Vacancy details

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.

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. 

Find out more bout all our benefits or see the candidate pack.

Our values

At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you. 

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting recruitment@bracknell-forest.gov.uk. We will work with you to support you throughout the process. Find out more about reasonable adjustments.

Interview date 

Interviews will be held on week commencing 13th April 2026.

Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment. 

We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.

Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.

Want to ask us a question?

For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact: 

Leigh Goldson (EDS Head of Service) or Shelli Read (Business Manager) on 01344 353465 (please note this phone number is only available between 9am - 5pm).

Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of working within the current Social Care System and Framework.

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.

No agencies please