Case study: Senior manager progression route

A case study example from a current senior manager, showing their progression route though Children's Care careers at Norfolk County Council:

2016

In October 2016 I joined the residential service as a cook, as well as a casual residential children's practitioner.

I had completed a BSc in Psychology prior to this, and was looking for some experience working with children and young people.

I joined an emergency children's home that provided short term, crisis intervention for children and young people in between placements.

2017

I secured a full time role as a Residential Children's Practitioner in 2017 at the same home.

In this role I gained experience in assessing the needs of young people who were experiencing a huge amount of change and instability within their lives, and found this a really rewarding role.

2018

In 2018 I signed up to the Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work which I completed in 2020. In some ways I stumbled across this as prior to working in the service I had little knowledge of the different pathways that social work practice can take.

2020

In 2020 I returned to the service as a Senior Residential Children's Practitioner.

2021

In April 2021 I progressed to being a Team Manager in a different emergency children's home within the same service.

The Team Manager role is a lively one, it involves being the registered manager with Ofsted, managing a staff team to care for the children and young people living within our home.

I am responsible for safeguarding the young people and ensuring that they receive the right care at the right time, along with advocating for their rights and ensuring their voices are heard within their care planning.

2024

In 2024 I progressed again to become the Service Manager for residential homes, now overseeing the management of our six residential homes.

It is a rewarding and very varied role, with the opportunity to help shape our service as it grows.

It is incredibly fulfilling to lead the teams who make such a meaningful difference in our children's lives.