Salary: From £58,239 up to £67,030 per annum pro rata plus relocation support

Grade: SM1

Hours: Full-time (37 hours)

Contract: Permanent

Location: Scarborough, with hybrid working available

Make a difference where it matters most

We are seeking a Group Manager to join our Family Assessment and Support Team within our outstanding children’s services.

It is an exciting time in Children and Young Peoples Services in North Yorkshire as we plan our approach in respect of the Families First Partnership Programme and how we will be responding to the social care reforms. Work is underway to plan our approach and implementations for 2027. As a result of this, some realignment may happen with job roles in the future, we want to be transparent about this in respect of this role.

As Group Manager of Family Assessment and Support (Safeguarding) Team, you will lead the overall development and delivery of the safeguarding service in the East of the county, providing clear leadership to enable Team Managers to perform at their best, whilst being an integral part of an exceptional team who strive to make a difference for the children and families of North Yorkshire. 

About the role

As Group Manager, you will:

• Provide strong, visible leadership to a group of team managers across Safeguarding and LAC services
• Drive quality, performance improvement and consistency of practice across your locality
• Ensure services meet legislative requirements, inspection standards and performance expectations
• Lead on complex decision-making, including court-related work and quality assurance activity
• Manage resources effectively, ensuring value for money and balanced service delivery
• Build effective partnerships across statutory, voluntary and independent sectors
• Contribute to strategic planning, service development and continuous improvement initiatives
• Play a key role in supporting inspections and delivering improvement programmes, including high-profile partnership work

As Group Manager, you will demonstrate transformative leadership in a challenging and evolving sector by shaping and driving the practice across the county and localities whilst also utilising and developing your skills and knowledge.

About you

You will be an experienced senior leader in Children’s Services with:

• Extensive post-qualifying experience in children and families’ social care
• In-depth knowledge of safeguarding, looked after children, and the legal framework for children’s services
• Substantial management experience, including leading managers, performance management, and workforce development
• Strong experience of budget management, service planning, and delivering improvement
• A proven track record of effective partnership working at a senior level
• Experience contributing to OFSTED inspections and quality assurance processes
• Fully qualified and registered social worker (Social Work England registration required)
• Degree-level qualification and relevant professional accreditation

You will demonstrate strong strategic thinking, excellent communication and influencing skills, political awareness, and the resilience needed to lead change within children’s services.

 Why Join Us?

• Generous Annual Leave: 28 days of holiday (pro-rata), increasing to 34 days after 5 years’ service – plus public holidays.

• Pension Scheme: Save for your future with our generous Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Fitness Discounts: Discounted Gym memberships at various gyms across the county.
• Lifestyle Savings: Enjoy a wide range of discounts at hundreds of popular high-street and online retailers.
• And more: Additional wellbeing support, employee assistance, and development opportunities.

As a council we are very much committed to encouraging flexible working for our employees, including using modern technologies to support agile ways of working, alongside office-based working.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Barbara Merrygold on 01609 798331 or via email at Barbara.Merrygold@northyorks.gov.uk

We look forward to exploring your interest and receiving your application.

Key dates

Closing date:  Sunday 22^nd February 2026

Interview date: Wednesday 4^th and Thursday 5^th March 2026

Key documents

Job Description

Total Rewards Brochure

Enhanced Level DBS Disclosure is required for appointment to this post.

NYC are committed to directly recruiting staff and will not accept applications nor services from agency suppliers in respect of our vacancies.

North Yorkshire Councils’ purpose is to deliver services and facilities to the diverse residents and visitors of North Yorkshire. To ensure we deliver inclusive services we strive to have a diverse workforce where everybody can be themselves by respecting differences and embedding equality of opportunity. We celebrate diversity and recognise each other’s contributions; we therefore welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds