Social Work Lead
Gloucester
This is a Gloucestershire County Council job.
- Job Title: Social Work Lead
- Job Location: Shire Hall
- Salary: £48,226 - £51,356 per annum
- Hours per Week: 37.00
- Contract Type: Permanent
- Closing Date: 15/07/2026
- Job Requisition Number: 14230
- 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!
Subject to meeting qualifying conditions, we offer relocation of up to £8,000 to use towards the cost of relocating to Gloucestershire.
About the role:
We have a full time Social Work Lead position available in our Mental Health Team.
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 the team/service:
The Mental Health Service at Gloucestershire County Council supports adults who have social care needs arising from a primary, nonorganic mental health condition/s. Our service works across a range of settings, including community and inpatient, providing high quality, person-centred support that empowers people to live as independently and safely as possible.
We take a recovery-focused, strengths-based and trauma-informed approach, placing wellbeing, prevention, and personal autonomy at the heart of everything we do. Our work is grounded in partnership, collaboration, and a deep commitment to improving outcomes for the individuals and communities we serve.
This is an exciting time to join us, as the council re‑establishes its Mental Health Service following a Section 75 agreement which is being led by our Leadership team with extensive knowledge and experience of Mental Health Social Work. If you are passionate about supporting adults with mental health needs, share our values, and want to contribute to a service built on compassion, respect and empowerment — we want to hear from you.
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. See more about our Values on our website.
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.
About us:
In addition to a competitive remuneration package, we offer a range of benefits, in return for your hard work:
- Regular formal and informal support
- Safe, supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
- 25.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5 days after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays
- Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme
- Access to training and workshops so you can develop your skills
- Clear career progression pathways, to support you in progressing professionally and personally
- Staff discount scheme that offers access to great savings including discounts with major supermarket chains and high street retailers
- Personal licences to Adults CCINFORM (for Social Workers)
- Reimbursement of professional Social Work registration fees (for qualified Social Workers)
- 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.
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) network and the Young Employees Network.
- Gloucestershire Salary Sacrifice Green Car Scheme (T&C's apply)
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:
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, skills and knowledge that you would bring to the post.
For an informal discussion, please email ASCRecruitment@gloucestershire.gov.uk
To start your journey with us, click ‘Apply’ today!
Additional Information
This position is subject to an Enhanced Adults DBS with Barred List check.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.
The council is not currently able to offer sponsorship for the remaining roles. 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 recruitment@gloucestershire.gov.uk, 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.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.
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.