Service Manager - Quality Assurance & Safeguarding

Service Manager – Quality Assurance & Safeguarding Hybrid working: Minimum 3 days per week on site 2 days remote working  Contract Interim Assignment 12-week contract 37 hours per week Inside IR35  Start date: 31st August 2026  Day Rate PAYE: £356.46 per day Umbrella: £468.76 per day  The Role We are recruiting for an experienced Service Manager to lead Quality Assurance and Safeguarding within a Children's Services setting. You will provide leadership, support and challenge across safeguarding practice, ensuring high standards are maintained and positive outcomes are achieved for children and young people. This is a key leadership role with responsibility for quality assurance, audit activity and statutory safeguarding processes. Key Responsibilities Lead and manage a team of Independent Child Protection Chairs and Independent Reviewing Officers. Oversee child protection processes and ensure statutory requirements are met. Drive a culture of continuous improvement and professional excellence. Lead quality assurance and audit programmes across Children's Services. Identify good practice, risks and areas requiring improvement through audit activity. Provide challenge and support to operational teams to improve outcomes. Produce meaningful analysis and recommendations from audit findings. Support service development through learning, performance monitoring and quality assurance. Promote effective safeguarding practice across services and partner agencies. Essential Requirements Degree in Social Work or equivalent qualification. Significant experience within Children's Services. Detailed knowledge of safeguarding and child protection legislation. Strong understanding of statutory responsibilities relating to children and young people. Experience leading quality assurance and audit functions. Experience managing safeguarding and child protection processes. Proven leadership and team management experience. Ability to drive service improvement through support, challenge and performance review. Understanding of the wider political, social and economic factors affecting Children's Services.  Key Skills Leadership and people management. Quality assurance and auditing. Performance management. Safeguarding expertise. Strategic thinking. Stakeholder management. Excellent communication skills. Report writing and analysis. Problem solving and decision making.  Ideal Candidate You will be an experienced Social Work leader with a strong safeguarding background and a track record of leading quality assurance activity within Children's Services. You will be comfortable providing both support and challenge, using data, audits and performance information to improve practice and outcomes for children and families.   If this is the job for you please apply now