Practice Improvement Lead

Westmorland and Furness Council; Barrow-in-Furness, Kendal, Penrith; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Westmorland and Furness Council is seeking a Practice Improvement Lead to support Newly Qualified Social Workers through their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment and social work students. The role focuses on Barrow in Furness, developing a skilled, confident workforce.

You will have substantial post-qualifying experience in children's social care, be registered with Social Work England, and bring coaching and mentoring skills to strengthen cross-team collaboration and workforce

Qualifications

• Qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.
• Significant post-qualifying experience in children's social care.
• Strong understanding of social work practice, professional standards and workforce development.
• Experience coaching, mentoring or supervising social workers and/or students.
• Ability to build effective working relationships across teams and services.
• Commitment to developing the next generation of social workers.

Responsibilities

• Provide dedicated support to Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) through ASYE and students.
• Lead recruitment, development and retention initiatives for the future social work workforce.
• Mentor, coach and supervise social workers and students as needed.
• Collaborate across teams and services to strengthen practice standards.
• Contribute to funnelling talent into Barrow in Furness and surrounding areas.

Skills

Social work expertise

Workforce development

Coaching & mentoring

Stakeholder collaboration

Knowledge of safeguarding & standards

Registration with SWE

Education

Social work degree

Job description

Location: Penrith/Kendal/Barrow – with regular presence required in Barrow

Contract Type: 2 Year Fixed Term Contract

About this opportunity

Westmorland and Furness Council is committed to developing a skilled, confident and sustainable social work workforce. As part of our continued investment in the Social Work Academy, we are seeking a Practice Improvement Leadto provide dedicated support to Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) through their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment and social work students, with a particular focus on strengthening our workforce in Barrow in Furness.

Who we are looking for…

We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic social work professional who is passionate about workforce development and supporting others to succeed.

You will:

• Be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.
• Have substantial post-qualifying experience within children's social care.
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of social work practice, professional standards and workforce development.
• Have experience of supporting, coaching, mentoring or supervising social workers and/or students.
• Be able to build effective working relationships across teams and services.
• Be committed to developing the next generation of social workers.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in the recruitment, development and retention of our future social workers and a unique chance to help shape the future social work workforce within Westmorland and Furness.

If you are passionate about practice excellence, learning and development, and want to make a lasting impact on the future of social work, we would love to hear from you.