Social Worker Team Leader – Safeguarding

Allied Health/Nursing; Mullingar; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Allied Health/Nursing seeks a Social Work Team Leader to guide a safeguarding team in Mullingar. You will ensure prompt, evidence-based responses to safeguarding concerns with strong risk management and high-quality practice outcomes for children, adults and families.

You will supervise social workers, oversee complex cases, and foster effective multi-agency collaborations while ensuring compliance with legislation and standards.

Qualifications

• Recognised professional qualification in Social Work.
• Current CORU registration.
• Significant post-qualification experience.
• Experience in safeguarding and risk management.
• Experience supervising or supporting social work staff.
• Experience of multi-agency working.
• Knowledge of Irish safeguarding legislation and professional standards.
• Excellent communication, assessment, decision-making and organisational skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional and operational leadership to the safeguarding social work team.
• Oversee complex cases and high-risk referrals with timely, evidence-based decisions.
• Ensure risk management plans and safeguarding interventions meet required timescales.
• Promote rights, voices and involvement of children, adults and families in decision-making.
• Supervise and support social workers; provide professional supervision.
• Develop effective multi-agency working relationships with Tusla, HSE and others.
• Monitor caseloads, performance, and team wellbeing; drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Assessment & decision-making

Communication

Multi-agency collaboration

Education

Social Work qualification

CORU registration

Job description

Social Work Team Leader – Safeguarding

The Social Work Team Leader will provide professional and operational leadership to a safeguarding social work team in Mullingar.

The postholder will ensure that safeguarding concerns are responded to promptly and effectively, with a strong focus on risk management, high-quality social work practice and positive outcomes for children, adults and families.

The role will provide supervision and support to social workers, oversee complex cases, promote effective multi-agency working and ensure compliance with relevant legislation, policies and professional standards.

Key Responsibilities of Social Work Team Leader

• Lead and oversee the team’s response to safeguarding referrals and concerns.
• Provide professional oversight of complex and high-risk cases.
• Ensure appropriate assessments, risk management plans and interventions are completed within required timescales.
• Ensure safeguarding decisions are evidence-based, proportionate and clearly recorded.
• Escalate serious or immediate safeguarding concerns appropriately.
• Promote the participation, rights and views of children, adults and families in decision-making.
• Provide day-to-day leadership and direction to the social work team.
• Allocate work appropriately and monitor caseloads, workload and risk.
• Provide regular professional and reflective supervision.
• Support staff development, training and continuing professional development.
• Address practice, performance and wellbeing issues appropriately.
• Promote a supportive, accountable and learning-focused team culture.
• Ensure case records, assessments, reports and safeguarding plans meet required standards.
• Undertake case reviews and quality assurance activity.
• Monitor statutory and organisational timescales and address delays or emerging risks.
• Promote evidence-based, rights-based, strengths-focused and trauma-informed practice.
• Maintain current knowledge of safeguarding legislation, guidance and professional standards.
• Develop effective working relationships with Tusla, HSE, An Garda Síochána, education, health, housing and community services, as appropriate.
• Represent the service at multi-agency meetings and safeguarding forums.
• Promote effective information sharing and coordinated responses to safeguarding concerns.
• Escalate and resolve professional or inter-agency issues where required.
• Contribute to service planning, performance monitoring and quality improvement.
• Identify emerging safeguarding trends, service pressures and resource requirements.
• Support the implementation of policies, procedures and practice improvements.
• Contribute to safeguarding reviews, audits and organisational learning.

Requirements of Social Work Team Leader

• Recognised professional qualification in Social Work.
• Current registration with CORU.
• Significant post-qualification social work experience.
• Substantial experience in safeguarding and risk management.
• Experience of supervising or supporting social work staff.
• Experience of multi-agency working.
• Knowledge of relevant Irish safeguarding legislation, policy and professional standards.
• Excellent communication, assessment, decision-making and organisational skills.