Social Work Assistant Team Manager (Adults) FTC

West Northants Council; England; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

West Northants Council seeks an Assistant Team Manager/Principal Social Worker to enhance strengths-based practices within their department. The ideal candidate will have extensive social work experience, particularly in adult safeguarding, and will play a key role in mentoring upcoming social workers. This position offers significant professional growth in a supportive environment focused on delivering high-quality care to residents.

Qualifications

• Experience in a safeguarding/social work environment.
• Proven ability to assist with complex legal cases.
• Understanding of health and social care integration.

Responsibilities

• Develop and build on strengths-based practice.
• Support and coach social workers and colleagues.
• Lead a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Interpersonal Skills

Management

Safeguarding Knowledge

Education

Higher post qualifying training in relevant discipline

Job description

About the role

Our vision for all adults in West Northamptonshire is that they will have healthy and independent lives with easy access to joined up advice and support which will help them to help themselves.

As an Assistant Team Manager/Principal Social Worker , you will continue to develop and build on our current strengths-based practice, build the skills, confidence and competence of social workers and their colleagues to work in line with Care Act Guidance and deliver the best possible outcomes for residents.

Perhaps you are currently working in an adult safeguarding role, supporting a team manager and looking for your next step. Or, you might be an experienced manager seeking a new challenge—one that not only offers professional growth but also prioritises your well-being.

Although SWE (Social Work England) registration is not a requirement, you should have extensive experience and a proven ability to assist with complex legal cases. You should also be well-versed in legislation, able to provide supporting documents for cases taken to court, and knowledgeable about available funding streams.

As a champion of social work, you’ll lead by example, using your skills to encourage a culture of innovation, reflection and learning within the service, using practice evaluations and learning reviews to inform this work.

The experience you’ll bring with you will enable you to support others from the start of their social work journey; from student to ASYE, and then to qualified, competent and confident Social Workers.

You will be an approachable, ‘can do’ person who understands what good looks like and have high ambitions for the workforce and the organisation.

As a proactive person, you’ll be able to respond to multiple requests and demands, getting to know our fabulous staff group will be imperative and supporting them as they deliver advice and guidance to citizens of West Northants. The team and your peers are all very supportive and in West Northants we are all working towards the same goal of enabling competent and confident staff to deliver great care.

About you

You will bring proven experience of leadership,practice development and consistent achievement in a safeguarding/social work environment, an understanding of working across health and social care and above all a commitment to people who use, work in and rely on social work services. You’ll need exceptional interpersonal skills, a passion for quality and inclusion and the ability to build, manage and develop effective working relationships with people and partners.

Hours:Our standard hours are 9 to 5 pm, Monday - Fridays.

You’ll need

• Higher post qualifying training in relevant discipline or management qualification
• Management experience over a range of professional roles with significant experience of managing functions in a number of specialisms e.g. Older People, Mental Health, Learning Disability, Adult Safeguarding
• You will be required to drive and have transport.

Please see the attached Job spec for further information.

We may be able to support Sponsorship and/or relocation package, if you have Social Work England in place.

If you would like to discuss this role further than please contact [e-mail]

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate, at our cost.

It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Children and AdultsBarred List check. West Northamptonshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us .

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email [e-mail] for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.

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• Salary Frequency Annual
• Job Reference Ref/12702/6829
• Contract Type Full Time
• Closing Date 31 July, 2025
• Job Category Social Worker - Adults
• Location One Angel Square 4 Angel Street Northampton, United Kingdom