Team Manager - Berkshire Emergency Duty Service
| Posting date: | 17 March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £61,820 to £64,026 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 31 March 2026 |
| Location: | Berkshire, South East England |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 1 day per week |
| Company: | Bracknell Forest Council |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | People/26/333111 |
Summary
We are committed to the wellbeing of Berkshire residents, safeguarding some of our most vulnerable people through our out‑of‑hours service. You will play a vital role in ensuring urgent social care needs are met to bring stability and reassurance at critical moments. As the Team Manager of the Berkshire Emergency Duty Service, you will demonstrate strong, innovative leadership that inspires others.
About you...
You will be degree qualified in social work and bring an impressive professional background, with extensive experience of managing a multi‑disciplinary team. Your approach will be firmly person‑centred, supported by a strong understanding of the professional, legal and policy frameworks relevant to social care and health - preferably substantial knowledge of Children’s Social Care. In addition, with a solid track record in service improvement, you will be able to demonstrate where you have introduced forward‑thinking solutions and achieved measurable impact.
You will bring the ability to manage complex services and allocate resources effectively in a fast‑paced environment. Strong operational leadership experience in Social Care is essential, along with the confidence to challenge and support partners to deliver high‑quality outcomes for children and vulnerable adults. You will be skilled in using systems to generate management information, evaluate performance and drive improvement. Experience of budget monitoring, workforce development and handling sensitive complaints is also important.
The successful applicant will have a genuine opportunity to lead and drive meaningful change, supported by a passionate and hard‑working group of colleagues. This role is varied, demanding and exciting. You will work closely with staff across all six unitary authorities in Berkshire and collaborate with a wide range of partners including health, police, elected members, service providers and the voluntary sector.
About the team...
The Berkshire Emergency Duty Service (hosted by Bracknell Forest Council) provides out‑of‑hours emergency social care across the whole of Berkshire. We are proud of our community, the care we deliver and the strong networks we have built. We are always looking to do more, which is why we give our people the time, resources and freedom to shape how we work.
We care about the wellbeing of Berkshire residents and our dedicated out of hours social care provision helps us to protect some of our most vulnerable residents. We are a specialist team of Approved Mental Health Professionals, Senior Social Workers (Children's Services), Adult Safeguarding Care Coordinators and Call Screening Officers. We work with our health colleagues, the police and families to assess and assist people experiencing a social care crisis out of hours.
This is an exciting time to be joining the service as we have recently remodelled our service structure. EDS is already seen as a safe and effective service, safeguarding the children and vulnerable adults of Berkshire and has received positive feedback from both Ofsted and CQC.
Key responsibilities...
As the Team Manager of the Berkshire Emergency Duty Service, you will:
ensure positive outcomes for individuals and families in the context of emergency out of hours social care.
provide operational leadership to our multi-disciplinary service.
help deliver our ambitious performance management and workforce development.
work with a highly effective management team and service area to achieve excellence.
Our benefits...
28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
Paid employee volunteering scheme.
Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
Reimbursement of Social Work England registration.
Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing
Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.
Interviews will be held on week commencing 13th April 2026.
We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.
Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.
About you...
You will be degree qualified in social work and bring an impressive professional background, with extensive experience of managing a multi‑disciplinary team. Your approach will be firmly person‑centred, supported by a strong understanding of the professional, legal and policy frameworks relevant to social care and health - preferably substantial knowledge of Children’s Social Care. In addition, with a solid track record in service improvement, you will be able to demonstrate where you have introduced forward‑thinking solutions and achieved measurable impact.
You will bring the ability to manage complex services and allocate resources effectively in a fast‑paced environment. Strong operational leadership experience in Social Care is essential, along with the confidence to challenge and support partners to deliver high‑quality outcomes for children and vulnerable adults. You will be skilled in using systems to generate management information, evaluate performance and drive improvement. Experience of budget monitoring, workforce development and handling sensitive complaints is also important.
The successful applicant will have a genuine opportunity to lead and drive meaningful change, supported by a passionate and hard‑working group of colleagues. This role is varied, demanding and exciting. You will work closely with staff across all six unitary authorities in Berkshire and collaborate with a wide range of partners including health, police, elected members, service providers and the voluntary sector.
About the team...
The Berkshire Emergency Duty Service (hosted by Bracknell Forest Council) provides out‑of‑hours emergency social care across the whole of Berkshire. We are proud of our community, the care we deliver and the strong networks we have built. We are always looking to do more, which is why we give our people the time, resources and freedom to shape how we work.
We care about the wellbeing of Berkshire residents and our dedicated out of hours social care provision helps us to protect some of our most vulnerable residents. We are a specialist team of Approved Mental Health Professionals, Senior Social Workers (Children's Services), Adult Safeguarding Care Coordinators and Call Screening Officers. We work with our health colleagues, the police and families to assess and assist people experiencing a social care crisis out of hours.
This is an exciting time to be joining the service as we have recently remodelled our service structure. EDS is already seen as a safe and effective service, safeguarding the children and vulnerable adults of Berkshire and has received positive feedback from both Ofsted and CQC.
Key responsibilities...
As the Team Manager of the Berkshire Emergency Duty Service, you will:
ensure positive outcomes for individuals and families in the context of emergency out of hours social care.
provide operational leadership to our multi-disciplinary service.
help deliver our ambitious performance management and workforce development.
work with a highly effective management team and service area to achieve excellence.
Our benefits...
28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
Paid employee volunteering scheme.
Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
Reimbursement of Social Work England registration.
Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing
Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.
Interviews will be held on week commencing 13th April 2026.
We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.
Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.