Priority Candidates will be considered in the first instance
Wigan Life Centre South
College Avenue
Wigan
WN1 1NJ
Salary: Grade 9, £39,862 - £45,091 per annum. Social Worker
37 hours per week
Permanent
We're on a journey to build a workforce reflective of our Borough.
We are committed to fostering diverse teams where everybody can bring their authentic selves to work and feel that they belong. If you want to work for a Council where everybody is encouraged to meet their full potential and make a difference in our neighbourhoods, we would love to hear from you!
Choose to be a Social Worker with Team Wigan where children and families are at the heart of everything we do.
We’re proud to be building a workforce that reflects the diversity of our Borough. At Wigan Council, we foster inclusive teams where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work and feel a true sense of belonging. If you want to work for a local authority that encourages you to reach your full potential and make a meaningful difference in our communities, we’d love to hear from you.
Why Wigan?
* Over 90% permanent staff in our Children’s Social Work teams
* Permanent team managers
* Family Safeguarding Model (FSM) adopted in June 2024
* Reduced caseloads and increased support services
* Neighbourhood-based Family Hubs and strong multi-agency partnerships
* New Senior Social Worker roles to support career development
* Clear development pathway, including:
o Dedicated ASYE programme for newly qualified social workers
o Second Supported Year in Employment to continue professional growth
o Aspire to Lead programme for those ready to take the next step in leadership
o A whole month a year dedicated to professional development throughout our two fortnights of practice
o Extensive learning and development offer
Ready to make a difference with Team Wigan?
Apply now and be part of a service that’s proud to put children first.
Current vacancies include:
Social Worker - Duty & Assessment Service, Adoption, Family Safeguarding
Senior Social Worker Duty & Assessment Service**
**minimum of 3 years post qualifying experience is required for this role.
To note: There is only one senior social worker position and one social worker position in the duty and assessment and adoption services. Applicants will be interviewed for these vacancy on receipt of application, therefore once these vacancies are filled, these roles will no longer be able to be applied for. This may be ahead of the closing date
You can read more about our social work teams in the overviews attached or read more about working in children’s social care at Wigan on our webpages.
To make the application process as simple as possible, all roles can be applied for in the one application. Just let us know which roles and teams you are interested in when applying.
About you:
With everything that we set out to do at Wigan, we always listen to our children and young people. They have told us that they want their social workers to be kind, thoughtful, responsible and flexible; to prioritise them, spend time with them, and strive to help them be happy and safe. So, this is what we want too!
If you are a qualified social worker, like a new challenge, want to be part of implementing new ways of working that we know will make a real difference and have a desire to motivate and empower children and families to achieve positive changes, then please apply.
About us:
Wigan Council has been voted ‘Overall Council of the Year’ at the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) Awards. We are signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment ensuring that your service will be continuous or 'unbroken' between the supporting organisations.
The Progress with Unity plan is a place movement for change for the next decade, bringing a new era for Wigan Borough. It draws on the strengths of our individual organisations, recognising that together we can achieve much more for our communities by delivering on our 2 place missions; create fair opportunities for all children, families, residents and businesses and make our towns and neighbourhoods flourish for those who live and work in them.
We are an improving Local Authority and are proud to highlight that our most recent OFSTED Visit reported that “staff were unanimously positive when speaking with inspectors about working in Wigan Social workers said that they feel valued and listened to and told inspectors that senior managers collaborate with them to find better ways to improve outcomes for children” (May 2023).
We understand that for great social workers to stay with us we need to invest in your career, which is what we will do from day 1. Whether you are an experienced social worker or newly qualified we have a career pathway that will support you to achieve your aspirations.
Here at Wigan, we are proud to support flexible working patterns, when the service can accommodate this. We also take a blended approach to where we work, depending on the work we do. This may include working from home, the office, or the community. We like to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits click here to find out more about working for #TeamWigan.
To be appointed to this role you must be able to prove your right to work in the UK. Please visit the link below to check you qualify to apply. Please note, at present we are not a licenced sponsor. Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Prove your right to work to an employer
If you would like an informal chat about this role, please contact our Workforce Development Team, who will be happy to talk to you about the roles available and our fast-track recruitment process can provide an interview within 2 weeks, if you meet the essential criteria. Drop us an email at childrensservicesrecruitment@wigan.gov.uk, letting us know when is the best time to ring you and we will get in touch.
Interview date: To be confirmed
This position is subject to Enhanced Disclosure Procedures plus child barred list check
The employer is committed to safeguarding