, support parents and safeguard children. We strive to provide safe, supportive and reparative spaces and opportunities for families to share their feelings and concerns, explore difficulties, worries and challenges, and reflect upon life events, dynamics and relationships.

We are currently looking for a Social Worker Manger, The Social Work Manager will have operational responsibility for the social programmes within the service, and to lead a team of Social Work and Support Staff to provide high quality and effective services, support, and interventions to the vulnerable children and their families living within the service.  The Social Work Manager is responsible for the planning, organisation and management of the work of the team and the effective performance of team members.

An essential part of this role is a requirement to register with the Regulated and Quality Improvement Authority as the Registered Manager for this Service,

The Social Work Manager will be responsible for overseeing the operational management of the programme and ensuring a high standard of practice and quality of care is maintained and delivered, and full compliance is achieved and maintained in relation to the statutory and legislative requirements governing the service, in line with The Residential Family Centre Standards.

Key Responsibilities: 

• You will Advise, support, supervise, and manage a team of professionally qualified social work staff, in line with Salvation Army policy and RQIA requirements.
• Co-ordinate and support the recruitment, induction, development and motivation of staff within the specific area of programme delivery in line with Salvation Army policy
• Ensure that children and young people are kept safe throughout their stay in the centre and that rigorous child protection measures and safeguards are in place.
• Collate, investigate, and take appropriate action in relation to all untoward incidents or complaints.
• Develop partnerships and effective collaborative working with other organisations to promote and maintain client well-being and to improve service provision and practice.
• Responsible for the development of the programme in line with best practice and in partnership with clients to achieve strategic relevance, contractual requirements and meets the service specification.
• Motivate and prioritise service development within the staff team and ensure the service processes and procedures enable the same
• Function as part of the management / duty rota including on call duty as and when required

The successful candidate(s) will be able to demonstrate:

• Experience of delivering a client focused service which undertakes holistic assessments and identifies appropriate and meaningful support for parents and families.
• The knowledge and skill base necessary to deliver relevant evidence-based interventions with children and families.
• Knowledge of the importance of nurturing, trauma-informed approaches when working with children and families who have experienced adversities, and subsequent ability to deliver therapeutic parenting interventions.
• Previous experience in leading and managing a social work team.
• Ability to work in a busy and emotionally intense environment, be reflective and strength focused, show good time management skills and demonstrate an ability to prioritise tasks and work as required.
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal and an ability to compile and present professional reports.

In order to complete your application please download and read the job profile and any other attachments.

In the job profile you will find the criteria required for the role please make sure that you address this in your supporting statement as this forms the basis of our shortlisting.

Appointment subject to satisfactory references, proof of right to work in the UK, Access NI, and relevant qualifications and Health Assessment

For details of how to prove your right to work in the UK please click here and please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship. 

Please note that any Salvation Army employees who are under notice of redundancy and apply for this position will be given priority consideration.

We reserve the right to close this advert earlier if we feel that we have received sufficient applications.

Promoting equality in the workplace and as a disability confident leader scheme employer, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet all the minimum essential criteria for the vacancy.