Job Description & Person Specification

Role Overview

Attribute Detail

Job Title:

Service Manager – Multi-Agency Child Protection & LADO Service

Directorate / Department:

Children and Young People Services (CYPS) / Safeguarding & Social Care

Reports To:

Head of Service / Assistant Director for Children and Young People

Responsible For:

Team Managers (Grade J), Local Authority Designated Officers (LADOs), Consultant Social Workers, and Multi-Agency Liaison staff

Political Restriction:

Yes (This role is politically restricted under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989)

Job Purpose

Operating as a senior leader within the Children and Young People Directorate, the Grade K Service Manager provides strategic accountability and operational direction for both the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team and the statutory Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) Service. The postholder must be a fully qualified, registered social worker with a proven track record of managing substantial revenue budgets. You will drive high-performing, integrated services that protect vulnerable children and young people, manage complex institutional risks, and ensure allegations against adults working with children are handled with absolute rigor. At this grade, you will take direct responsibility for complex revenue budgets, navigate highly sensitive political environments, and lead complex partnerships across the council, schools, police, health, and voluntary sectors.

Key Responsibilities

1. Financial Accountability & Budget Management (Grade K Mandate)

• Budget Ownership: Act as the primary, named budget holder for the joint service areas, ensuring strict financial governance and full compliance with the council's financial regulations.
• Financial Planning & Forecasting: Formulate, monitor, and manage complex revenue budgets, tracking variances, identifying financial risks, and implementing robust cost-control measures.
• Demand & Resource Alignment: Strategy-driven allocation of financial resources to manage high-cost, high-risk safeguarding demands dynamically without compromising the safety of children and young people.
• Value for Money & Cost Efficiencies: Identify, design, and execute cost-saving strategies, transformation initiatives, and efficiencies to deliver balanced budgets in a challenging local government fiscal environment.
• Commissioning & Procurement Oversight: Authorize and oversee spend on locally commissioned services, placements, and commercial contracts, ensuring strict adherence to procurement rules and the delivery of maximum social value.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Knowledge

Requirement

Essential / Desirable

Professional Social Work Qualification: Degree in Social Work (or recognized equivalent, e.g., DipSW, CQSW).

Essential (Mandatory)

Professional Registration: Active, valid registration with Social Work England.

Essential (Mandatory)

Statutory Frameworks: Comprehensive, expert knowledge of the Children Act 1989 & 2004, Working Together to Safeguard Children, and the Ofsted ILACS framework.

Essential

Allegations Management: Deep operational understanding of the legal frameworks and procedures regarding managing allegations against the children's workforce (LADO regulations).

Essential

Management Qualification: Recognized post-graduate management/leadership credential (e.g., ILM Level 5/7, MBA, or clear equivalent experience).

Desirable

Experience & Skills

Attribute

Requirement DetailsEssential / Desirable

Financial Management

Significant, proven experience of directly managing substantial local authority revenue budgets, tracking spend, forecasting, and executing cost-efficiency measures.

Essential

Senior Management

Extensive post-qualification experience leading statutory front-line child protection, MASH, or safeguarding teams at a Team Manager level or higher within local government.

Essential

LADO & Workforce Risk

Proven experience handling or managing allegations against professionals, including liaising with human resources, legal teams, and regulatory bodies.

Essential

Systemic Influence

Proven ability to negotiate and challenge high-level stakeholders across partner agencies to secure optimal outcomes for children and young people.

Essential

Defensible Decision-Making

Exceptional ability to manage high-stakes risk and make legally sound, clear decisions under intense corporate, financial, or public pressure.