Social Worker (Duty and Advice)

Oldham Council; Oldham; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in Oldham is seeking a Social Worker for the Duty and Advice team to manage cases involving children and families. The role requires strong communication skills and an understanding of statutory functions. As part of a multi-agency team, you'll respond to safeguarding concerns and coordinate support services. Ideal candidates will have a degree in Social Work and experience in child welfare. This position offers competitive pay, professional development opportunities, and a supportive work environment.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

Flexible working hours

Pension scheme

Employee discounts

Wellbeing support

Qualifications

• Experience in social work with children and families.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multi-agency framework.
• Familiarity with safeguarding practices.

Responsibilities

• Respond to contacts made to the MASH team.
• Communicate effectively with families and partner agencies.
• Secure appropriate services to support children and families.

Skills

Communication skills

Understanding of statutory social worker functions

Ability to make informed decisions

Education

Degree in Social Work

Completed GM Elevate Leadership Development Programme

Job description

Children's Social Care

Social Worker - Duty and Advice

Ref : 000962

Contract : Permanent

Salary : £41,511 - £45,718 per annum (Grade 8)

Essential Car user allowance provided.

Hours : 36.66 per week

Based : Spindles Offices

Closing Date : Wednesday 17th December 2025

Interview Date : TBC

Informal Enquiries : Natassja Gollcher, Head of Duty, and Advice

Email : [e-mail]

Why should you work in Oldham?

Officially rated as a ‘Good’ by Ofsted, we are proud of our relentless approach in seeking the very best outcomes for our children and families, and there’s never been a better time to join the team and be part of our success story.

Oldham is a wonderful place of diversity, where people of all cultures come together. This is one our greatest strengths and our social workers enjoy using a breadth of skills and gaining a variety of experiences whilst supporting children and families from diverse backgrounds.

We use systemic practice as our chosen practice model, focusing on building relationships with children and families, understanding the context and family dynamics, and reflectively learning together.

Situated in the heart of Spindles, the bustling centre of Oldham, our new building stands as a beacon of support and guidance, where the Duty and Advice Team will be based, ready to assist and advise those in need.

Our Promises to you:

• A manageable and diverse caseload aligned with your experience and skills.
• A commitment to your continuing professional development through a bespoke learning and development programme
• A variety of career opportunities to progress and develop with us in Social Work
• Regular, quality, and reflective supervision and learning from practice audits with fortnightly training days in each of our services.
• Monthly Group Supervision with your team
• Weekly Learning Spaces to focus on a specific area of learning
• A permanent and supportive Senior Leadership team
• Full corporate and service Induction
• Direct link to a Team Manager, Advanced Practitioner and Social Work Consultants from our Social Work Academy.
• The opportunity to become a Practice Educator and to develop students within our organisation.
• Dedicated support to develop you in your role and opportunities to meet your career aspirations.
• During the SSYE (Second Supported Year in employment) you will have a consultant social worker in the CSWA who will offer reflective supervision every three months as well as meetings with your manager at 6 and 12 months to ensure that your professional development plan is being supported.
• Focus on child and family-centred outcomes across all sectors by ensuring the right intervention is identified at the right time, there by building a safe, happy, healthy, and successful future for children and young people.

You will be rewarded with great benefits:

• Competitive pay with a £2,000 retention payment. (After 2 years)
• Flexible and Hybrid working
• Free town centre parking
• Essential car user allowance of £500
• and mileage expenses at 45p per mile.
• Reimbursement of Social Work England professional registration fees, currently £90 per year
• Generous relocation package of up to £8,000

Other generous benefits including:

• 25 days annual leave with the option to purchase additional days, and which increases after 5- and 10-years’ service.
• Attractive defined benefit pension scheme with a market leading AVC option for additional retirement savings
• Discounted gym membership
• Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
• Salary sacrifice scheme, including Cycle to Work
• Wellbeing support, including an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
• Staff recognition and celebration events

See Staff Benefits for more information.

Our employees say

“One of the reasons I’ve worked here for so long is because it’s like a family and a listening organisation, where people are encouraged to participate and get involved”.

“Our Social Worker teams are friendly, approachable and professional”.

“We all want to make a difference to the families and children that we work with”.

“Oldham values the person, the families, and the inclusive culture”.

Hear more from our employees and explore our Social Work Academy offer here

Ofsted says

“Children are well supported by social workers, who ensure that their health, education and emotional needs are met”.

“Staff are tenacious”.

“Children and families in Oldham benefit from a comprehensive range of early help services”.

“There is strong partnership working”.

“Senior leaders promote the participation of cared for children and actively seek their voice in developing and shaping service delivery”.

“Relentless focus on improvement by a strong and stable leadership team, with progress made across many areas of practice,”

Read the full Ofsted report here

Here’s the role :

You will work as part of a co-located multi-agency team, which includes representatives from Greater Manchester Police, Health, Community Safety, Adult Social Care, IDVA and the Prevention Hub, this co-location enables more effective communication between partner agencies. As a Duty and Advice social worker you will be required to respond to contacts made to the MASH in a timely way to identify and secure the most appropriate service to support and safeguard children and families. As a Duty and Advice social worker you will communicate with families, partner agencies and members of the public members of the public and partner agencies to enable you to gain details and enable strong evidenced based decision making in line with our practice standards and statutory duties. You will have a good understanding of statutory social worker functions and be confident in making informed threshold decisions.

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

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and therefore expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

About Us :

We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact :

A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.

We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan : Ready for the Future and our Oldham Plan for further information .

Our Values and Behaviours :

By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are ‘ Proud, Ambitious, and Together’ , and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.

We have translated these values into five behaviours which guide our actions and are the standards we hold ourselves to, day in and day out :

• Work with a resident focus
• Support local leaders
• Committed to the borough
• Delivery high performance
• Take ownership and drive change

You can find out more about our values and behaviours on our greater.jobs Oldham page

Our Benefits Package :

At Oldham Council we offer a great benefits package for our employees, which includes the following :

• 25 days annual leave which increases after 5 and 10-years’ service
• The option to purchase additional annual leave.
• An attractive LGPS benefit pension scheme with the option to make shared cost additional voluntary contributions.
• Discounted gym membership with Oldham Active .
• Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
• Salary sacrifice scheme for home and electronics and Cycle to Work.
• Wellbeing support, including a Mental Health First Aider network and an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
• Staff recognition and celebration events.
• Peer support groups

Inclusive Recruitment :

We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, describing available working patterns, providing equipment or making changes to the workplace.

If you’re an applicant with disabilities and have previously been in or currently in care, a carer or someone who has served in the Armed Forces and you meet the essential criteria of the role, you are guaranteed to reach the first stage of assessment under our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme .

Data and Privacy :

For details of how we use your data please see our p rivacy notice .

Important Information :

Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for a current employee at risk of redundancy, it can be pulled back at any point, up to the post being formally offered to a candidate who is not at risk of redundancy.