Senior Social Worker

Change Grow Live; Kirklees; Hybrid; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

CPD opportunities

Social work forum access

Independent learning day

External training access

Well-being hour

Holiday entitlement (25 days + BH pro

Contributory pension

Discounts

Friendly team

Job summary

Change Grow Live in Kirklees is seeking a Senior Social Worker (Maternity Cover) to lead a team of social workers and steer the Families and Safeguarding offer. The post is fixed-term until December 2027 with on-site presence and flexible hybrid working options.

The role requires strategic leadership experience, professional oversight of safeguarding and the ability to work across multidisciplinary teams to deliver safe, person-centred care.

Qualifications

• Qualified Social Worker registered with regulatory body.
• Experience in leadership and staff management.
• Strategic decision-making experience with safeguarding and complex cases.

Responsibilities

• Lead by example and provide specialist leadership on safeguarding, risk, and complex cases.
• Provide professional oversight to Designated Safeguarding Leads and ensure robust safeguarding practice.
• Develop pathways and strengthen partnerships across agencies to improve outcomes.
• Represent the service at local, regional and national forums and boards.
• Deputise for the Services Manager on strategic boards across Kirklees.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic decision making

Emotional intelligence

Communication

Safeguarding

Change management

Practice educator

Education

Social Work qualification

Registered Social Worker

Job description

Overview

Change Grow Live are a charity dedicated to the belief that we can make a difference to our Service Users lives. Our core values are 'Be open, be compassionate and be bold' and our teams apply these daily, offering support and respect in a safe environment, treating each user as an individual and working with them to find the right treatment and care options.

We are recruiting to the post of Senior Social Worker (Maternity Cover) which is a key role within our senior leadership team, holding responsibility for the line management of our team of Social Workers and our Families and Safeguarding offer. This is a strategic role, distinctly different to a frontline Social Work role, and as such we are particularly interested in candidates with Strategic Leadership experience.

Additional Information:

Location:Kirklees

FullTime Hours: 37.5 hours per week*

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract until end of December 2027 (Maternity Cover)

*Please note: Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours.

We operate across Kirklees, with office bases in central Huddersfield and Dewsbury. While the role requires a regular on-site presence, we support hybrid working arrangements, subject to service requirements.

This is a full-time position, typically working 9.00am to 5.00pm. However, recognising our extended opening hours, we welcome discussions about flexible working patterns that support both service delivery and a positive work-life balance.

Responsibilities

This is an exciting opportunity to build on the strengths of an experienced team of Social Workers, Family Practitioners, Social Work Apprentices and Social Work Students. The postholder will support continued professional development through reflective practice, coaching and collaborative learning approaches that promote high-quality outcomes for children and families.

The successful candidate will lead by example, championing ethical, evidence-informed practice with a strong focus on the lived experience of people who use services. They will provide specialist leadership, advice and consultation on safeguarding, risk management and complex cases, while empowering practitioners and teams to develop their knowledge, skills and professional confidence. Through effective coaching, challenge and support, they will foster a culture of continuous learning, professional curiosity and reflective practice.

The role will also provide professional oversight and support to the Designated Safeguarding Lead(s) within the service, ensuring robust safeguarding practice and accountability. The postholder will hold responsibility for complex decision-making, providing professional leadership and working collaboratively with multidisciplinary colleagues to develop safe, effective and person-centred approaches to support.

A key aspect of the role is leading the development of pathways that enable individuals to navigate the wider support system effectively, while strengthening knowledge, skills and partnership working across agencies and sectors.

The successful candidate will act as the strategic lead for designated areas of service delivery, including Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC), Adult Safeguarding and/or Children’s Safeguarding. They will represent the service and organisation at local, regional and national forums, and will deputise for the Services Manager on strategic boards and panels across Kirklees, including the Domestic Abuse Partnership Board and Domestic Homicide Review Panel.

This role plays a crucial part in developing and sustaining strong external partnerships across the integrated care system. The postholder will contribute to strategic discussions and foster effective working relationships with children's and adults' social care, criminal justice services, hospital safeguarding teams, health partners and other key stakeholders to improve outcomes for people who use our services.

About you:

• Hold a valid qualification in Social Work and be registered with the regulatory body
• Experience of leadership, motivating and inspiring individuals and teams
• Experience of strategic decision making and influence utilising emotional intelligence and courage
• Experience of and confidence in complex decision making related to SU issues, using defensible decision-making skills and clear communication.
• Experience of culture and change management, staff engagement, and service improvement
• Experience and knowledge on the working practice of Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults
• Hold a practice educator qualification
• Be committed to demonstrating our organisational values in your daily practice.

Benefits:

• CGL is committed to the continuous professional development (CPD) of its Social Workers.
• All social workers will go to the quarterly national social work forum.
• 1 day a month for independent learning.
• Social workers will have the opportunity to access external training and qualifications such as social work post- qualifying awards.
• An hour a week to focus on well-being.
• 25 days holiday (+ bank holidays) rising by 1 day for each year for the first 5 years service (pro rata).
• Contributory pension scheme.
• A great selection of benefits incl. discounts for shopping, cinema, holidays, etc.
• A friendly and supportive team.

A note about using AI in your application

AI can be a really helpful tool when putting together your application, and we're happy for you to use it. However, what we're most interested in is you. We want to understand your experiences, achievements and strengths, so please make sure your application reflects your own story and clearly shows how you meet the essential criteria and the impact you've made in previous roles. There's no need to write in a particular style. The strongest applications are authentic, specific and clearly demonstrate your skills, experience and potential. We look forward to learning more about you.

Please note: This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. For applicants with time-limited visas, unfortunately, we are unable to support new visa applications or extensions. More information about eligible roles and occupations can be found here:Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK

This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level for both Adult and Child workforces.

Salary Range (pro rata if part time)

CGL points 41 to 48 (£46,725.36 - £54,663.24)

ILW / OLW /Fringe

N/A - Outside London Weighting Area

Interview Date

26/10/2026

Closing Date

19/10/2026

If you have any questions on this opportunity that you would like to talk through please contact us using the below details:

Clare Groves | [e-mail] | 07595416429 This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level.