Practice Supervisor - Social Worker

About us

Join Oxfordshire County Council on an exciting journey towards Delivering the Future Together, our ambitious transformation programme which is enabling us to be an employer, partner, and place shaper of choice.  We’re seeking the right people who can help us get there while embracing our value of ‘daring to do it differently’, as we continue to strive to do better.

In Adult Services, this means we're daring to do adult social care differently by supporting Oxfordshire’s residents to stay fit, healthy and independent in their communities for as long as possible through a strength’s-based approach.  Working with local NHS services, care providers and community and voluntary groups, we make the most of what each of our strengths are, pulling in the same direction, and united by one shared vision.

This means we keep the people we support at the heart of all that we do. And that works. By listening to people and building on the positives in their lives, we can work collaboratively to help them live the lives they want with the right support around them.

It is something we call the Oxfordshire Way and we can’t do it alone – our proactive, positive approach to social care gives everyone the opportunity to make a bigger difference. If we’re doing a good job, we don’t stand still – we’re ambitious and we’re always striving to do better; it’s in our DNA.

About the role and the team

We’re transforming the way we help our frontline Social Workers support our communities to get the best outcomes possible for each and every person we work with. We do this through our commitment of strengthened supervision, ongoing professional training and manageable caseloads, so that you can bring your best self to the people you work with. 

We continue to be a financially stable local authority and our investment in Adult Services has created a number of vacancies; we are looking for a candidate that has experience in the supervisory role to join our dynamic team. The successful candidate will be responsible for providing daily support within duty system, but also hold supervisory responsibilities towards qualified and non-qualified staff members at different levels of experience.  

The post holder would hold a professional qualification and be registered with Social Work England.  

The successful candidate will be supported in their role through targeted managerial CPD activities that are available through our learning platforms, while also receiving mentoring support from their line manager.   

You will be working alongside the Team Manager and other Practice Supervisors within the North Adult Social Care Team, creating a strong leadership team that will: 

• Empower our staff to deliver strength-based interventions that will focus on meeting desired outcomes, embracing new ideas and ways of doing things to improve and maintain independence. 
• Build professional relationships with staff members that present different levels of expertise through quality coaching style supervision.  
• Provide confidences to daily practice of team members by assuring high quality and performance within legal framework and internal policies.  

Please click here to view the Job Description and Selection Criteria 

About you

You are… 

• Driven to do it differently to find creative solutions that problem solves with the person, rather than for the person. 
• Willing to take responsibility, you are a self-leader who has the passion to promote people’s strengths to gain the best outcomes for people.  
• Kind and caring, with an understanding of and respect for individuals’ qualities, abilities and diverse backgrounds.  
• Advocating for equality and integrity in all you do with a commitment to human rights and social justice, and with your strong communication skills you will work collaboratively to achieve the best outcome. 
• Always learning, to continuously develop your skills and knowledge in theory and case law.   
• Passionate about following the professional standards of SWE with a commitment to continue your professional development. 

Rewards and benefits

• Up to 33 day’s holiday p.a. plus bank holidays - Option to ‘buy’ additional days
• Membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, employer’s contribution of up to 19.9%
• Relocation package up to a maximum of £8,000 to cover reimbursement of expenses for newly appointed employees (conditions apply in line with council policy)
• Regular monthly formal and informal support and supervision
• Local and national discounts for shopping and travel
• Extensive Continuous Professional Development opportunities, career progression scheme including the opportunity to train as a Practice Educator, Best Interest Assessor or Adult Mental Health Practitioner.
• Learn more here: Our benefits | Jobs (oxfordshire.gov.uk) 

Would you like to know more?

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Karol Borowski on KAROL.BOROWSKI@OXFORDSHIRE.GOV.UK or 07917534246.