Team managers lead, develop and support a team of social workers to ensure positive outcomes for children and families.
Team managers are also referred to as:
- middle managers
- practice managers
- team leaders
What you'll do
As a team manager you’ll:
- manage a team of social workers and practitioners and support their professional and personal development
- assign cases and provide oversight and quality assurance by leading supervision sessions
- carry out performance reviews and give feedback to team members
- chair and attend statutory meetings
- represent your team at meetings with senior managers and external partners
- manage your team’s budgets and resources
- identify training needs and provide learning opportunities to support team members’ professional development
- handle complaints and concerns from children and families
- uphold and strengthen professional standards in your team
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- leadership and management skills to lead and motivate a team of social workers
- decision-making and problem-solving skills to handle complex and sensitive cases
- excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- a strong understanding of child development and safeguarding issues
- knowledge of different intervention strategies and evidence-based practices
- the ability to support a team to provide high quality social work for children and families
- knowledge of self-care practices and managing personal and team stress
How to become one
To become a team manager you must:
- have completed a degree, apprenticeship or graduate training scheme in social work
- be registered with Social Work England
- ideally have at least 5 years' experience as a qualified child and family social worker
- have experience supervising social workers and advising on their practice
Some employers may prefer candidates who have a post-graduate qualification in practice education.
Career paths and progression
With experience you could:
- progress into an advanced leadership role such as principal social worker, service manager or head of service
- move into a training and consultancy role and deliver training programmes to social workers
- specialise in quality assurance and compliance, ensuring standards and regulatory requirements are met
You can develop your practice and leadership skills through the self-study social work leadership modules.
Current opportunities
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