Practice Manager | Permanent | Emergency Duty Team | Lancashire

Lancashire County Council; Lancashire; Hybrid; GBP 46,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancashire County Council is seeking an experienced EDT Practice Manager to lead the Out of Hours social work service across Lancashire. You will supervise Social Workers and Advisors, provide professional guidance, and ensure timely safeguarding decisions in high-risk scenarios.

The role combines strategic management with occasional direct social work activity, including visits and assessments, to safeguard children and adults outside normal hours.

Qualifications

• Be registered with Social Work England.
• Senior Social Worker level or above with frontline experience.
• At least four years frontline Children's Social Work experience.
• Experience of safeguarding and risk management.
• Supervisory/management experience within a social work setting.
• Demonstrate sound professional judgement and decision-making skills.
• Be able to work independently whilst contributing to a supportive management team.

Responsibilities

• Provide management oversight and professional leadership within a fast-paced out-of-hours environment.
• Support Social Workers and Customer Service Advisors in managing complex, high-risk cases.
• Guide risk assessment and ensure safeguarding responses comply with legislation and best practice.
• Oversee decision-making and support partner agencies (Police, Health, Mental Health, Ambulance, providers).
• Undertake direct social work activity when required, including visits and assessments.

Skills

Leadership

Communication skills

Decision making

Risk assessment

Safeguarding knowledge

Independent working

Education

Registered with Social Work England

Job description

Job Description

Salary £46,142 - £51, 356 Per annum | Full time, Permanent | Emergency Duty Team | Lancashire

Job Description

Salary £46,142 - £51, 356 Per annum | Full time, Permanent | Emergency Duty Team | Lancashire

Grade 10 – £46,142 - £51, 356 (pay award pending) plus Out of Hours Enhancements

Are you an experienced social work professional looking for a rewarding management role within a specialist Out of Hours service?

Lancashire County Council's Emergency Duty Team (EDT) is seeking to recruit a Practice Manager to join our dedicated and supportive team, delivering emergency social work services across Lancashire outside of normal office hours.

About The Role

The Emergency Duty Team provides a countywide Out of Hours service, responding to statutory emergencies and urgent social care matters within both Children's and Adults' Services that cannot safely wait until the next working day.

As an EDT Practice Manager, you will play a key role in providing management oversight and professional leadership within a fast-paced and often unpredictable environment. You will support Social Workers and Customer Service Advisors in managing complex, high-risk situations, ensuring that timely and proportionate decisions are made to safeguard vulnerable children and adults across Lancashire.

The role involves providing advice, guidance and management oversight in relation to a wide range of issues, including child protection, children missing from home or care, emergency accommodation, adult safeguarding concerns, and situations where immediate statutory intervention may be required.

As part of the management team, you will be responsible for overseeing decision-making, supporting risk assessment and ensuring that safeguarding concerns are responded to effectively and in accordance with legislation, policy and best practice. You will work closely with key partner agencies including Police, Health Services, Mental Health Teams, Ambulance Service and Residential Providers.

Whilst the primary focus of the role is management oversight and support, Practice Managers are expected to maintain their operational social work skills and will, where required, undertake direct social work activity. This may include undertaking visits, completing assessments, attending strategy discussions, facilitating emergency placements, and responding directly to safeguarding incidents.

The EDT is comprised of:

• 1 Team Manager
• 4 Practice Managers
• 12 Social Workers
• Customer Service Advisors (Call Takers)

About You

The successful applicant will work a rolling rota covering evenings, weekends and bank holidays. Appropriate Out of Hours enhancements are paid in accordance with hours worked outside of core business hours.

Due to the nature of the service, flexibility is essential, including providing management cover for sickness and other service needs where required.

We are looking for a skilled and confident practitioner who can provide strong leadership and professional decision-making in a fast-paced environment.

Applicants should:

• Be a Senior Social Worker or above.
• Have a minimum of four years' frontline Children's Social Work experience.
• Have experience of safeguarding and risk management.
• Have supervisory or management experience within a social work setting, including providing professional guidance, oversight and support to practitioners.
• Demonstrate sound professional judgement and decision-making skills.
• Be able to work independently whilst contributing positively to a supportive management team.
• Have excellent communication skills and the ability to build effective working relationships with colleagues and partner agencies.

Experience of Adult Safeguarding would be advantageous; however, this is not essential and training will be provided to support the successful candidate in developing the necessary knowledge and skills.

Location and Working Arrangements

The Emergency Duty Team is based at Lancashire House, Enterprise Way, Accrington, and covers the county of Lancashire, excluding Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool.

The team currently works remotely during weekday shifts and from its office base in Accrington during weekends. These arrangements remain under regular review to ensure the service continues to meet operational requirements while supporting a healthy work-life balance for staff.

Applicants should be aware that, despite current home-working arrangements, the role requires flexibility and the ability to travel and undertake visits across the county of Lancashire when required. Successful candidates must therefore have access to a vehicle, hold appropriate business-use insurance, and be able to respond to service demands across a wide geographical area.

What We Offer

The successful candidate can expect:

• A supportive and experienced management team.
• Regular supervision and professional support.
• Access to a wide range of training and development opportunities.
• Out of Hours enhancements in addition to basic salary.
• The opportunity to work within a unique countywide emergency service.

Essential Information

You must:

• Be registered with Social Work England.
• Have access to a vehicle for business use and hold appropriate business-use insurance.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and is subject to an enhanced DBS check. The successful applicant will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service for a disclosure.

Want to Know More?

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact:

Sue Ryan
EDT Team Manager
07810817649

Join us and help make a difference when people need it most.

In return Lancashire County Council offers a range of benefits, which can be found on LCC Vacancies website.

We reserve the right to close down a vacancy early, before the closing date, if we receive sufficient applications.

DBS

The post you are applying for is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). If successful you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a 'disclosure'. Further information can be found on the 'Our Recruitment Process' tab.