Overview
As Quality Assurance Manager, you will lead the quality assurance framework across Children’s Services, playing a critical role in understanding and improving the quality, impact and outcomes of social work and social care practice. Reporting to the Principal Social Worker, you will provide professional leadership, insight and challenge to ensure practice is effective, reflective and focused on making a meaningful difference for children, young people and families.
Responsibilities
Build and develop a comprehensive quality assurance programme, using a range of methodologies including audits, practice observation, feedback from children and families, data analysis, complaints and compliments. Ensure that quality assurance activity meets statutory, regulatory and inspection requirements, and provides a clear, accurate and honest picture of practice.
Work closely with senior leaders, managers and partners to analyse themes, identify strengths and risks, and translate learning into clear improvement actions. Track learning points and service action plans, reporting progress to senior management and contributing directly to Bolton’s Assurance and Performance Board.
Play a key role in developing a learning culture, ensuring that findings from quality assurance activity are fed back effectively to practitioners and managers through briefings, learning forums and training. Provide constructive challenge and collaboration to support improvement, consistency and high standards across the service.
Represent Bolton in internal and multi‑agency forums, influence strategic decision making, and help ensure the service is confident, self‑aware and continuously improving.
This post is a designated customer‑facing role under the fluency duty and requires a specified level of spoken English as per the person specification.
Qualifications
Experienced, registered social worker with a strong track record in quality assurance, service improvement and/or practice development within children’s social work.
Extensive knowledge of statutory children’s services, safeguarding, looked‑after children processes, and current legislation and national guidance, with a clear understanding of what good practice looks like.
Strong analytical skills and experience of using data, audits and qualitative insight to evaluate practice and identify improvement priorities.
Ability to design, adapt and deliver quality assurance frameworks and audit tools that are robust, meaningful and rooted in social work values and ethics.
Confidence in providing professional challenge and influence at all levels, including senior leadership, while maintaining positive, trusting working relationships.
Excellent communication skills to convey complex findings clearly and effectively through high‑quality reports, presentations and feedback that support learning and improvement rather than compliance alone.
Self‑directed, organised and resilient, able to manage multiple priorities and work independently. Commitment to equality, inclusion and anti‑discriminatory practice, actively promoting a learning culture that supports reflection, curiosity and continuous development.
Share Bolton’s values and motivation to make a difference, ensuring quality assurance activity leads to better practice and better outcomes for children and families.
Benefits
Access to a range of exclusive rewards and benefits, including discounts and exclusive gym membership prices and salary sacrifice schemes.
Generous annual leave allowance, flexible work opportunities, access to a Pension Scheme, and a range of employee wellbeing and support services.
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