Job Description

Why Work for us:

Are you ready to be the difference? If so, then Southampton Children and Learning Services would like you to join us.

In June 2023 Southampton Children and Learning Service were inspected by Ofsted who found:

\xe2\x80\x98All aspects of the service are now at a good level and are continuing to improve.

Staff across children\xe2\x80\x99s services like working in Southampton. They value the fact that they are listened to, and they enjoy the easy access they have to senior leaders. They told inspectors about the way in which leaders celebrate their achievements, as well as holding them to account.

Highly effective recruitment throughout the service has resulted in an almost fully permanent workforce. This means that children are supported by practitioners who have the capacity to visit them regularly and to listen to what they say about their lives\xe2\x80\x99.

In 2022 we launched our Making the Difference Practice Framework underpinned by Systemic Practice and a Children and Learning Services Academy to drive this. In June Ofsted also noted:

\xe2\x80\x98There is an embedded culture of learning and development across the organisation\xe2\x80\xa6Thoughtfully commissioned training and development opportunities are widely available to the workforce. Staff spoke with enthusiasm about the way in which recent training has impacted on and improved their practice\xe2\x80\x99.

We are now looking for someone with drive, determination, extensive knowledge, and experience of current social work practice to support our ambition for continuous improvement.

Working within the Quality Assurance Practice Development Team, Practice Consultants hold lead areas to:

• Champion social work practice standards and contribute to policy development.
• Offer service insights into practice through audit, other quality assurance activity and children\xe2\x80\x99s feedback.
• Celebrate good social work and engage practitioners, first line managers and senior leaders in practice discussions and group reflections.
• Promote the service\xe2\x80\x99s restorative and relational ethos and its application to social work practice.
• Develop a learning culture for continuous professional development, offering a range of learning activities through internal delivery and commissioning external training providers.
• Manage the ASYE, student and apprenticeship programmes and other initiatives to attract and develop good quality social workers.
• Champion well-being, inclusion and diversity.

We are currently looking for qualified social worker with extensive audit, practice analysis and report writing experience.

You will have skills and the ability to support a culture of innovation, reflection and learning. Skilled and passionate communication is essential as well as an ability to work alongside colleagues from all areas, including social workers, operational managers, senior managers and other multi-disciplinary colleagues.

In return, successful applicants will benefit from a leadership team who care about their staff and the children that they work with, a competitive salary, dedicated time for continuous professional development, high quality reflective supervision and an academy that includes an accredited Systemic Practice programme.

If you want to be the best you can be for our children, please come and join us!

For further information about this role please view the job description.

Additional information:

• This post requires an Enhanced DBS check.
• For any posts that require a DBS check, if you have lived outside the UK within the last 5 years, you will be required to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct or a police certificate from the country/countries you have resided in. Kindly note that this is at the expense of the candidate, as well as any costs involved for translating into English.
• Please note the salary quoted is based on full time hours (37 hours).
• The working hours for this role are 37 hours per week.

The supporting statement section of the application form must be completed unless there are specific criteria questions for you to evidence against. Applications are shortlisted against the essential and desirable criteria found within the job description for the post. Please refer to the job description when completing your application form and evidence how you meet the required criteria/questions. A CV on its own will not be considered.

Unfortunately we are not able to accept applications that are made through a third party agency. We cannot guarantee that any correspondence sent from third party agencies will be responded to. To ensure your application is received please apply online at

Recruitment contact details:

To apply for the position please select the \'Apply for this job\' button at the bottom of the page.

We are proud to be #DisabilityConfident and support fair recruitment practices. Find out how you can get involved at

As a Corporate Parent we are actively aiming to support all our Looked After Children (LAC) and Care Leavers. Any Applicants who are care leavers or in a LAC position and who meet the essential criteria for the post applied for will be guaranteed an interview.

Job Category

Childrens Social Care

Location

Civic Centre, Southampton, SO14 7LY

Head of Service

Quality Assurance

Contract Type

Permanent

Full Time / Part Time

Full time

FTE Salary Min

\xc2\xa342,503

FTE Salary Max

\xc2\xa346,549

Closing Date

10/08/2023

Job Reference

14248

Documents

(Word, 58.16kb)

Southampton City Council