Skills development and leadership opportunities
In Southampton, we put people first.
We are driven to provide our children and young people with a good start in life. That starts with strong leadership and a clear vision. When Ofsted inspected us in 2023, they judged us as having ‘outstanding leadership’. It is something we are proud of and aim to build on.
Ofsted went on to find “a determined leadership approach has led to a child-centred and caring culture across services” in a Joint Targeted Area Inspection in 2025.
When we expand our teams, we look for people who are passionate about wanting to make a difference to children, young people and their families. When we find them, we welcome them to our Southampton family. It is what makes working for Southampton special. Here is why:
Systemic practice is embedded into everything we do. Relationships matter and that includes how we support each other as well as the children, young people and families we work with. We focus on outcomes and how we achieve the best experience for children and young people. Our dedicated academy provides specialist training and support for our teams. We work in a ‘culture of trust’ where every voice matters.
We believe that wellbeing comes first. We believe in positive outcomes. We believe in families first.
We are organised with a clear structure and where possible, we like to promote from within. We welcome newly qualified social workers and are always looking for senior social workers. Following the introduction of the Family Safeguarding Model approach, we now work with the whole family. We welcome adult mental health workers and practitioners who support adults recovering from alcohol or substance use to our teams. Here is how our management structure is organised:
- Assistant team managers
- Team managers
- Service managers
- Head of service
- Director
- Executive director
In Southampton, we recognise talent.
We have developed a ‘leadership programme’ with the Solent University Business School. This programme enables members of our family to progress to become part of our leadership team. They bring with them a wealth of experience of working directly with children and families, bringing fresh ideas and new ways of working.
Do not just take our word for it, here is what one of our service managers who went through our leadership programme said:
Taking part in the Frontline leadership programme has been transformative for me. It has given me the confidence and skills to lead with vision, inspire others and tackle challenges with resilience. The biggest outcome has been seeing the Team Manager I line manage grow into stronger leaders themselves – which is a real measure of success!"
Learn about our approach to Social Care Reform in Southampton.
View live vacancies.
