Are you passionate about making a difference for children and young people with disabilities and their families? We are looking for an experienced and inspiring Team Manager to lead our CWD Family Pathway (Short Breaks) Service.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a dedicated team delivering strengths-based support to children, young people and families, ensuring they receive the right help at the right time. You will oversee assessments, support planning and short break services while promoting independence, inclusion and positive outcomes.

As children's services continue to evolve through the Family First Partnership Programme and wider national reforms, you will play a key role in developing services that strengthen multi-agency working, improve early support and ensure children and families receive coordinated, effective interventions.

Due to West Berkshire Council’s size and scale, and limited number of social work vacancies, we are not currently able to accept applications from overseas social workers.

The role

• Lead and manage the CWD Family Pathway (Short Breaks) Team, providing effective supervision, support and professional leadership.
• Oversee assessments, reviews and support planning for children and young people accessing the service.
• Ensure families receive high-quality, strengths-based support that promotes independence and positive outcomes.
• Work closely with health colleagues, including CYPCC and the DSR Panel, to ensure coordinated planning and effective pathways for children with complex needs.
• Develop strong partnerships with education providers, commissioning colleagues and other multi-agency partners.
• Drive service improvement and contribute to the implementation of the Family First Partnership Programme and wider children's social care reforms.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, guidance and local policies relating to children with disabilities.
• Monitor performance, quality assurance and service delivery to maintain high standards of practice.

• Qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.
• Significant experience within children's social care, particularly supporting children and young people with disabilities.
• Experience of leading and managing teams and developing staff to achieve excellent outcomes.
• Strong understanding of legislation, guidance and best practice relating to children with disabilities and short breaks.
• Demonstrable experience of effective partnership working across health, education and social care.
• Experience of leading change, managing performance and driving service improvement.
• Strong communication, organisational and decision-making skills.
• Commitment to delivering high-quality, child-centred and family-focused services.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

• A golden hello payment of £3k after one year in post
• A retention payment of £2k after two years of service
• A further retention payment of £3k, plus a four-week paid sabbatical after three years’ service
• Flexible Working: West Berkshire has adopted a Hybrid Working Policy, which allows employees to split their time between attending the workplace and working remotely
• Social Work England registration fees reimbursed
• Dedicated employee wellbeing service with Employee Assistance Programme offering a great range of discounts at a variety of retailers, services and everyday spending.
• Regular and high-quality reflective supervision.
• Approachable and visible senior leadership
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Generous annual leave allowance, starting at 29 days plus an additional 5 days leave after 5 years continuous local authority service
• Relocation package for individuals moving from outside a 30-mile radius (subject to eligibility)
• Blue Light card fees reimbursed
• We use the PeopleSafe App, a reliable tool offering real-time monitoring, emergency assistance, and peace of mind when lone working

You will also be entitled to a generous annual leave entitlement starting at 30 days per annum (plus public holidays) Rising by an additional 5 days after 5 years’ service.

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Join us at West Berkshire Council and make a positive impact in our community while advancing your career. Explore everything that a career with West Berkshire Council has to offer here: Working with Us

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact: Michelle Ziregbe, Service Manager Children with Disabilities Team 01635 503165 Michelle.Ziregbe2@westberks.gov.uk

Equal Opportunities

The Council supports Equal Opportunity of employment and positively encourages applications from people who fall within any of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

How to apply

Please now complete a short online application form. You will then be able to upload your CV.

This role has been identified as public facing in accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016; the requirement to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English applies.

West Berkshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all its staff and volunteers to share these values. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. This role involves regulated activity with children. As such, appointment is subject to an Enhanced DBS check with the relevant Barred List(s).

In this post you will be required to maintain continuous registration with the DBS Update Service for the duration of your employment.

This privacy notice applies to job applicants applying for vacancies with West Berkshire Council

AI in Applications

We recognise that candidates may choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support the preparation of their job applications. When used appropriately, AI can be a helpful aid in structuring responses, checking clarity, and improving presentation.

However, applications must reflect your own skills, experience and understanding. If an application appears to rely excessively on AI-generated content, it may not meet the required standard and could be rejected.

We encourage all applicants to ensure their submissions are authentic, tailored to the role, and clearly demonstrate their own knowledge, experience and suitability.