My Family, My Future, My Merton
“A place where Outstanding Children’s services are offered, where children and young people feel they belong, stay safe and can thrive”
We want Merton to be a great place for every child to grow up, and to give every child the best start in life. This has never been more important and we need to be even more responsive to new and emerging needs as a result of the cost of living crisis and the aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Our children's services have been judged Outstanding by Ofsted, and we continue to strive for stronger and more responsive practice. Our Leaders are committed and focused on supporting our staff and families. We work well with our partners and make decisions alongside our children and their families.
We speak with care and compassion about the families we support. Social Workers love working in Merton:
• We keep children and young people at the heart of our work
• We 'Think Family' and focus on the strengths within families
• We are committed to doing what we say we will do; our integrity matters
• We learn from what we do to improve the experiences of children, young people, and families
• We celebrate difference and thrive on respect.
We have implemented a blended practice model which combines the best parts of signs of safety, systemic practice and relationship based social work.
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Team Manager for the Fostering recruitment and Special Guardianship Team in Corporate Parenting service. You will lead on recruitment of foster carers, quality assurance and supporting Permanency via special guardianship assessment in relation to Children in Care across all the relevant services in Children’s Social Care.
You will be responsible for promoting and developing good practice and to establish systems to ensure that monitored milestones are set and adhered to, and also ensure timely permanence for Children in Care across the full range of legal options including Adoption, Special Guardianship, Residence Orders, Family and Friends care and permanent/long term foster care.
You will need to be a qualified social worker, registered with Social Work England and with relevant experience in special guardianship and fostering recruitment. You should be able to demonstrate an ability to manage and develop staff, provide supervision and guidance, support team activities and strategic priorities.
Interviews will take place on 30th and 31st May
If you require any additional information about the post or would like an informal discussion please do not hesitate to Rosemary.Frimpong@merton.gov.uk and/or Melissa.Ireland@merton.gov.uk
Merton is an outer borough in southwest London. Suburban in character, the borough has three main town centres: Wimbledon, Mitcham, and Morden. We want our to be a great place for every child to grow up in order to give them the best start in life. To do this, we need the best social work talent working with us.
We offer a full range of employment benefits to ensure every member of staff feels valued and able to progress:
If you like the sound of working in Merton, or want to know more about a specific role, please do not hesitate to contact recruitment@merton.gov.uk