Senior Social Work Practitioner

East Midlands Jobs; East Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work/life balance scheme

Hybrid working

Continued professional development opportunities

27 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Local Government Pension Scheme

Team rewards and discounts

Job summary

A local government organization based in Derby City is seeking experienced Senior Practitioners to lead their Community Mental Health Service. You will be responsible for providing operational leadership and shaping social work practice, ensuring high standards of care for adults with mental health needs. Candidates should have a recognised Social Work qualification, an AMHP or BIA qualification, and relevant experience in multidisciplinary teamwork. This position offers flexibility, a supportive team environment, and professional development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years experience in social work practice.
• Registered with Social Work England.
• Ability to drive and have own transport.

Responsibilities

• Provide high quality supervision to social workers and Enablement Workers.
• Shape and develop best practice in mental health services.
• Work closely with partner agencies for integrated support.

Skills

Experience with adults with severe mental ill health

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Supervision skills

Championing strengths-based practice

Education

Recognised Social Work Qualification

AMHP or BIA qualification

Tools

Driving skills

Job description

A new and exciting opportunity has arisen to join our friendly and supportive Mental Health Social Care Teams for two Senior Practitioners to provide operational leadership in the Community Mental Health Service in Derby City.

As a Senior Practitioner in Derby City’s forward‑thinking Social Work Mental Health Team, you will play a vital role in shaping Social Work practice. There is a strong culture of preventative, strengths‑based, asset‑based and tech‑enabled approaches within our work. We work closely with partner agencies to provide an integrated approach to the delivery of support. You should have experience of working with adults with severe mental ill health and of multidisciplinary working within a statutory framework.

This post is designed to improve working practices in relation to timely Mental Health Support with a recovery and preventive approach. You will be expected to provide high quality supervision to social workers and Enablement Workers, fostering their professional growth and championing strengths and assets‑based practice. You will play a role in developing best practice and work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams in the health and social care sector.

You will be part of a supportive team dedicated to improving outcomes for adults with mental health needs. Working alongside the Service Manager, you will play a key role in shaping services and ensuring high standards of practice.

This post is a designated Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) post. Therefore, you will need to hold an existing AMHP or BIA qualification.

We welcome applications from experienced social care practitioners, and we are keen to support career development in a challenging yet rewarding mental health field.

Applicants must already hold a recognised Social Work Qualification and be registered with Social Work England. You will be required to be a car driver with your own transport available. Reasonable adjustments will be made for applicants under the Equalities Act 2010.

For informal discussion contact Karamjit Singh Chhoker (Head of Service) or Eileen Burrell / Kerry Williamson (Service Managers) on 01332 640777.

Who We Are

Here at Derby City Council, we’re dedicated to delivering nearly 250 first‑class services to citizens and businesses in the heart of the Midlands. People are at the centre of all that we do, and we have an outstanding track record of recruiting and developing talented individuals by providing them with varied and fulfilling career opportunities. Find out more about what it’s like to work for us.

What We Offer

You too could be part of something brilliant by becoming a colleague at Derby City Council; in addition to making a difference to the lives of people across the city, you’ll also receive:

• Flexible work/life balance scheme
• Hybrid working
• Modern office environment
• Continued professional development opportunities & career conversations
• 27 days annual leave (rising to 32 days after 5 years’ service), plus bank holidays
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Team Derby Rewards – retail and leisure discounts
• Tusker Car Benefit Scheme
• Cycle2Work Scheme & free cycle training
• Employee Assistance Programme, Wellbeing Calendar and Support
• Access to our Equality Employee Networks – LGBTQ+, Disabled Employee Network & Carers and our Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic Employee Support Network and Neurodiversity Network
• Support for colleagues who are carers

Next Steps

If you would like to apply for this vacancy via an application form, please submit an application via the Derby City Council website.

The closing date for this vacancy is at midnight on 5th April 2026. Any applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.

If you would prefer to apply for this job using your CV, then please download the attached Declaration Form and send it to [e-mail]. Without a completed declaration form, your application will not be accepted. We also encourage you to download the Equalities Form and return this to [e-mail]; however this is optional and will not affect your application.

Important Information

As part of our safer recruitment checks the successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Links to the full Job Description and Person Specification are below.

All employees will normally be appointed to the minimum of the grade for the job.

Before you complete your application form please read our guidance on filling in your application form.

Remember to align your personal statement to the essential criteria in the Person Specification.

Please be aware that where there are colleagues within the organisation who are ‘at risk’ of redundancy, requirements to redeploy to another suitable role will apply and take priority.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We are a fair and inclusive employer and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. We recruit for diversity and value difference. As many of our roles can now be home‑based, we are able to offer more opportunities for people who need this facility.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. If you are a disabled person, you have the choice to apply under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme so long as you demonstrate that you meet the essential requirements for the job.

We feel it is essential that we recruit a talented workforce that is as diverse as the community we work for.

Please let us know of any individual requirements or reasonable adjustments you may have during the application, interview, or onboarding process and we’ll do all we can to help. We strongly believe in social understanding of disability and for us it’s all about removing barriers to equality.

If you have any questions regarding this vacancy or are having difficulty applying, please contact our Recruitment Team on 01332 640844 (Relay UK – 18001 01332 640 844) or at [e-mail]. https://www.derby.gov.uk/signing-service/

Please see Job Description here

Please see Person Specification here

Please see Declaration Form for CV Applications here

Please see Equalities Form for CV Applications here

Please see DBS Code of Conduct here