Team Leader Missing Children Team

Salary: £46,731 to £49,764 per annum Contract Type: Permanent Working Pattern: Full time - 37 hours per week Location: Based at County Hall North, Horsham but travel round the county and from other Council bases required - Hybrid working available - 3 days in the office.

• Do you have excellent communication and interpersonal skills?
• Can you support vulnerable children sensitively and empathetically?
• Do you have experience of leading a missing children's team and working in a multi-disciplinary way?

If this sounds like you then we want to hear from you!

We are looking for a Team Leader for our missing children's team based in Horsham. When a child goes missing or runs away from home, care or school, they are at risk. When a child is found, the child is offered an independent Return Home Interview - arranged and completed by West Sussex County Council's Missing Children Team. In this role, you would lead the team that provides this vital support to children facing difficult times.

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do. Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

The Opportunity

The key components of the Team Leader role will be to be the technical expert and manager of the team. You will have detailed and thorough knowledge of statutory procedures, be able to research current and national guidance in relation to missing children and ensure this is shared with your team.

You will be able to lead the team of staff, providing them with support and guidance and enabling them to continually develop their skills and knowledge and do the best for the children of West Sussex in line with our West Sussex Values.

You will be able to work in partnership with other organisations and continue to build these relationships and maintain them to ensure the best service is delivered to the children and families requiring our support.

About you

Just some of the key skills and experience required to be successful in this role include:

• Excellent Communication and interpersonal skills to be able to support a range of clients with sensitivity and empathy.
• Degree in Social Sciences or relevant equivalent qualification to demonstrate the same level of knowledge in relation to children and their development.
• Strong Problem-solving skills to enable strong leadership for the team and deliver pragmatic solutions and enable planning for solutions.
• Relevant experience in leading a team who provide Return Home Interviews for missing children as well as effective people and performance management skills to motivate and inspire the team.
• Experience of working with children and their families and being able to provide specialist knowledge and guidance to them.
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary environment and be able to build and development the relationships within this to ensure the best service and support is provided to the children and families being supported.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

About us

Here at West Sussex County Council, we are ambitious for our children and our workforce. We are committed to improving our services for the children and families in West Sussex we support. You will join us as at a key time on our improvement journey. The work we have started includes establishing a new and experienced senior leadership team, driving forward our 'Children First' improvement plan and implementing the Family Safeguarding Practice Model.

The Missing Children Team exists to provide an independent Return Home Interview to any child returning to their home or care setting after they have been reported to police as a missing child. This is to meet the statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care (January 2014).

For further information about us and about working in Children's Social Care at West Sussex County Council, please visit Careers in children's social work in West Sussex

Further information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE05493.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Amelia Holdstock (Team Manager) at [email protected]

For issues or queries regarding your application please contact [email protected]

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.

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