Practice Manager - Social Work Academy

Halton Borough Council; Runcorn; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in England seeks a Practice Manager for their Social Work Academy. The role involves supporting the workforce in improving outcomes for children and families, alongside developing good practices for social work professionals. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in practice improvement and frontline social work, along with managerial skills. A generous benefits package includes a flexible working arrangement and a comprehensive annual holiday allowance.

Benefits

34 days annual leave

Local Government Pension Scheme

Flexible working arrangements

Free car parking

Employee benefits platform

Qualifications

• Experience in practice improvement and quality assurance.
• Substantial experience in frontline social work.
• Managerial and/or supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• Support workforce to improve outcomes for children and families.
• Develop good practice in support areas.
• Contribute to continuing development of social work professionals.

Skills

Practice improvement

Quality assurance

Frontline social work experience

Managerial experience

Ability to adapt

Job description

Practice Manager - Social Work Academy

Our Story:

Halton is a vibrant local authority with a rich history and heritage, featuring two iconic bridges that connect communities across the River Mersey. Located in Cheshire, Halton boasts excellent transport links between Liverpool and Manchester, as well as close proximity to both Liverpool John Lennon and Manchester Airports.

Our Team:

This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of our Social Work Academy in Halton.

The Social Work Academy collaborates with the entire children’s workforce, utilising quality assurance, collaborative feedback, and Ofsted findings to address areas requiring development.

Additionally, and potentially more impactful for long‑term workforce retention and ongoing practice improvement, you will be integral in the continuing development of learning and development of social work professionals and related social care roles through an inclusive training programme. This centre offers social work professionals and related social care roles ongoing professional development through an inclusive training programme.

Your Contributions:

We’re looking for an individual who is passionate about supporting the workforce to improve outcomes for our children and families. Our approach focuses on developing good practice in all areas of our work, in order to provide the best support to the children and families in Halton.

The ideal candidate will have experience in practice improvement and quality assurance as well as substantial experience in frontline social work. They will have managerial and/or supervisory experience and have been part of an improvement journey where they have developed the skills to motivate and shape the practice of others.

Our priorities are ever changing, therefore the individual will be able to adapt to our evolving improvement journey in order to be instrumental in supporting Halton’s improvement journey.

Hours: 37 per week

Our Offer:

Aside from working with a great team, our employees have access to a fantastic range of benefits, including:

• A generous annual holiday allowance starting at 34 days per year (including bank holidays), increasing with long service
• Membership of our defined benefit, salary‑linked Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with generous employer contributions
• 3 × Salary Life Cover via Local Government Pension Scheme
• Investment in your personal development
• Free Car Parking at HBC sites
• Flexible working arrangements
• Extensive employee benefits platform including discounted shopping, car leasing, gym memberships, wellbeing hub and Employee Assistance Programme

Next Steps:

At Halton Borough Council, we want all of our candidates to feel well‑informed so if you would like to have an informal chat about this role, please contact Kadie Molyneux, Service Manager Social Work Academy, 01515117557 or [e-mail]

Interviews are expected to take place W/C 02/03/2026.

At Halton Borough Council we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce and a vital part of this is to encourage diversity in all respects. We are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier‑free and tailored to best suit the needs and strength of the individual. This includes making adjustments for people with a disability, neurodiversity or with long‑term health conditions. If you require accommodations, please reach out during the recruitment process so that we can make this the best possible experience for you - [e-mail]

Please refer to the attached Job Profile for further information about the role and our values.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applications. If you’re interested, please complete your application as early as possible.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Salary range

• £47,181 - £50,269 per year