Service Manager

Cafcass

• Location: Derby
• Salary: £55,250-57,275 per year
• Type: Permanent
• Hours: Full-time
• Posted: 7 hours ago

We are recruiting for the role of Service Manager in our WAFH Team covering the Nottingham & Derby area. We trust and empower colleagues to work in a hybrid way, providing the resources, equipment, and support, so that individually and collectively, we can be the voice of children and young people when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures. Whilst this role is part of a team based from our office, our teams work flexibly and remotely; your proximity to the office doesn't always have to be a critical consideration.

We are a diverse, inclusive organisation that is a safe space for colleagues with shared aspects of identity and lived experience, which helps ensure we provide a service that promotes the diversity and uniqueness of children and families from all backgrounds. We especially welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds as we strive to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the children and families we work with. We provide extensive wellbeing support for colleagues, as well as excellent benefits, all of which we hope encourages you to join us.

Let us tell you a bit more about the role… Being a Service Manager is very rewarding but, as you would expect, challenging too. As well as being registered with Social Work England, you'll be organised, resilient, empathetic, supportive, and able to work independently. This is predominantly achieved through effective telephone interviews with applicants and respondents and by assessing information received from other agencies. They then collate this and succinctly and expertly communicate advice in the court through clear, evidence-based reports and representations, which will occasionally mean attending initial Court Hearings to ensure that children remain central to all decision making.

… and what we're looking for. We also think for you to succeed and truly make a difference you should be someone who has:

• Expert knowledge of children's social work, including safeguarding, statutory and assessment frameworks
• A track record of highly effective practice management or supervisory experience
• Demonstrable experience of being a practice educator with the skills to continuously monitor, manage, develop and improve team and individual performance
• Proven ability to establish strong and effective networks with other agencies
• Experience of leading individuals and teams through change

Next steps / timelines: If and when you are ready to apply, our application process is straightforward and quick to complete. You don't need to complete your application in a single visit; you can start it and come back and amend your responses/update your CV, just make sure you come back before the closing date to submit. Below we have given you an indication of a timetable we are hoping to work towards, although dates are subject to change.

• Closing date: 31st August 2025
• Initial Interview: 8th September 2025
• Final Interview: 23rd September 2025

We understand that starting a new role is a big decision, and you may require further information before applying. You can find out more about the role in the Job Description and there is a wealth of information about Cafcass on our page. If you wish to speak with a member of the team for more specific information you can contact our HR Resourcing team, providing your contact information and best times/methods to get hold of you. Whilst we will always try and respond as soon as possible, we wouldn't want you to miss the closing date before we are able to. If this is the case, we recommend you apply and as part of your application you can ask questions, and this may allow us to contact you and provide you with the required information that will help you decide if you still wish to be considered.

Finally, in anticipation of your application being successful, you might want to read about the process. As part of your application, you can highlight any concerns or questions about the pre-employment checks and we encourage all applicants to do so, safe in the knowledge such information will not be shared with individuals involved in the selection process. We look forward to hearing from you.

Please be advised successful applicants will be subject to a range of pre-engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). In accordance with our own policy, should an individual have a declared criminal offence, an individual assessment will be completed. Further information on what the assessment covers can be found by viewing the relevant documentation.

We are Cafcass - the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service - and we represent children in family court cases in England. Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests, we speak up for over 140,000 children every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures, ensuring their needs, wishes, and feelings are heard.

#s1-Gen

extensive wellbeing support for colleagues, as well as excellent benefits, all of which we hope encourages you to join us.Let us tell you a bit more about the role…Being a Service Manager is very rewarding but as you would expect, challenging too. As well as being registered with Social Work England, you'll be organised, resilient, empathetic, supportive and able to work independently.This is predominantly achieved through effective telephone interviews with applicants and respondents and by assessing information received from other agencies. They then collate this and succinctly and expertly communicate advice in the court through clear, evidence-based reports and representations, which will occasionally mean attending initial Court Hearings to ensure that children remain central to all decision making.… and what we're looking for.We also think you for you to succeed and truly make a difference you should be someone who has;

• Expert knowledge of children's social work, including safeguarding, statutory and assessment frameworks
• A track record of highly effective practice management or supervisory experience
• Demonstrable experience of being a practice educator with the skills to continuously monitor, manage, develop and improve team and individual performance
• Proven ability to establish strong and effective networks with other agencies.
• Experience of leading individuals and teams through change