Job Description

We are excited to offer an opportunity to lead our established Child safety and Asylum Team in Portsmouth.


Are you an experienced Social Work Team Manager with a passion for supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people? Do you place the child's voice at the heart of your practice and strive to make a lasting difference in their lives?

The Service

The Child Safety and Asylum Team is a small, dedicated team committed to providing exceptional care and support to children who have arrived in the UK seeking safety and asylum. We believe it is a profound privilege to care for these children in the absence of their parents, and we hold ourselves to the highest standards in doing so. We are seeking a dynamic and compassionate Team Leader to guide and support our team in delivering exceptional care to children seeking safety and asylum. This is a leadership role that requires a strong commitment to safeguarding, advocacy, and cultural sensitivity.

The Role

As Team Leader, you will be responsible for supporting a dedicated team of Social Workers who support children and young people who are seeking safety and asylum from the moment they arrive in Portsmouth. You will lead on all aspects of their journey, recognising the trauma, challenges, and loss they may have experienced, while ensuring holistic assessments of their needs, including age assessments where appropriate, and guiding them through the immigration system with ambition for their future.


You will work closely with the children we care for team, Building Your Futures and our care experienced young adult team, Supporting Your Futures, as well as external partners such as the Home Office, care providers, and health services. Your ability to build strong partnerships, delegate effectively, and motivate your team will be key to your success.


As a team leader you will:

Supervise a team of Social Workers supporting vulnerable children we care for Ensure compliance with statutory guidance, local policies, and procedures Lead on staff development, performance management, quality assurance, and budget oversight Embed a restorative approach to practice and drive forward service improvement goals Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the UASC legislation and processes

Please see the Job profile for the full details and expectations of this role

Attendance requirements to the designated workplace for the role in line with the Hybrid Working

Minimum of 2 days in the office per week

The ideal candidate will be

You will need to have/be

A Diploma/Degree/MSc in Social Work and be Social Work England registered. Substantial post qualification Social Work experience working within Children and Families Have a solid understanding of law, theory and statutory guidance relating to children who we care for, child in need and child protection. Passionate about working with children and young people and motivated to achieve good outcomes for children and young people. Be curious, creative and solution focused. Work effectively as part of the Service and liaise professionally with a range of key stakeholders including children, families, colleagues, other professionals and senior managers Experience of managing staff or students and be able to support staff to grow and learn through the use of reflective supervision. Have the ability to support and challenge their supervisees appropriately to ensure standards of practice are maintained. Able to problem solve when dealing with a variety of challenges and demonstrate confidence in working within agreed timescales. Contribute to the process of staff development, including workforce development and/or reporting to the Service Leader about capability and disciplinary matters.


If you would like to discuss this role in more detail with the hiring manager, please contact Keely Mitchell -


Keely.mitchell@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Application process

We anonymise applications during application & shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered.


As part of your application we ask that you complete a

personal statemen

t, this statement is crucial and is where you must demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the job against each of the points described in the

'Who is the Person

' points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience.


We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.

About Portsmouth City Council

What we can offer you:

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.
Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our careers portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.


DBS Disclosure at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.


Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership safer recruitment procedures.



Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616800