Team Manager – Child Exploitation & Missing

About the role

Wakefield Council is looking for an inspirational leader to head its Child Exploitation and Missing team. This full‑time position offers a high‑impact opportunity to protect vulnerable young people and drive multi‑agency collaboration.

Key responsibilities

• Manage daily operations of the Child Exploitation and Missing team, ensuring trauma‑informed interventions.
• Lead partnership work with West Yorkshire Police, health, education and voluntary sectors to map and disrupt exploitation networks.
• Oversee high‑risk cases involving CSE, CCE, county lines and persistent missing incidents.
• Provide case direction, sign off risk assessments, conduct audits and deliver reflective supervision.

Required profile

• Qualified Social Worker with active registration with Social Work England.
• Proven experience at Team Manager or Assistant Team Manager level in statutory Children’s Services.
• Deep knowledge of contextual safeguarding, child exploitation frameworks and national standards.
• Ability to make swift, defensible decisions under pressure.

Required skills

What we offer

• Competitive hourly rate of £40.00.
• Specialised focus on child safeguarding rather than generic frontline duties.
• Hybrid working arrangements for flexibility.