Principal Social Worker

Are you a Senior Social Worker with management experience looking for the next step in your leadership and management career?

This is a new and exciting role with endless opportunities to make a difference. Using the prospect of the new CQC assessments of quality of care in local authorities and systems, Adult Social Care in Gloucestershire has embarked on a year of self-assessment and improvement planning. A key aspect of our improvement journey is to ensure that our professional leadership is at the forefront of strategy development and influence.

About the role:

The Adult Social Care Senior Leadership Team is looking for a full-time Principal Social Worker. This is a pivotal role in supporting people and communities to work with Adult Social Care in an equal way, sharing influence, skills and experience, drawing on strengths and promoting independence.

As Principal Social Worker you will lead continuous professional development and competency of the social work workforce within the Council’s remit including across delegated functions. You will establish a shared strategic vision that inspires, motivates and epitomises the principles of wellbeing and independence across the organisation and wider system. You will join wider system partners in developing our strategic approach to co-production.

About us:

You will join our well-established Adult Social Care Senior Leadership Team reporting to the Director of Quality, Performance and Strategy. You will be based at Shire Hall in Gloucester, working as part of an agile working offer (which includes working from home combined with time in the office).

About you:

You will have professional Social Work qualification and significant post-qualifying social work experience. You will have proven experience in the leadership, management, and development of teams, along with a desire to progress these skills further. You will have critical thinking skills to analyse complex situations and make informed decisions.

You will have worked in a statutory setting and have an understanding of the adult social care legal and policy framework and other relevant legislation.

Our values are at the heart of everything we do and how we treat each other. They provide essential guiding principles about the way we work and set the tone for our culture, and identify what we, as an organisation, care about.

If you hold the same behaviours and approach, then we want to hear from you! In exchange, we will provide you with full training and support to help you succeed in your role.

Our Offer:

Our people do all they can to make the difference to local communities in Gloucestershire. And that’s exactly what we aim to do for our people. Here are some of the ways we aim to achieve this.

Regular formal and informal support Safe, supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision Clear career progression pathways, to support you in progressing professionally and personally Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential, counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone. Gloucestershire Salary Sacrifice Green Car Scheme (T&C's apply) Links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) network and the Young Employees Network. 30 days annual leave Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme Staff discount scheme that offers access to great savings including discounts with major supermarket chains and high street retailers Agile working opportunities (please discuss at interview)  

Applying:

Please write your application with consideration for the essential criteria on the Job Profile. This should include examples why you should be considered; the experience, skills and knowledge that you would bring to the post.

For an informal discussion about this role, please contact ASCrecruitment@gloucestershire.gov.uk to arrange a convenient time for a call back.

We’re closer than you think:

We are an easy commute from many locations, view our commuting times map to see what we mean. 

Additional Information:

To access the Job Profile for this role, please follow the link below:
Principal Social Worker Job Profile

Please note that this post:is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check; is a politically sensitive post under the Local Government Act 1989.  

Closing date: 14 April 2024.

Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early due to the volume of applications received and / or due to the needs of the service. The advert will be open for a minimum of 7 calendar days. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible

We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire’s diverse communities.  Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.

It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a ‘customer facing role’ must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.

Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.