Service Manager Conference and Review
Team: Conference and Review
Job Family: Enabling - CBG14
Salary: £55,584 - £59,163 per annum pro rata + Standard MRS £4,650 + Enhanced MRS £10,350 per annum pro rata
Hours: 37 per week
Location: You will be expected to attend a CBC office location as often as needed to carry out your role, which will be no less than once per month.
Contract Type: Hybrid - Permanent
Closing Date: 21st September 2025
Interview Date: 29th September 2025
About the Role
Central Bedfordshire Council is seeking an innovative and dynamic Service Manager to lead our Conference and Review Service. This is a unique opportunity to shape practice quality and drive improvement across statutory services for children and families.
You will lead a skilled team of Child Protection Chairs, Independent Reviewing Officers, the Local Area Designated Officer (LADO) service, and the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) manager. Together, you will ensure we meet statutory obligations under the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and the IRO Handbook.
The role also carries responsibility for quality assurance activity, including Domestic Homicide Reviews, Rapid Reviews, and Safeguarding Practice Reviews. You will represent Children’s Services on key panels, facilitate reflective learning sets, and contribute to the development of practice standards.
As part of the extended leadership team, you’ll work closely with Heads of Service, the Principal Social Worker, Service Directors, and the Director of Children’s Services. You will help shape both operational delivery and strategic direction, including supporting our response to the Families First Initiative.
This is an exciting time to join us. Children’s Services has been recognised as ‘Employer of the Year’ and rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted in 2025. We are proud of our relationship-based practice, high performance, and culture of learning and development.
About You
We are looking for a leader who is:
- A qualified social worker with extensive experience in Children’s Social Care.
- Skilled in leadership and performance improvement, with the ability to analyse, problem-solve and act decisively.
- Knowledgeable about safeguarding frameworks, statutory guidance, and regulatory standards.
- Able to collaborate across services and influence at all levels, leading change effectively.
If you are passionate about ensuring children’s voices are heard, driving up standards, and shaping the future of safeguarding and review practice, we’d love to hear from you.
How to Apply
Please submit a Word document (no longer than 4 pages) including:
- A detailed, structured account of your experience in leading a team or service.
- A personal statement explaining why you are the right candidate.
Our Offer
We have a number of rewards and benefits available to our staff, to view these please visit our Rewards and Benefits page
Our aspiration is to be a truly flexible employer. We welcome discussion on location, hours and working pattern as part of the application process.
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You will be expected to demonstrate how you meet the key accountabilities and competencies in this Recruitment Pack.
Our Competency Framework and Qualification Guidance are to be read in conjunction with our Recruitment Pack.
For an informal discussion about this position, please contact: Benjamin Feasmen on ben.feasmen@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or 0300 300 6820
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Safeguarding:
Central Bedfordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, volunteers and contractors to share this commitment. This post is subject to the disclosure of criminal records.
To maintain a fair and consistent approach for applicants, it is Central Bedfordshire Council's policy to only consider applications made via our online application system and we therefore thank you for not submitting your application offline.
Our National Careers Service team offer a free monthly workshop covering CV writing and how to complete the statement sections of the Central Bedfordshire Council online application form. This MS Teams workshop is open to anyone from the UK and lasts around 1.5 hours. Please book your place here.
More information about this service can be found here: Support getting into work or learning | Central Bedfordshire Council