Senior Social Worker

Overview

Senior Social Worker (Maternity Cover)

Kirklees | 37.5 Hours per Week | Fixed Term Contract to December 2027

Inspire Excellence. Champion Safeguarding. Shape What's Next.

If you're passionate about developing people, influencing systems and strengthening practice, this is your opportunity to make a difference on a wider scale. Join our senior leadership team and help drive the strategic direction of a service committed to improving lives, empowering communities and creating lasting change.

This is more than a Social Work leadership role. It's an opportunity to influence safeguarding practice, shape strategic partnerships, and lead a highly skilled team that helps improve outcomes for children, families and adults across Kirklees.

At Change Grow Live, we believe in people's strengths, potential and capacity for change. Every day, our teams work alongside individuals, families and communities to create opportunities, build resilience and support healthier, safer and more hopeful futures.

We're looking for an exceptional Senior Social Worker to join our senior leadership team on a maternity cover basis. This is a strategic role, distinct from frontline Social Work practice, offering the opportunity to lead and develop our Social Work and Families & Safeguarding offer while helping to shape the future direction of our services across Kirklees.

If you're a collaborative leader who is passionate about safeguarding, professional development and delivering high-quality, evidence-informed practice, we'd love to hear from you.

About the Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity to build on the strengths of an established and highly regarded team of Social Workers, Family Practitioners, Social Work Apprentices and Social Work Students.

Working as a key member of the senior leadership team, you will provide strategic leadership across safeguarding, professional practice and service development. You'll create the conditions for colleagues to thrive through reflective supervision, coaching, professional curiosity and continuous learning, ensuring children, families and adults receive high-quality, person-centred support.

The role offers significant scope to influence practice both within Change Grow Live and across the wider partnership landscape. You'll work closely with colleagues across children's services, adult social care, health, criminal justice and voluntary sector organisations to strengthen pathways, develop collaborative approaches and improve outcomes for people using our services.

As a recognised professional leader, you'll champion ethical, evidence-informed and strengths-based practice, ensuring lived experience remains central to decision-making and service development.

What You'll Be Doing

• Providing strategic leadership and line management to our team of Social Workers.
• Leading the development and delivery of our Families and Safeguarding offer.
• Supporting and developing colleagues through reflective practice, coaching and professional supervision.
• Providing expert advice, consultation and leadership on safeguarding, risk management and complex case decisions.
• Supporting Designated Safeguarding Leads to maintain high-quality safeguarding practice and accountability.
• Leading on complex decision-making and supporting robust, defensible professional decision-making across services.
• Developing effective pathways that help people navigate wider support systems and access the right support at the right time.
• Acting as strategic lead across key safeguarding areas, including Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC), Adult Safeguarding and Children's Safeguarding.
• Representing Change Grow Live within local, regional and national partnerships and forums.
• Deputising for the Services Manager at strategic boards, partnership meetings and panels.
• Building and sustaining effective relationships across social care, health, criminal justice and integrated care systems.
• Driving continuous improvement, service excellence and a culture of learning and innovation.

Location and Working Pattern

Location: Kirklees (Huddersfield and Dewsbury)

We operate across Kirklees, with office bases in central Huddersfield and Dewsbury. While the role requires a regular on-site presence, we support hybrid working arrangements where service needs allow.

This is a full-time position working 37.5 hours per week. Typical hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm, although we welcome conversations about flexible working arrangements that support both excellent service delivery and a healthy work-life balance.

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract (Maternity Cover) until December 2027

Please note: Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, salary and any associated payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours.

Responsibilities

About You

We're looking for a confident and values-led leader who combines strong professional expertise with the ability to inspire, influence and support others.

You'll bring:

• A recognised Social Work qualification and registration with the relevant professional body.
• Significant leadership experience, including motivating, developing and inspiring individuals and teams.
• Experience influencing strategic decision-making and driving service improvement.
• Confidence managing complex safeguarding concerns and making defensible decisions in high-risk situations.
• Experience leading culture change, staff engagement and quality improvement initiatives.
• Extensive knowledge of safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.
• A Practice Educator qualification.
• Excellent partnership-building, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• A commitment to professional curiosity, reflective practice and continuous learning.
• A genuine passion for improving outcomes and creating opportunities for people to thrive.

Most importantly, you'll share our values of being open, compassionate and bold, bringing authenticity, integrity and purpose to everything you do.

Career Pathway

At Change Grow Live, we're committed to helping talented people develop meaningful and rewarding careers.

In this role, you'll have opportunities to:

• Shape safeguarding and Social Work practice at a strategic level.
• Influence service development across a large and diverse organisation.
• Access specialist leadership development and professional learning opportunities.
• Participate in national Social Work forums and communities of practice.
• Develop expertise across safeguarding, substance use, health and integrated care systems.
• Strengthen your experience working at partnership, board and system level.
• Build a platform for future senior leadership opportunities.

Why Join Us?

You'll be joining a supportive, forward-thinking organisation that recognises the importance of investing in its people.

What We Offer

• Commitment to continuous professional development for Social Workers.
• Quarterly National Social Work Forums.
• One day per month dedicated to independent learning and professional development.
• Access to external training, qualifications and post-qualifying awards.
• One hour per week dedicated to wellbeing.
• 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, increasing with length of service.
• Contributory pension scheme.
• A comprehensive employee benefits package including discounts on shopping, travel, cinema and leisure activities.
• A supportive, inclusive and collaborative working environment.
• Hybrid working opportunities, subject to service requirements.

Ready to Make a Difference?

If you're ready to use your leadership, expertise and influence to strengthen safeguarding practice, develop talented professionals and help shape the future of Social Work within Change Grow Live, we'd love to hear from you.

Join us and help create safer futures, stronger partnerships and lasting positive change for the people and communities we serve.

Please ensure that when completing your application form and supporting statement, you reflect on the details outlined in the job description. This will help us understand how your skills and experiences align with the requirements of the role.

Our Approach to AI and Applications

AI can be a really helpful tool when putting together your application, and we're happy for you to use it. However, what we're most interested in is you.

We want to understand your experiences, achievements and strengths, so please make sure your application reflects your own story and clearly shows how you meet the essential criteria and the impact you've made in previous roles.

There's no need to write in a particular style. The strongest applications are those that are authentic, specific and clearly demonstrate your skills, experience and potential. We look forward to learning more about you.

Direct applications only — we will not be engaging agencies for this vacancy.

Please note: This role is eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. For applicants with time-limited visas, unfortunately, we are unable to support new visa applications or extensions.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

This post is subject to an Enhanced DBS check for both Adult and Child Workforces.

Salary Range (pro rata if part time)

CGL points 41 to 48 (£46,725.36 - £54,663.24)

ILW / OLW /Fringe

N/A - Outside London Weighting Area

Closing Date

15/11/2026

If you have any questions on this opportunity that you would like to talk through please contact us using the below details:

Clare Groves | [email protected] | 07595416429

 

This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level.