Building Bridges Children and Families Team Leader

Change Grow Live are a charity dedicated to the belief that we can make a meaningful difference to people’s lives. We offer support and respect in a safe environment, treating each individual as unique and working alongside them to find the right treatment, care, and support pathways.

Our core values are Be open, be compassionate and be bold, and our teams bring these to life every day, helping people change the direction of their lives, grow as individuals, and build safer, more stable futures for themselves and their families.

We are seeking an experienced, motivated, and compassionate Team Leader to lead our Building Bridges: Families, Safeguarding & Specialist Support Team. This is a key leadership role within a specialist service working with parents who use substances and have children under 18, often within complex safeguarding systems.

As Team Leader, you will provide direct line management and leadership ensuring high-quality, trauma-informed, and family-focused practice. You will play a central role in supporting staff working within children and family systems, including those involved in child protection, pre-proceedings, and court processes such as Family Drug and Alcohol Court.

This role requires demonstrable experience of managing a team of workers supporting children and families within social care and/or drug and alcohol settings, alongside a strong understanding of substance use and its impact on parenting, child development, and family functioning.

You will lead on the operational delivery and ongoing development of the Building Bridges model, ensuring the service remains responsive, innovative, and aligned with local safeguarding priorities.

Where: Liverpool 

Full Time Hours: 37.5 per week 

Contract: Permanent  

*Please note: Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours. 

About the Role

• Team Leadership & Supervision
  Provide effective line management to a team of practitioners working with children, parents, and families. Deliver high-quality reflective supervision, support professional development, and manage performance in line with organisational and safeguarding standards.
• Children, Families & Safeguarding Focus
  Ensure all practice is underpinned by a strong understanding of safeguarding, child development, and the impact of parental substance use. Support staff to confidently manage risk, contribute to multi-agency safeguarding processes, and work effectively within social care systems.
• Values-Based Leadership
  Embed organisational values across all aspects of service delivery, promoting a compassionate, strengths-based, and trauma-informed culture.
• Operational Oversight
  Lead the day-to-day running of the Building Bridges team, while contributing to the operational development of family pathways across the wider service.
• Service Quality & Performance
  Monitor service delivery using data and qualitative feedback, ensuring high standards of practice and continuous improvement across the team.
• Multi-Agency Working & Partnerships
  Develop and maintain strong working relationships with key partners including social care, health, education, and criminal justice agencies, ensuring coordinated and effective support for families.
• Staff Development & Learning Culture
  Promote a learning environment through regular team meetings, case discussions, and training opportunities, ensuring staff feel supported and confident in complex family work.
• Risk Management & Governance
  Work closely with safeguarding leads to ensure robust risk management processes are in place, with clear oversight of high-risk cases involving children and vulnerable adults.
• Recruitment & Workforce Development
  Support recruitment, induction, and ongoing development of staff to ensure a skilled and resilient workforce.

About You

You will be a confident and compassionate leader with:

• Direct experience of managing staff working with children and families within social care and/or drug and alcohol services
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding frameworks, child protection processes, and risk management
• Experience of delivering reflective supervision and developing practitioner confidence in complex casework
• A solid understanding of substance use and its impact on parenting and family dynamics
• The ability to build strong multi-agency relationships and influence positive outcomes for families
• A passion for innovation, service development, and improving outcomes for children and parents

What We Will Give to You:

• 25 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays. Additionally, you'll receive one extra day of annual leave for each year of service during your first five years, therefore you will enjoy 30 days of leave after five years with us.
• Paid 'Wellness' hour each week, along with access to a 'Wellness' hub and Employee Assistance Programme
• Contributory pension scheme
• A great selection of benefits, including discounts for shopping, cinema, holidays, and more
• A friendly and supportive team
• Training, career development, and progression opportunities
• Refer a friend scheme – receive vouchers if your recommended candidate is successful

Please see the attached job description and role specifics for more detailed information about the roles and responsibilities of this post. 

Direct applications only we will not be engaging agencies for this vacancy.

Please note: This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. For applicants with time-limited visas, unfortunately, we are unable to support new visa applications or extensions. More information about eligible roles and occupations can be found here: Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Salary is subject to review in line with the 2025/26 pay award.