Bonner House have continued to work successfully throughout the pandemic, providing a high-quality service for children and their families. We now have an exciting opportunity for somebody to join our close knit team as a Service Manager. This is a great opportunity to work closely and intensively with children and their families, and to become part of a well-established team who work jointly to achieve the best outcome for children.

Is the post exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act?                       Yes 

Does the post require a DBS check?                                                             Yes  

Purpose of Job

• To ensure high quality assessments for families with excellent standards of reports and safe, fair outcomes for children.
• To work closely with the Registered Manager.
• To actively manage the quality of all assessments undertaken. 
• To quality assure reports and assessment interventions.
• To develop, coach, manage and train Case Managers and Family Assessment Practitioners.
• To ensure an excellent reputation and relationship with Local Authorities and other stakeholders.
• To case manage cases as required. 
• To provide a high quality and dependable standard of service in line with the values and standards of the organisation.

Background of Dudley Lodge

Dudley Lodge is a UK registered non-profit making organisation established in 1895, we are one of the leading Family Assessment Centres in England and Wales.  The whole emphasis of our organisation is to safeguard children.

We have been conducting quality Family Assessments for over 25 years and now operate over two sites; Coventry & Birmingham primarily focusing on Residential Assessments.

Our Purpose is to provide the Courts and other relevant parties concerned with the safeguarding of children, a range of high quality, independent assessments, interventions and services regarding referred parents/carers’ abilities to keep children safe, and to assess their capacity and potential for promoting children’s continuing wellbeing.

Effectiveness Areas

 

1. Senior Management Team Membership
2. Staff Management
3. Quality Management

Duties and Responsibilities

Senior Management Team Membership

Main Responsibilities:

• In conjunction with the Registered Manager, Operations Manager’s, Executive Team and the Board of Directors, to foster and develop a culture in the organisation in which all legal requirements are met and all standards of service provision meet the expectations of OFSTED.

• To develop strong professional working relationships with Executive Team members to further the objectives and strategy of the Charity.

• To undertake a regular assessment and evaluation of the working practices and culture of the team in conjunction with others, and recommend necessary changes and actions arising out of this.

Service Management

Main Responsibilities:

• To have a detailed oversight of the families undertaking assessment at Dudley Lodge from beginning to end, ensuring from the outset that the Team/Case Manager with their Linkworkers, has a clear risk assessment, plan of work and structure to how the assessment will be undertaken.

• To audit files regularly prior to supervision sessions to ensure we are meeting the regulatory requirements of Ofsted, along with meeting the required standards set by Dudley Lodge.

• To quality assure reports, managing to effectively oversee multiple cases and challenge recommendations, ensuring evidence is robust and fair and decisions are made in the best interest of the child/ren.

• To promote continuous risk assessment of families, ensuring timely adjustments to supervision levels and appropriately matched styles of supervision and monitoring.

• To ensure high quality sessional inputs that demonstrates thorough analysis and depth.

• To provide Team/Case Managers with support and coaching and clear/direct feedback to continuously develop their assessment skills.

• To attend a range of assessment meetings to enable quality assurance and insight.

• To support and coach the Team/Case Managers on all aspects of assessments including: Report writing, professional relationships, disguised compliance, risk assessment, Court skills, and to work with the Training Manager to support post-training implementation.

• To Case manage families when the situation dictates.

• To chair Senior Management Team Meetings.

• To make an active contribution to the development of the assessment services with regards to diversification of services provided.

• To achieve occupancy/income targets that are set by the Board of Directors/Executive Team. 

 

 

Staff Management

Main Responsibilities:

• To be responsible for the line supervision and management of Centre’s Case Management Team and the informal supervision of other staff members as appropriate.

• To lead and manage change within your team

• To identify training needs within your team

• To promote a learning culture within the organisation in which its values are translated into working practices, relationships and levels of service provision.

• To promote a quality service in all areas of staff management.

• To actively engage with all employees & implement best practice in staff management.

• When required, undertake investigations into performance, capability or conduct issues. Provide objective professional reports regarding practice standards and role performance as part of formal capability review processes so that fair, evidence-based decision making can be applied.

• To ensure ‘performance management’ is carried out in relation to the Team.

• Have a clear and accurate self-assessment of practice, performance and quality, with robust actions built into development plans to ensure that individual and area performance targets are met.

Quality Management

Main Responsibilities:

• To be responsible with others for assessments provided by Dudley Lodge and required by the Courts under the ‘Framework for Assessment of Children in Need and their Families’, and Child Protection and Adult Protection procedures.

• Provide effective leadership to the team, combining professional challenge with strong support, providing clear accountability.

• To monitor and evaluate the quality of assessment/interventions in order that standards of excellence are maintained.

• To be the organisation’s representative in Court and provide support and advice to others who fulfil similar duties.

• To help build an environment in which assessments undertaken and services provided are of the highest standards.
• Contribute to personal supervision meetings and your own continuous professional development.

​Title of post to which this job normally reports:

Operations Manager Practice & Projects

Supervision

Formal supervision will be provided by the Operations Manager.  In his/her absence supervision will be provided by the Chief Executive. 

Number and type of staff to be supervised:

The number and type of staff to be managed will vary and will be decided in consultation with the Operations Manager, Chief Executive & HR Manager.

Special Conditions:

If required, the post holder will assist in the ‘on-call’ rota.

The post holder may be required to work some shifts including weekends and Bank holidays, to cope with the fluctuating needs and demands of the Centre.

All staff members are expected to work in a flexible way to cope with the needs, demands and requirements of the organisation.  This may mean working from both Centres, (Coventry & Birmingham) and covering shifts.

Dudley Lodge operates a non-smoking policy for staff.

Observance of the Centre’s Equality & Diversity Policy will be required, and to work at all times in accordance with all the Centre’s policies and procedures.

Failure by a member of staff to report actual or suspected physical or sexual abuse of a child by another member of a staff or other person having contact with the child may constitute a disciplinary offence.