Service Manager - Quality Assurance & Safeguarding

The Service Manager - Quality Assurance & Safeguarding position in Plymouth offers a temporary, full-time contract at £356.46 per day (PAYE). This hybrid role requires a minimum of three days on site weekly, with two days remote. You will lead a team within Children's Services, providing direction and challenge to maintain high safeguarding standards. Responsibilities include overseeing quality assurance, conducting audits, and managing statutory processes to secure positive outcomes for children. Strong leadership expertise in safeguarding practice is essential for this 12-week interim assignment, inside IR35, commencing 31st August 2026.

• 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

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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

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.