Principal Social Worker

London Borough of Merton; London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The London Borough of Merton seeks an experienced manager for its Family Support and Safeguarding Service. The role focuses on leading practice standards, supporting staff, and improving service delivery for children and families. Ideal candidates will have strong social work management experience and a commitment to best practices.

Qualifications

• Experience in operational social work management.
• Passion for improving service delivery.
• Ability to support teams in decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and maintenance of practice standards.
• Liaise closely with corporate learning and development.
• Manage budget related to learning and development in social care.

Skills

Operational social work management

Best practices understanding

Staff support

Job description

The London Borough of Merton is "A place where children, young people, and families feel they belong, stay safe, and can thrive."

The London Borough of Merton was judged outstanding in our last ILACS inspection, and we are ambitious to build on our successes. Our vision is for our Borough to be a safe place for every child to grow up in and to give every child the best start in life. This has never been more important as our families face the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and the legacy of Covid-19. Our leaders and managers are focused and committed to supporting staff to be creative, child-focused, and impactful in our work.

In Merton, we have a blended practice model which combines systemic practice, relationship-based social work, and Signs of Safety, embedded throughout all our work with children and families. There is also a well-established and connected multi-agency partnership, and together we strive to:

• Make decisions alongside our children and families.
• Keep children and families at the heart of our work.
• Support children remaining in their families where it is safe to do so.
• Think Family and focus on strengths.
• Commit to doing what we say we will do.
• Learn from our actions to improve experiences for children, young people, and families.
• Celebrate differences.

We are seeking an experienced manager to lead the development and maintenance of practice standards across the service. This role involves liaising closely with the corporate learning and development team to ensure continuous practice improvement and delivering an outstanding service for children, young people, and their families. The manager will also be responsible for all aspects of learning and development related to social care and managing the associated budget.

The ideal candidate will have strong operational social work management experience, a sound understanding of best practices, and a passion for supporting staff to drive improvement. They should place children at the center of their work and practice respectfully, enabling families to make the best decisions for their children.

The manager will lead a service area supporting teams working with children whose needs are being assessed, are subject to child in need and child protection plans, legal processes, and those in the care of Merton. They will be a key member of the leadership team within the Family Support and Safeguarding Service and will contribute to shaping our practice system in light of the new National Framework.

We welcome applications from Black and Global Majority groups to promote diversity within our senior leadership team.

For an informal discussion, please contact Michelle Waldron, Head of Adolescence and Safeguarding, at [e-mail].