Advanced Social Work Practitioner – Service Improvement Team

Job Description

We are seeking passionate and skilled Advanced Social Work Practitioners to join our Service Improvement Team on an 18 month fixed-term contract.

If you are a dedicated social work professional who thrives on enhancing practice standards and genuinely wants to improve outcomes for children, young people, and their families, this could be the perfect next step in your career.

Dudley Children’s Services is in an inspiring phase of development. We place children and young people at the center of everything we do, adopting a Family Safeguarding model that unites multidisciplinary professionals including social workers, mental health specialists, substance misuse experts, and family support workers in a collaborative, integrated way. Our approach emphasizes restorative principles and strengths-based methods, helping families and their support networks build resilience and achieve lasting positive change.

We are now expanding our Service Improvement Team and recruiting four experienced Advanced Social Work Practitioners who are eager to coach and inspire others. In this role, you will focus on driving service enhancements across children’s social care. You will partner closely with frontline teams to demonstrate exemplary practice, deliver targeted development initiatives, and support individual practitioners, teams, and services in delivering the highest quality support for Dudley’s children and families.

Our Service Improvement Team includes a Service Lead, a Team Manager, and a small group of Advanced Practitioners. We collaborate closely with the Dudley Centre for Professional Practice to promote ongoing learning, quality assurance, and practice excellence throughout the service.

What We Can Offer You:

• A welcoming, team-oriented workplace with a blended working pattern (at least 3 days per week in the office, pro-rata for part-time).
• Strong opportunities for your own professional learning and career progression.
• The real satisfaction of helping shape better services and directly improving life chances for vulnerable children and young people.
• A thorough induction program to help you settle in quickly and confidently.

This is more than a job it’s a chance to contribute to meaningful, lasting improvements in how we support families in Dudley.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Charlotte Mancey by email at charlotte.mancey@dudley.gov.uk or call 01384 815819.

Key Details:

• Workplace attendance: Minimum 3 days per week in the office (pro-rata), or full-time onsite as required.
• Contract type: 18-month fixed term.
• Applications: Submit only via the online form. Public library facilities in Dudley Borough are available if needed.
• We are committed to fair recruitment and diversity. To reduce unconscious bias, personal details (name and date of birth) are anonymized during initial shortlisting please remove these from any uploaded documents before applying.

Support is available:

• For help with online applications, digital skills, or interview preparation → Contact Dudley Adult and Community Learning on 01384 818143 or acl@dudley.gov.uk.
• If you have a disability and need adjustments during the application or interview process → Email HR.Resourcing@dudley.gov.uk.
• Technical issues with the application system → Check the WM Jobs Help Page first (https://help.wmjobs.co.uk/), then contact HR.Resourcing@dudley.gov.uk if needed.

We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply promptly.

Dudley Council is an equal opportunities employer dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.