Preparing for Adulthood Team Manager

About the role

You will work alongside another Team Manager within the Preparing for Adulthood (PfA) team, collaborating on key projects while supporting the wider team and overseeing complex and rewarding casework. This is a great opportunity to make a real impact on outcomes for young people as they transition into adulthood. This is a hybrid role, with a minimum requirement of two days per week in the office, though this may increase at times depending on service needs, management responsibilities or key meetings.

As Team Manager, you will lead by example with a positive, ‘can do’ approach, driving high standards, improving customer satisfaction and supporting staff to deliver high quality, timely outcomes.

You will oversee and support EHCP Coordinators, ensuring statutory SEND processes, including annual reviews, phase transfers and placement decisions are completed efficiently and in line with the SEND Code of Practice. The role includes working with young people in Alternative Provision, EOTAS and Elective Home Education.

You will work closely with families, education providers and multi-agency partners, quality assure EHCPs, contribute to decision making panels and help resolve complex cases through strong relationship building and solution focused practice.

For further information, please contact: Corinne Richards, Deputy Head of SEND Service – Preparing for Adulthood
corinne.richards@achievingforchildren.org.uk

About you

Qualifications & background

• Degree level qualification or equivalent experience, with a relevant professional background (e.g. education, children’s services, social work, disability or psychology)
• Strong and relevant experience working within SEND, particularly Preparing for Adulthood
• Ongoing continuous professional development relevant to the role

Knowledge & experience

• Strong working knowledge of SEND legislation, the SEND Code of Practice and transition pathways
• Experience working collaboratively across Education, Health and Social Care, including Adult Social Care, Health and NEET services
• Proven experience within SEND services, ideally with exposure to PfA and Adult Social Care
• Confident in managing staff, including performance, wellbeing, supervision and development
• Experience of partnership working with schools, colleges, vocational and specialist providers
• Understanding of demand-led services, budgets and working alongside commissioning teams
• Experience of drafting high-quality written work, including EHCPs, tribunal documentation and responses to formal complaints

Skills

• Excellent communication and customer service skills, with a solution-focused approach
• Strong written skills, with the ability to produce clear, concise and professional documentation
• Able to prioritise effectively and manage competing demands in a fast-paced environment
• Strong organisational and planning skills, including coordinating complex activity and team workloads
• Confident using ICT systems and data, including case management systems and performance dashboards

Personal attributes

• A genuine commitment to Achieving for Children’s values and improving outcomes for children and young people
• Positive, resilient and proactive, with a clear “can-do” mindset
• Strong relationship-builder who works collaboratively across teams and organisations
• Passionate about equality, inclusion and delivering high-quality se

About our benefits

We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:

• 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (Or for term-time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non-working periods in your contract)
• Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
• Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
• Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• A range of staff benefits and discounts
• An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway

To find out about all of the breadth of benefits of working for Achieving for Children click here. For our social work offer click here. For our Recruitment Journey, click here.

Important Information

Start dates: Achieving for Children have set start dates meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.

Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.

Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.