Practice Development Social Worker (CDC)

Doncaster Council; Doncaster; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive leave entitlement

Generous local government pension

Wellbeing support and staff networks

Development and training opportunities

Staff discounts and benefits schemes

Job summary

City of Doncaster Council is seeking a proactive Practice Development Social Worker (CDC) to lead quality assurance and improve practice across the Children’s Social Care directorate. The role is based at The Civic, Waterdale, Doncaster, with a 37-hour week and a temporary contract until September 2027.

You will deliver audits, analyse findings, and work with managers to develop actions that drive lasting improvements for children and families, while supporting learning and development across

Responsibilities

• Promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people, aiming for ambitious outcomes across Doncaster.
• Provide operational practice and management support to integrate learning into daily team activities.
• Line manage and supervise one to two apprentice social workers.
• Assess performance against core practice standards using audits, interviews, and observations.
• Support the Service Improvement Manager in developing and overseeing audit methods and reporting.
• Critically evaluate practice and feed insights into individual and team development.
• Design tailored development packages based on audit action plans.
• Review the reliability of information and assess risks to achieving council objectives.
• Develop and implement specialist programs for individuals and groups, including mentoring and expert advice.
• Coordinate staff input across the council, deploying skilled practitioners to support others.
• Maintain a resource bank with updated toolkits and intervention packs for staff.
• Collect and analyse data from audits and quality assurance activities, and monitor progress.
• Coordinate and analyse customer satisfaction surveys from children, young people, and families.
• Monitor the impact of development opportunities on practice improvement.
• Contribute to strategic and operational service development, including training, research, and multi-agency collaboration.

Job description

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work_outline Basis Full time

Job profile for Practice Development Social Worker (CDC)

Practice Development Social Worker (CDC)

location_on Civic Office 17/11/2026 Practice Development Social Worker (CDC)

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Job details

Salary Grade 10 £49,817 - £54,143 per annum Contractual hours 37 Basis Full time Region Doncaster Job category/type Childrens Social Work Date posted 29/10/2026 Job reference REQ23872 Attachments job role summary.docx Professional 2 - job profile-1.docx Benefits booklet.docx

Job description

Based at: The Civic, Waterdale, Doncaster

Salary details: Grade 10 £49,817 - £54,143 per annum

Contract Type: Temporary until September 2027, Full time

Hours: 37 hours per week

Flexible working arrangements: We welcome flexible working requests and hybrid options where possible.

Closing date: 17th November2026

Enhanced with barred list DBS Disclosure is required for appointment to this post.

We are currently recruiting for a temporary Practice Development Social Worker (PDSW) for a period of one year.

This role will be based within the Learning Academy, which acts as the central hub for supporting the directorate to drive, develop, and raise practice standards across Children's Social Care. Our aim is always to achieve the very best outcomes for children and young people.

We are looking for a passionate and motivated social worker who has a strong interest in quality assurance, audit activity, and practice improvement. The successful candidate will lead and undertake a range of audits, thematic reviews, and quality assurance activities to identify strengths, areas for development, and opportunities to improve outcomes for children and families.

As part of this role, you will analyse findings, identify themes and learning, and work with managers and practitioners to develop meaningful action plans that lead to sustainable improvements in practice. You will support services to understand performance information, evaluate the impact of interventions, and ensure learning is translated into tangible changes that improve the experiences of children and families.

You will work across the directorate, building positive relationships with social workers, managers, service managers, and senior leaders. The role will involve engaging directly with children, young people, and families to capture their experiences and ensure their voices inform service development and improvement activity.

In addition, you will contribute to workforce learning and development by sharing best practice, facilitating reflective discussions, supporting learning events, and promoting a culture of continuous improvement. You may also be required to support students, apprentice social workers, and colleagues through coaching, mentoring, and practice development activity.

The Learning Academy is an incredibly supportive team that understands the pressures and demands of working in social care. We are committed to delivering high-quality support to the workforce through robust quality assurance, reflective learning, and a relentless focus on improving outcomes for children.

We are seeking an enthusiastic individual who is curious, analytical, and passionate about improving practice. You will be able to identify what is working well, challenge where improvement is needed, and support services to implement meaningful change. If you want to play a key role in helping Doncaster on its journey from Good to Outstanding, we would love to hear from you.

Duties include:

Core responsibilities and duties will include:

• Promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people, aiming for ambitious outcomes across Doncaster.
• Provide operational practice and management support to integrate learning into daily team activities.
• Line manage and supervise one to two apprentice social workers.
• Assess performance against core practice standards using audits, interviews, and observations.
• Support the Service Improvement Manager in developing and overseeing audit methods and reporting.
• Critically evaluate practice and feed insights into individual and team development.
• Design tailored development packages based on audit action plans.
• Review the reliability of information and assess risks to achieving council objectives.
• Develop and implement specialist programs for individuals and groups, including mentoring and expert advice.
• Coordinate staff input across the council, deploying skilled practitioners to support others.
• Maintain a resource bank with updated toolkits and intervention packs for staff.
• Collect and analyse data from audits and quality assurance activities, and monitor progress.
• Coordinate and analyse customer satisfaction surveys from children, young people, and families.
• Monitor the impact of development opportunities on practice improvement.
• Contribute to strategic and operational service development, including training, research, and multi-agency collaboration.

What you will bring to the role:

In return for your contribution, we offer:

• Competitive leave entitlement
• Generous local government pension scheme
• Wellbeing support and staff networks
• Development and training opportunities
• Staff discounts and benefits schemes
• More information on benefits can be found in the attached benefits booklet.

We encourage applicants to use their own words to reflect their experience and skills and over-reliance on AI is discouraged.

The Advance Employment Team offers personalised support to help you take your next step into work. From building your CV and getting the right interview skills to accessing a wide range of free courses, the team will help you grow your skills and confidence and find a job you’ll enjoy. Get in touch by email ( [e-mail] ) or visit the Advance website ( www.advancedoncaster.co.uk ) to discover the support available.

City of Doncaster Council is committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and improving quality of life for all. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences and are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults.

We are a Disability Confident employer and committed to a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. We offer interviews to disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria and make reasonable adjustments as required.

This post involves working with children and therefore if successful you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service records check at an enhanced level. Further information about the Disclosure Scheme can be found at www.gov.uk/disclosure-barring-service-check

Confirmation of appointment will be subject to a medical assessment.

Address
Civic Office
Waterdale
Doncaster
DN1 3BU