Somerset Council is seeking a dynamic Deputy Principal Social Worker (DPSW) to lead in high‑quality social work practice across Children’s Services. This pivotal role offers the opportunity to influence service‑wide development, workforce strategy, and multi‑agency collaboration.
Responsibilities
* Provide professional leadership across the children’s social care workforce.
* Lead recruitment and retention strategies, including coordination with universities and central government.
* Oversee the delivery of the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) programme.
* Develop and maintain the Children’s Social Work Academy.
* Manage the learning and development budget and team.
* Represent the voice of social workers in strategic forums and service planning.
* Deputise for the Principal Social Worker within internal and external meetings.
* Drive continuous improvement in practice and policy.
* Work closely with the Service Improvement Team on quality assurance activities including audits and thematic reviews.
* Coordinate workforce development from student placements to senior leadership.
* Promote trauma‑informed, systemic, and anti‑discriminatory practice.
* Build strong relationships with internal teams, academic institutions, and partner agencies.
Experience & Qualifications
* Essential: Social Work degree.
* Extensive experience in children’s social care.
* Strong knowledge of legislation, best practice, and adult learning principles.
* Excellent communication, analytical, and project management skills.
* Registration with Social Work England.
* Desirable: PEPS 1 & 2.
* Leadership in training, development, and workforce strategy.
* Experience in coordinating external training providers and reporting on training impact.
Benefits
* Flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
* Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave.
* Staff discounts in gyms.
* Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
* Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
* A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
* My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more.
Salary
The salary for this role is £49,282 per annum.
Contact
For further information or an informal discussion about this exciting opportunity, please contact Sam Mannion, Service Manager‑Principal Social Worker on 01749 822754 or email sam.mannion@somerset.gov.uk.
Additional Information
Interviews will be held on 31st October 2025.
When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.
This post requires a criminal background check via the Disclosure procedure.
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