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Locum Team Leader – Children and Justice Services
South Lanarkshire Council

South Lanarkshire Council is seeking an experienced Locum Team Leader to join their Children's Services on a temporary basis. This is a key leadership role within Justice Services, providing management and professional oversight to a team of qualified social workers and para-professional staff, and ensuring high-quality service delivery in line with national and local standards.

Assignment Details
Location: Auchentibber Resource Centre, Blantyre
Duration: Approx. 9 months (maternity cover)
Start Date: December 2025 (or as soon as possible)
Working Pattern: Full-time, Monday to Friday (including one late evening)
Pay Rate: Negotiable depending on experience
The Role
As Locum Team Leader, you will be responsible for the day-to-day management of a Social Work team. You will provide leadership, supervision and direction, ensure effective workload management, promote high standards of practice and contribute to service development and improvement. The role includes chairing reviews of Community Payback Orders, managing staff performance and working closely with partner agencies to support public protection and positive outcomes for service users.

Key Responsibilities
Line management and supervision of qualified social workers and para-professional staff
Allocation and oversight of work, ensuring effective caseload and workload management
Chairing reviews of Community Payback Orders imposed by the Courts
Leading and contributing to multi-agency meetings, including child and adult protection where required
Monitoring quality, performance and compliance with national and local standards
Supporting service improvement, development and best practice
Ensuring council policies, procedures and professional standards are consistently applied

Essential Requirements
Social Work qualification (DipSW, CQSW, BA or equivalent)
SSSC registration
Significant post-qualifying experience within Justice Social Work
Proven experience of team management or leadership in a statutory social work setting
Strong knowledge of risk assessment and management
Excellent communication, organisational and decision-making skills
Ability to work autonomously and manage competing priorities in a demanding environment

Desirable
Experience specifically within Unpaid Work Services
Experience chairing multi-agency meetings
Familiarity with tools such as LSCMI and other justice-related assessment frameworks
Experience contributing to service development and improvement initiatives

Call me on (phone number removed) to discuss the specifics of this vacancy ASAP! Alternatively email me - (url removed)