Job Details
| Job title | SEND Project Lead |
| Job Reference | |
| Grade and Salary | £400 a day umbrella |
| Service and Team | Children and Young Person’s Programmes Team |
| Location | Endeavour House, Russell Road, Ipswich, IP1 2BX |
| Hours per week | 37 |
| Status | Fixed Term (3 months) |
| This role may offer the following flexible working options
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· Working part time hours (eg different hours/days to those advertised)
· Working compressed hours (eg a nine-day fortnight) · Term time working (including partial term-time working) · Use of flexitime / time off in lieu · Hybrid working options, including some home working · Working from different Council buildings · Working adjusted core hours (eg starting later and finishing later or other patterns)
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| About us |
As a modern and effective council, we understand the importance of being flexible and well-connected in the ways we work. We focus our ambitions on doing what’s right for people, our partners and our communities – both now and for the future.
That’s why, as one of the largest employers in Suffolk, we believe in empowering everyone. Through career variety and collaborative working, accessible career paths and professional development.
The support and care we offer encourages and enables you to be the best you can be. To make a meaningful impact on the world around you. To achieve a unique sense of pride in what you do, why you do it and where. Reimagine the possibilities.
| Organisational Context |
The responsibility of the Children and Young People’s Directorate (CYP) is to ensure the safety, well-being and learning of children and young people. To do so we need to “make every intervention count” to create impact and bring about sustainable change for children, young people and their families where need is identified. We are determined to continuously improve our services by working in partnership to ensure that our work is high quality and effective.
| Main purpose of the job |
As a project manager in Children and Young People’s Services you will be at the forefront of managing change, leading high quality and effective ways of working and managing staff, resources or projects to achieve the best possible outcomes for children, young people and their families in Suffolk.
| Typical responsibilities of a role at this level |
Communicating and engaging with children, young people and their families, with colleagues and with communities.
- Appropriately manage and communicate information to a range of stakeholders; CYP staff, senior managers, partners and communities.
- Ensure the active participation of children, young people and parents/carers in service planning and delivery as appropriate and use feedback to inform service delivery and staff development.
- Ensure that complaints and representations are managed appropriately within Suffolk County Council’s complaints policy and that early, informal resolutions are sought wherever possible.
Service Quality and Performance
- Provide strategic leadership and direct management of a specific area of service to shape and develop services to achieve the best possible outcomes for children, young people and their families.
- Lead continuous service improvement and ensure high quality and consistent services are delivered in compliance with plans for future service development.
- Take responsibility for improving the performance of your area of services and review progress and achievements against strategic priorities.
- Ensure that service planning and delivery takes account of national and locally agreed performance standards and are provided within statutory requirements and within policies and procedures of Suffolk County Council and the Local Children’s Board.
Reporting and Accurate Recording
- Take the lead for performance and quality assurance within the area of responsibility.
- Manage quality assurance processes to support high quality service standards and coordinate the completion and review of case audits where appropriate to role.
- Model and ensure high standards of data quality and case recording to improve service delivery, planning for future service developments and better targeting of resources.
- Write high level reports to management as appropriate to role and to other strategic decision makers where required.
Effective Practice
- Where appropriate to role, ensure safe, timely and effective transition of cases between teams and manage demand based on the best interests of children, young people and families.
- Motivate, mentor and support staff to develop high quality practice, embed behaviours and lead effective ways of working within the team using Suffolk Signs of Safety and Wellbeing principles and tools.
- Create a learning culture by modelling effective practice, building on research, best practice and innovative ways of working.
- Coordinate and deliver quality individual and group supervision, effective performance appraisals and team consultation.
- Lead the implementation of ways of working to support effective early help and prevention within area of service.
Managing People, Resources and Projects
- Dynamically manage team, projects or resources to deliver high quality and effective services.
- Lead changes of culture, policy and practice within your area of service, motivating staff to commit to successful working practices and to achieving the best outcomes for children, young people and families.
- Celebrate best practice of colleagues and encourage staff to be proud of success.
- Implement and maintain high quality and effective performance management focusing on the delivery of service performance indicators and individual performance objectives.
- Take responsibility for workforce planning, selection, recruitment, disciplinary and grievance processes and training and development. Ensure any changes in legislation, policy and good practice guidance are understood by the workforce and implemented effectively.
- Manage staff resource within teams effectively and efficiently to support service delivery and high quality professional practice.
- Motivate staff to take part in professional support and development opportunities as appropriate, in compliance with Suffolk County Council’s HR and staff supervision policies.
- Within area of responsibility manage the shift of resources away from expensive and intrusive interventions to deliver better outcomes for children, young people and families.
- Effectively manage budgets and allocated financial resources to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people, including contract management of commissioned services if appropriate to role.
- Ensure that resources are managed in line with Suffolk County Council regulations, policies and procedures and have regard to best value principles and financial restrictions.
- Ensure the safe and efficient use of office accommodation and mobile working facilities of self and team.
Multi-Agency and Partnership Working
- Actively build and maintain internal and external relationships with partners, communities and the public.
- To work with a wide range of management and practitioner colleagues from different professional disciplines to achieve a more integrated and responsive service to children and families in Suffolk.
- To proactively take the lead on developing new opportunities for future service delivery and development of joint partnership working.
- Where appropriate to role, contribute to locality working, enhance networking and development opportunities for your area of work and translate strategy into practice locally.
- Constructively challenge partners to continuously improve services, ways of working and outcomes.
Managing Risk and Safeguarding
- To manage risk and safeguarding concerns as appropriate to role and lead a risk sensible culture in area of work.
- Identify pressures within area of service and manage associated risks.
- To undertake other tasks allocated by the line manager in keeping with the responsibilities of the grade including:
- Working in accordance with the Council’s statutory responsibilities, policies and service procedures. Compliance with equality and diversity policies, procedures and legislation.
- Maintaining customer confidentiality in accordance with the Data Protection Act and SCC guidance.
- Participating in training and development opportunities, in order to improve personal knowledge, skills and effectiveness.
| Autonomy |
The manager will:
- Be responsible for managing a specific area of the service and associated budgets and staff.
- Be responsible for decision making within area of responsibility.
- Report to Head of Service or senior manager.
- Take responsibility for managing and responding to safeguarding and risk issues.
- Respond to unanticipated problems and support team members with change.
| About the team |
The CYP (Children and Young People’s) Programmes team at Suffolk County Council is a dynamic group of dedicated professionals who deliver essential social care and inclusion services while driving organisational change and improvement. Working at the forefront of children and young people’s services, the team consistently adapts to evolving needs and proactively responds to national reforms with creativity and resilience. They foster an environment where innovation thrives, empowering team members to develop solutions that make a meaningful difference in young lives across Suffolk.
| What you will be expected to deliver in the role |
Role Overview
- Work with the programme team to develop the Families First Strategy to improve outcomes for vulnerable children, young people and their families
- Use data, insight and evidence to deliver social care improvement projects that contribute to better services for children, young people and families
- Work with stakeholders to identify opportunities to enhance early intervention and prevention services within the social care framework
- Maintain a focus on impact to ensure that changes positively benefit families and align with their needs
- Support service areas and partnership networks in the design and implementation of change by ensuring projects focus on delivering sustainable improvements embedded into core service delivery
- Provide a solution-focused approach using knowledge, skills and expertise of partners to implement national reforms and local improvements
- Contribute to the Families First risk register and support in minimising and mitigating risks to strategy implementation
- Take responsibility for delivery of a portfolio of social care projects, planning and monitoring over short-, medium- and long-term timeframes
- Proactively work with communication teams to provide updates and maintain effective communication with all stakeholders
- Provide reports, updates and evaluation of projects for governance structures, highlighting outcomes for families
- Provide line management and supervision as required to support Families First implementation and service improvement initiatives
Day to day tasks may include:
- Developing and monitoring detailed project plans with clear milestones focused on Families First implementation
- Supporting regular project team meetings to track progress of social care improvement initiatives
- Preparing status reports and briefings on family support projects for leadership and key stakeholders
- Identifying and managing risks and dependencies in social care improvement projects
- Working with cross-functional teams to ensure aligned delivery of family support objectives
- Supporting budget management and resource allocation for Families First initiatives
- Assisting with workshops and consultation sessions with families and social care professionals
- Creating and maintaining project documentation related to social care improvements
- Supporting the implementation of national child and family policy changes within local frameworks
- Contributing to communication plans to keep stakeholders informed about family support initiatives
- Building relationships with internal partners and external family support agencies
- Identifying opportunities for service improvement within the social care and early help context
- Supporting stakeholders to understand and engage with Families First objectives
- Collecting and analysing data to measure outcomes for children and families
- Contributing to funding applications and business cases for family support initiatives
Although this list provides examples of what you will be doing it’s not intended to be exhaustive, and you will have personal objectives linked to our People Plans and Strategies that will be discussed and agreed with your line manager when you start.
| Person Profile – what you will bring to the team |
Qualifications and professional memberships
- Suitable professional qualification at post graduate level or equivalent experience at seasoned professional level in a relevant area of work.
- Evidence of continuing professional development in a management role or similar role.
- Management Qualification. (Desirable)
Values and personal qualities
- Demonstrates a passion for making a positive difference for Suffolk.
- Shares our WE ASPIRE Values and strives to lead by example in relation to these.
- A strong commitment to fairness and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
- Strives to continuously improve in everything they do, taking the initiative to learn and develop.
- Brings creativity into their work through innovation and openness to change.
- Collaborates well with others and offers assistance and support to colleagues.
- Committed to listening to children and families and to working collaboratively with them to address concerns.
- Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Specialist knowledge skills and experience
- Comprehensive understanding of legislation, guidance and national policy framework relevant to role for provision of services.
- Comprehensive understanding of standards required in relation to the assessment and case management in respect of risk and need in children’s services.
- Understanding of performance and quality standards required in children’s services.
- Awareness and understanding of the wide range of professional roles and disciplines that contribute to the protection and wellbeing of children and young people, families and communities.
- Understanding of the significance of diversity in ensuring equality in service provision to children and families.
- High level planning skills to ensure milestones and deadlines are met.
- Evidenced knowledge of safeguarding practice and procedures
- Practical application and knowledge of data protection and information sharing in the workplace.
- Proven leadership qualities and interpersonal skills.
- To represent the area of service at meetings where required.
- Ability to influence, persuade and encourage staff and colleagues within different contexts.
- Motivate staff and others.
- Proven ability to work collaboratively with colleagues from a wide range of professional disciplines.
- Ability to motivate colleagues and develop their professional capability.
- Ability to provide written material through reports and correspondence clearly and coherently.
- Ability to present written material to a range of audiences.
- Ability to elicit, evaluate and take account of a wide range of views including those of children and young people.
- Negotiation, innovation and creativity.
- Effectively chair meetings.
- Excellent IT skills.
- Ability to work under pressure.
- Standards of numeracy that enable an understanding and effective management of financial resources and to work with statistical information.
- Standards of literacy enabling the ability to understand and critically analyse complex written material.
- Ability to solve complex problems, working cooperatively with colleagues and partners.
- Experience in successfully managing relevant services as appropriate.
- Experience of service improvement and effective performance management.
- Experience of effective resource management.
- Managing budgets
- Ability to adopt a collaborative approach through effective partnership working.
- Ability to assess and manage risk, set clear priorities and manage competing demands.
- Knowledge of Signs of Safety and solution focused approaches in practice. (Desirable)
- Knowledge of using evidence based models of intervention. (Desirable)
- Knowledge of associated agencies and their working practices. (Desirable)
- Project Management training. (Desirable)
- Experience of undertaking change management. (Desirable)
- Understanding of the significance of working within a political environment. (Desirable)
- Ability to clearly articulate a strategic vision, sense of direction and management expectations. (Desirable)
If you think this job role is for you, please send your CV to rebeccabentum@carringtonblakerecruitment.com
