Service Manager

Service Manager – Family Action – Birmingham

Family Action, The post holder will share and embrace the vision of ‘Early Help’ in Birmingham, putting the well‑being of all families, children, and young people at the heart of its work and lead to systemic and transformative change for individuals and the community.

Summary of job: You will play a key role in leading the day‑to‑day delivery of the service, providing effective management and leadership to a team of Early Help support workers and Early Help Development Workers. As the Service Manager, you will partner with the Operational Manager to support the strategic development of the integrated service offer for children and families living in the West of Birmingham, work closely with a wide range of stakeholders, and actively engage in local and district meetings and with Birmingham Childrens Trust.

You will be part of a management team and be accountable for the quality standards in the service, building and sustaining professional relationships with all stakeholders.

• Provide direct line management and leadership to a staff team in the locality, including performance management, reflective practice supervision and robust monitoring of service provision.
• Hold regular staff engagement meetings (e.g., team meetings) to maintain effective communication within the service and provide a forum to share best practices and raise concerns.
• Ensure all appropriate staff development and core training requirements are fulfilled in the team and contribute to wider training plans for the locality. Foster a culture of continuous development including best practice sharing across teams and districts, involvement in Community of Practice etc.
• Oversee and support the planning, delivery and coordination of the Early Help Service. Involve stakeholders and all staff as far as possible in decision‑making processes.
• Support the Operational Manager in all aspects of delivery, including the development of new work streams and transformational change of the provision and manage relationships with key stakeholders.
• Prioritise referrals, manage work allocations and ensure effective deployment of the workers to ensure service users receive a timely and effective service.
• Lead safe, reliable, high‑quality services across the district that integrate with existing provisions to ensure services are not duplicated, achieved by establishing a culture of mutual trust and respect, which acknowledges the diversity and professional expertise of the individual and collective efforts.
• Contribute to monitoring and performance reports as directed by the Operational Manager. Implement revisions to service delivery as required and ensure a well‑coordinated delivery plan which supports the vision for the service.
• Ensure service delivery meets Family Action’s Quality Assurance Framework and work with the Operational Manager to develop, implement and review quality assurance activity within the service, including for any new work streams/elements. Regularly undertake QA activities (e.g., case reviews, and observations) to comply with the service.
• Ensure that case recording and safeguarding practice is accurate and complies with Family Action’s standards, provide monitoring reports, including quarterly performance reports and joint performance scorecards to Family Action and our partners in Birmingham. Respond appropriately to any safeguarding concerns, demonstrating an understanding of, and always complying with Family Action’s and Birmingham’s Right Help, Right Time procedures for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.
  
  Ensure compliance with relevant local and national legislation. Act as a safeguarding Lead for the district.
• Have an overview of the support needs of all families across West Birmingham, and knowledge of how these are being met in order to influence the direction of service planning. Ensure that the Service has a clear consistent approach to monitoring and evaluating work with children and families so that policy and practice can be systematically reviewed and improved, and a body of evidence is available to…