Children's Services Team Leader

We are looking for a Children's Services Team Leader to join us.

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnicities and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children.

Location: Aylesbury, High Wycombe and surrounding areas in Buckinghamshire. You will be working in different locations so access to own transport is a must. (Mileage will be paid)

Contract/Hours: Permanent, Full-time - 37 hours per week.

Tuesday – Saturday. Typical pattern of work is 9.00-17.00 with one shift per week Tuesday or Thursday 13.30-21.00

Benefits:

- Basic annual leave of 29 days PLUS bank holidays
- PLUS the option to buy another 5 days every year!
- Gain professional qualifications with excellent training, and development opportunities.
- Flexible maternity, adoption and paternity packages.
- Up to 7% employer pension contribution. Staff discount portal with your favourite brands.
- Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 discounts from national retailers.

Development and Career Progression:

- Work towards gaining your Level 5 Diploma, fully funded and supported by us!
- Clear pathways for progression into roles such as Service Co-ordinator, Team Leader or Home Manager.
- Our Operational Director, Kate, began her career as a Play Worker. Have a look at her Career Progression blog attached.

We're offering a highly competitive rewards package, plus a comprehensive supervision and development programme to continue your professional development.

We are one of the UK's largest children's charities – you may have seen us featured in A well-known Christmas TV advert for 2022. One way we support young people is by offering community short breaks projects in local communities. You could soon be a valued member of our team at the Bucks Activity Project.

A bit about the role

We're Bucks Activity Project, one of over 400 services in the Action for Children family. We are passionate about providing community short breaks to children with disabilities and additional needs for children aged 0-19. Our aim is to give every child customised opportunities to have fun, build skills and promote independence at their pace, underpinned by a welcoming, responsive and skilled administrative team that supports our staff, families and partners.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

You will be leading and working inside a team supporting children and young people to reach their potential by focusing on meeting social, emotional, health and personal care needs for all of our service users, acknowledging individual interests and needs.

You will be leading and planning activities for children to access a wide range of activities to meet their individual needs and interests including arts and crafts, sensory play, cooking, team games, outdoor play, and enhancing life skills and for our youngest children following Early Years Foundation Stage.

You will love to have fun, engage and interact with children and young people that take part in activities in the local community such as climbing, water sports, go karting and visits to local farms and parks.

You will also be recording outcomes for children and supporting colleagues. We are looking for people who will take responsibility for the safety, care and engagement of children, instilling a culture of continuous improvement through dialogue with the young people, parents and professional colleagues to ensure each child is supported to achieve the best outcomes.

Let's talk about you

You will be able to demonstrate experience in working with children and have knowledge of disabilities, alongside excellent communication, interpersonal skills and leadership qualities. You will also need to hold a relevant Level 3 Early Years childcare qualification, or a relevant qualification in youth work, children's services or education or be willing to study for one funded by us.

We're keen to recruit individuals with the right values and behaviours who can ensure our workplace values are at the heart of everything we do. Our values are:

Passionate, Ambitious, Collaborative and Inclusive

If you share our values, we want you!

Interested? To find out more, please email Sarah Manderfield, Recruitment Partner by email sarah.manderfield@actionforchildren.org.uk

Male staff are under-represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to encourage more male applicants for our Children Service roles.

Don't meet every single requirement?

If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the job description, we'd love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family.