Social Work Practice Development Officer

Bury Council; Bury; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Interview guarantee for protected/dis+

Job summary

Bury Council is seeking a role to support the Principal Social Work Team Manager in mentoring social work learners, ASYE and new professionals, and coordinating placement opportunities. The post involves working with Practice Educators and representing the department at local, regional and national levels to improve social work practice across health and adult social care.

The role contributes to safeguarding and the council’s commitment to care-experienced young people, with interviews

Qualifications

• Mentor SW Students, SW Apprentices and Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) in ASYE and the SW Apprenticeship programme.
• Coordinate practice placement opportunities and support Practice Educators, especially those completing Practice Educator standards.
• Represent the department and Council locally, regionally and nationally in relation to the Social Care workforce.
• Raise the quality of Social Work practice across health and adult social care.

Responsibilities

• Mentor SW learners within ASYE and Apprenticeship programmes.
• Coordinate placement opportunities for learners and support Practice Educators.
• Act as a representative for the department on social care workforce matters at local, regional and national levels.
• Contribute to safeguarding and promoting welfare of vulnerable groups within the council’s remit.

Job description

About the role

To support the Principal Social Work (PSW) Team manager to deliver the Council’s responsibilities in relation to Social Work entry, progression and development working mainly with Social Work (SW) Students /SW Apprenticeships /Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSW’s) and Practice Educators (PE’s)

To Mentor all social work learners completing the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) for NQSWs and the SW Apprenticeship programme.

To coordinate practice placement opportunities and support the development of Practice Educators especially those completing the Practice Educator professional standards

To represent the department and Council at a local, regional, and national level in relation to the Social Care workforce.

To raise the quality of Social Work practice across health and adult social care

About Bury

The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Appointment may be subject to a satisfactory disclosure at the appropriate level under the Disclosure and Barring Service. In line with safer recruitment, please ensure that your application/CV covers your full employment history and there is a reason noted for any gaps in employment. Successful candidates will be asked to provide relevant references for the past ten years and character references will not be accepted.

Please note we are unable to support with sponsorship at this time.

As a Corporate Parent, ensure that the work and services you deliver considers our care experienced young people, promotes their life chances empowers them to influence the policies, services, and decisions that affect them, champions their rights, and ensure they grow up in the best possible way

Benefits of working for Bury Council

To hear about the benefits for working with Bury Council, please visit Bury - Home | greater.jobs We support employees to work with agility, where appropriate for the post and service requirements. We are committed to Bury being an equal society that recognises values and embraces all people, regardless of any difference, for the skills, abilities and experiences they bring into the workforce and the wider community. Therefore we guarantee an interview for disabled people, looked after children/ care leavers, armed forces personnel (including reservists and veterans) and carers of adults or disabled children if they meet the essential criteria.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

Next steps

For an informal chat regarding the role please contact Lisa Mitchell [e-mail] Tel [phone] until 28/8/26 and Emma Massey [e-mail] Tel [phone] after the 28/8/26

Interviews will be held on Friday 25th September 2026