Team Manager - Children with Disabilities

Lead Groundbreaking Change in Bury's Award-Winning Children's Services

£52,413 - £53,460 + £2,000 Market Supplement | 37 hours per week | Hybrid Working | Exceptional Development Opportunities


Shape the Future of Disability Services - Be Part of Something Revolutionary

Are you an experienced social work leader ready to pioneer innovative practice that transforms lives? Join Bury Council as we revolutionize support for children with disabilities through our ground breaking 'Let's Do It for Children' vision and cutting-edge Family Safeguarding Model.

This isn't just another management role - it's your opportunity to lead meaningful change, develop exceptional teams, and create lasting impact for some of our most vulnerable children and families. As one of the first North-West authorities implementing the pioneering Hertfordshire Family Safeguarding Model, you'll be at the forefront of evidence-based practice that's transforming outcomes across the country.

Your Leadership Journey - Where Impact Meets Innovation

As our Children with Disabilities Team Manager, you'll lead a dynamic, multi-skilled team in delivering truly integrated support that changes lives:

Strategic Leadership Responsibilities:

Team Development - Lead and inspire a team of 6 Social Workers (including EHCP specialist), Assistant Team Manager, and 4 Family Support Workers.
Practice Innovation - Champion our Family Safeguarding Model, integrating Social Workers, Family Support Workers, Domestic Abuse Practitioners, Recovery Workers, Mental Health Practitioners, and Psychologists.
Case Excellence - Oversee complex cases including Child in Need/Protection planning, pre-proceedings, private/public law proceedings, and Deprivation of Liberty applications.
Capacity Assessment Leadership - Guide your team in Mental Capacity Act 2005 assessments and complex decision-making.
Service Development - Shape and influence evolving disability services, ensuring they meet the diverse needs of children and families.
Partnership Building - Foster collaborative relationships across agencies to maximize family outcomes and reduce unnecessary referrals.

The Transformation You'll Lead: Your leadership will directly impact children with disabilities and their families, helping them build on their strengths, find their own solutions, and thrive in their communities. You'll be developing the next generation of social work practitioners while implementing internationally recognized best practice.

Who You Are - The Leader We're Seeking

Essential Leadership Qualities:

Qualified Social Worker with substantial experience in children with disabilities services.
Proven track record in managing complex cases involving Children Act 1989 and Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Strong leadership experience with ability to develop confident, skilled practitioners Expertise in child protection planning, court proceedings, and multi-agency working

Passion for developing others and building high-performing teams

Ideal Experience:

Experience with Family Safeguarding Models or similar integrated approaches
Background in motivational interviewing and evidence-based practice methods.
Understanding of EHCP processes and transitions.
Court experience in complex disability and safeguarding cases.
Track record of successful team development and succession planning.
Knowledge of deprivation of liberty procedures and capacity assessments.


Why Bury is Where Your Leadership Thrives

Revolutionary Practice Environment:

Pioneering Model - Be among the first to implement the acclaimed Hertfordshire Family Safeguarding approach in the North-West.
Integrated Teams - Work with dedicated specialists including psychologists, mental health practitioners, and recovery workers.
Evidence-Based Practice - Access to cutting-edge training, research, and development opportunities.
Innovation Culture - Encouraged to shape services and influence best practice across the region.

Why Bury Council is the Right Choice:

At Bury Council, we are committed to improving the lives of our residents and creating opportunities for our communities to thrive. Guided by our “Let’s Do It” strategy, we are working together with partners and residents to reduce inequalities, support economic growth and ensure everyone can live well in Bury.


Our Benefits Package Includes:

Generous Holiday Allowance

Enjoy up to 26 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays, increasing to 31 days after five years of Local Government service. Want more leave? You can purchase up to two additional weeks.

A Leading Pension

You'll be enrolled in the UK's largest Local Government Pension Scheme, with plenty of options to top up your benefits. Includes life cover of three times your salary as a lump sum.

Enhanced Parental and Carers Leave

Take advantage of our enhanced family leave options, designed to provide ample time for you to bond with your newborn or support your family during critical life events.

Brilliant Perks

Access a range of discounts, from saving on the weekly shop to holidays and days out. Plus, discounts on phone contracts, cycle to work scheme, free flu jabs and eye tests, and more.

Learn and Grow

We are dedicated to nurturing talent and providing you with the tools to thrive. Take part in a diverse set of learning opportunities, from workshops and training sessions through to apprenticeships and qualifications. All this begins with our comprehensive onboarding process.

A Good Employment Charter Member

We are committed to offering secure, flexible work and embedding fairness into everything we do. We review pay annually, recognise trade unions, and are constantly working to offer the best possible health and wellbeing support throughout all stages of your working life. We also give back to the community with two days pro-rata paid volunteering leave, in addition to existing benefits.


Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Bury Council, we believe that a diverse workforce helps us better understand and serve our communities. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to reach their full potential.

We want our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and recognise that diversity of thought, experience and perspective makes us stronger as a local authority.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences and actively encourage applications from groups that are currently underrepresented within our workforce. We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are fair, transparent and accessible to all.

Reasonable Adjustments and Disability Confident Employer

We're a Disability Confident Employer, offering:

- A Workplace Adjustment Hub which provides specialist support, advice and guidance to ensure you have the adjustments needed to thrive at work.

- Disabled Staff Network, Neurodiversity Staff Network and Mental Health Staff Network that provide safe and inclusive spaces to share experiences and opportunities to influence council practice.

- A strong commitment to ensuring all information adheres to accessibility standards and that our workplaces are accessible and disability-friendly.

We want every candidate to have the opportunity to perform at their best throughout the recruitment process.

For more information about the role or to discuss any adjustments, please email HROperations@bury.gov.uk quoting the job reference number, job title and your name. Our dedicated HR team is committed to providing you with personalised support tailored to your needs.


Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

We guarantee assessments for applicants who meet the recruiting panel's minimum shortlisting requirements for the role and identify with at least one of the following criteria:

- Members of the Armed Forces community, including serving personnel and veterans.

- Current or former care leavers.

- Individuals with a disability or long-term health condition.


About Bury

The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare or children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Appointment may be subject to a satisfactory disclosure at the appropriate level under the Disclosure and Barring Service.

In line with safer recruitment, please ensure that your application/CV covers your full employment history and there is a reason noted for any gaps in employment. Successful candidates will be asked to provide relevant references for the past ten years and character references will not be accepted.


As a Corporate Parent, ensure that the work and services you deliver considers our care experienced young people, promotes their life chances empowers them to influence the policies, services, and decisions that affect them, champions their rights, and ensure they grow up in the best possible way

Next steps

Come and join Team Bury!

If you feel you can use your experience to make a real difference, we would love to hear from you! For an informal discussion about the role please contact Kate Press -Head of Service , on 0161 253 5023 / 07484010335 or K.Press@bury.gov.uk.

Supporting Documents

Privacy Notice
Benefits
Job Description

Ready to apply?

Location

Knowsley Street, , Bury, BL9 0SW, United Kingdom

Job ID

12168

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This section brings together everything you need to succeed - from guidance on writing an authentic application to understanding how to use AI responsibly.

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Applying Authentically With AI: Our Greater Manchester Approach

Across Greater Manchester’s local authorities, we want to hear your genuine experiences, skills and motivations, expressed in your own words.

To keep our recruitment process fair and inclusive, please complete your application personally and follow the instructions carefully. AI can be used to support you - for example, to help structure your answers or as a reasonable adjustment - but your application should still reflect your authentic voice.

Applications that depend too heavily on AI‑generated content may not progress to shortlisting.

This guidance outlines acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI, along with suggestions for using it in a way that supports you while keeping your application true to you.

  1. What Is AI and How Do We Use It Across Greater Manchester?

    AI refers to technology that can create or refine content, such as text, ideas, summaries, or planning. It can help improve productivity, problem-solving, and creativity.

    We’re open to using innovative digital tools where they can help us work smarter and deliver better services for our residents. However, every use of AI is carefully considered to make sure it is ethical, responsible, and aligned with public-sector values.

    When it comes to recruitment, we take a human-centred approach.

    This means:

    • A trained hiring manager reads every application

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    We recognise that AI can be a helpful tool to support accessibility during the application process. If you choose to use AI for support, please read the instructions carefully and make sure your application is written in your own words, reflecting your genuine skills, knowledge, experience and enthusiasm.

    We’re looking forward to hearing your story.

  3. How to use AI Effectively and Responsibly

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  4. Do’s and Don’ts for Using AI in the Recruitment Process

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    • Remove your individuality, we want to hear your voice

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