Social Worker - Specialist Practice Leadership
* Annual Salary: £39k - £48k (negotiable based on experience)
* Location: Haslingden (East Lancashire) and Longridge (near Preston), with flexibility for homeworking
* Job Type: Full-time
Join a Residential Family Centre service in a pivotal role that blends direct practice with strategic influence. This is not just a standard social work post; it's a specialist practice leadership position at the heart of our service. We offer a unique opportunity for ambitious social workers to deepen their practice leadership while maintaining close contact with families.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities
* Lead the quality of assessment within the service, supporting the senior leadership team to ensure work remains reflective, evidence-based, and rooted in relationship-based practice.
* Conduct robust, fair, and evidence-based assessments as the core responsibility, organizing a variety of information sources into clear analyses.
* Maintain a balance in placements, ensuring they remain assessment-focused and centered on the child’s welfare.
* Spend quality time with families daily, engaging in both informal interactions and structured assessment sessions.
* Lead in assessing each family’s progress and manage any necessary direct work, communicating progress through verbal updates or reports.
* Support the senior leadership team in supervision, practice oversight, and quality assurance to ensure consistency and the development of good practice across the service.
Required Skills & Qualifications
* Social Work qualification and registration with Social Work England.
* Robust understanding of safeguarding children.
* Strong analytical skills with the ability to communicate insights verbally and in written form.
* Experience working with vulnerable adults and children in a safeguarding capacity.
* Team player with a sense of humour and the capacity to have sensitive yet difficult conversations.
* Advanced recording and IT skills.
* Understanding of child development and relevant childcare practice, legislation, and research.
Benefits
* Flexible working hours and patterns to accommodate personal needs.
* Protected caseload, allowing for intensive work with a small number of families.
* Quarterly team development days with lunch and social activities provided.
* Access to bespoke individual support options like counselling, coaching, and legal advice.
* Good quality, frequent, and reflective supervision.
* Opportunities for career progression in a forward-thinking and growing organisation.
* Additional perks like a monthly car user bonus, 55p per mile mileage rate, and more.
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