Social Work Lead

Gloucestershiremusic; Tewkesbury; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - GBP 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government council in Tewkesbury is seeking a Social Work Lead to manage and develop Social Workers in delivering high-quality care. Responsibilities include supervising and mentoring, coordinating complex cases, and ensuring compliance with legislation. Ideal candidates will have a social work qualification, SWE registration, and a commitment to promoting people's strengths. This full-time role offers a supportive environment and career development opportunities, alongside 25.5 days of annual leave.

Benefits

Regular support and supervision

Annual leave increasing with service

Access to training and development

Qualifications

• Registered Social Worker with experience in Adult Social Care.
• At least 2 years of post-completion service after ASYE programme.
• Up to date knowledge of legislation.

Responsibilities

• Manage and guide Social Workers through supervision and mentoring.
• Coordinate and manage section 42 enquiries.
• Promote a culture of professional curiosity.

Skills

Experience in Adult Social Care

Ability to promote people's strengths

Knowledge of legislation

Risk-based prioritization

Fast-paced environment adaptability

Education

Social work qualification

SWE registration

Job description

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This is a Gloucestershire County Council job.

• Job Title: Social Work Lead
• Job Location: Tewkesbury Borough Council Offices
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Closing Date: 15/02/2026
• Job Requisition Number: 13298
• This post is not open to job share

Are you a registered Social Worker, with experience in Adult Social Care, looking for your next career move? We would love to hear from you!

About the role:

We have a full time Social Work Lead position available in our Tewkesbury Locality Team. To find out more about working in the Tewksbury team, visit the ‘Meet our Teams’ page.

As a Social Work Lead, you will manage and take a lead role in the professional development of Social Workers and other practitioners through supervision, mentoring and offering advice. You will be expected to promote a culture of professional curiosity, encouraging accountability and role modelling this in your own best practice. We look to our Social Work Leads to coordinate and manage section 42 enquiries and to guide practitioners through other complex, high risk situations. Applicants must be able to demonstrate their practice experience and knowledge of legislation and be focused on delivering positive outcomes for the people of Gloucestershire.

About you:

As Social Work Leads, we understand the work you do on a daily basis and provide the support you need to make a difference to the people of Gloucestershire. To join us, you must:

• Have a social work qualification and be SWE* registered
• Have completed your ASYE* programme and have at least 2 years post completion service
• Enjoy working in a fast-paced environment
• Have the passion to promote people’s strengths and the ability to make a difference in a safe working approach to social work practice
• Have up to date knowledge of legislation and demonstrable experience of providing credible approaches to practice.
• Be able to prioritise, using a risk based approach

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

About us:

Gloucestershire County Council Adult Social Care make use of the Three Conversation approach, a model that re‑emphasises focus on people, their strengths and the networks and community around them.

Our Social Work Leads do all they can to make the difference to local communities in Gloucestershire. Here are some of the benefits we offer in return for your hard work.

• Regular formal and informal support
• Safe, reassuring and positive working environment with regular, supportive supervision
• Transfer options after one year in post, allowing for continuous development of skills and knowledge in different Adult Social Care settings.
• Accredited post‑qualified training opportunities, enabling you to develop your skills
• Personal licences to Adults CCINFORM
• Access to mandatory training and additional topical bi‑annual workshops.
• Clear progression pathways, to support you in progressing professionally and personally
• Annual leave of 25.5 days, increasing to 30.5 days after 5 years employment, plus bank holidays
• 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
• 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.
• Free onsite parking at our office based in Tewkesbury
• Links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) network and the Young Employees Network.

We’re closer than you think:

We are an easy commute from many locations, view our commuting times map to see what we mean. However, we understand that commuting isn’t for everyone, so if you are in the process of relocating, why not email us to discuss opportunities further.

Applying:

To start your journey with us, click ‘Apply’ today!

Please write your application with consideration for the criteria in the Job Description. This should include examples of why you should be considered and the experience, transferable skills and knowledge that you would bring to the post. You will find a link below to our Job Description.

Additional Information

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

This Position is subject to a DBS check.

The council is not currently able to offer sponsorship in this role. Candidates will need to have right to work that enables them to commit to at least 6 months employment. Right to work is not transferable from a sponsored role held with another employer.

If you are an Internal applicant and consider yourself to have a disability* as per the Equality Act (2010), please declare this in an email to [e-mail], as this is NOT currently covered in the application due to a technical error.

By providing this information, you can choose to be considered for a guaranteed interview under our Disability Confident pledge if you meet all essential criteria. It also enables the recruiting manager to arrange any reasonable adjustments you may need during the process.

*a disability is defined as: a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long‑term (more than 12 months) adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day‑to‑day activities.

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 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.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early due to the volume of applications received. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible.