Head of Practice/Principal Social Worker

Who You Are

An experienced manager with a solid background in social care practice, you possess a degree and relevant professional qualifications. With more than 7 years of post-qualifying experience, you have honed your skills in leadership, strategic thinking, and partnership development. You are adept at managing budgets and possess substantial knowledge of legislative frameworks related to children's services and safeguarding. You are passionate about making a difference and strive to improve outcomes for service users, effectively communicating and leading change within social care sectors.

What the Job Involves

The Head of Practice in Social Care is responsible for ensuring that agreed service plans and performance targets are met within the Safeguarding and Care Service across Children’s Services and Adult Social Care & Health. This leadership role involves delivering high-quality social care practice, recruitment, learning and development, and promoting children's and families' participation in service development. You will oversee the Quality Assurance Framework across Children's Services, lead professional advice and guidance, and manage statutory and legal obligations within social care. The role also includes developing new policies, managing performance reporting, contributing to service planning and development, overseeing financial management, and implementing service improvement initiatives.

Skills

• Excellent communication, negotiating, and influencing skills
• Ability to set priorities and work to tight deadlines
• Thorough knowledge of legislative frameworks and statutory requirements
• Strategic thinking and decision-making abilities
• Proficient user of ICT and management information systems
• Competency in managing budgets and financial reports
• Experience in leading teams and multi-agency working
• Capacity for developing and implementing quality assurance systems