Practice Improvement Manager

Grade K SCP 39 £50,269- SCP 43 £54,495
Contract: Permanent
Essential Requirement: DBS, Registered with SW England.
Essential Qualification: Must have a Social Work Qualification and registered with Social Work England. Practice Educator Stage 1 & 2.
Interview date: 17th June 2026
For further information about this role, contact Jennifer Kenny Jennifer.kenny@bolton.gov.uk

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Applications that rely too heavily on AI may be rejected during shortlisting, however we understand that AI may be used as a reasonable adjustment, if using AI to support your application, please give a brief explanation why to help ensure fair selection process.
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The Role
As Practice Improvement Manager, you will play a central leadership role in driving high quality, evidence informed social work practice across Children’s Services. Reporting to the Principal Social Worker, you will act as a professional lead for practice standards, continuous improvement and learning culture development, ensuring that Bolton’s practice approach is consistently understood, applied and strengthened.
You will lead the design, delivery and evaluation of practice improvement activity, responding to learning from quality assurance, audits, performance information and national developments, while also taking a proactive and preventative approach to improvement. You will ensure that learning is effectively translated into frontline practice through high quality training, reflective learning opportunities, supervision, coaching and feedback.
Working closely with senior leaders, managers and practitioners, you will provide constructive challenge and support where practice falls below expected standards, championing professional development and workforce capability. You will contribute to strategic planning and organisational development, supporting change and cultural growth aligned with statutory guidance, inspection frameworks and local priorities.
You will also play a key role in developing and maintaining strong professional networks locally, regionally and nationally, representing Bolton and ensuring that research, policy and best practice inform local decision making. As Research in Practice lead, you will support a learning focused, curious workforce that is committed to continuous improvement and better outcomes for children and families.
This is a high impact role for a credible, values led professional who is motivated to influence practice, inspire learning and make a real difference.

If you would like to discuss this role further, please contact Principal Social Worker, Jennifer.Kenny@bolton.gov.uk

About You
You are an experienced and credible registered social worker with a strong professional identity and a passion for raising practice standards and improving outcomes for children, young people and families. You bring extensive experience of working in statutory children’s services and a clear understanding of what good, ethical and evidence informed practice looks like.
You have a strong grasp of adult learning theory and learning transfer principles and are skilled at turning insight from quality assurance, performance data, audits and frontline feedback into effective, solution focused practice improvement activity. You are confident leading improvement both reactively, in response to identified issues, and proactively, anticipating risk and supporting early, preventative learning.
You are a respected influencer who can provide professional challenge and support at all levels, including confidently challenging managers and senior leaders where practice falls below expected standards. You are skilled in report writing, facilitation, presentation and communication, with the ability to translate complex findings, legislation and research into meaningful, practice relevant learning.
You are committed to developing a strong learning culture aligned with Bolton’s practice approach. You have experience of designing, delivering and evaluating training, workshops, reflective learning opportunities and coaching that enable learning to be embedded into day to day practice through supervision, reflection and feedback.
Collaborative by nature, you value partnership working and actively build local, regional and national networks to influence and inform ongoing improvement. Organised and resilient, you are able to manage multiple workstreams and competing priorities while maintaining a clear focus on quality, learning and impact.
Above all, you share Bolton’s values and are motivated by making a difference, modelling curiosity, accountability and professional integrity in everything you do.

If you think you could be what we're looking for, please apply now with your CV and covering letter explaining how you meet the requirements of the role as outlined in the job description and person specification

About Us
This is your opportunity to join us at an exciting time as we have strong ambitions for the borough.

Bolton is a great place to work. We are a welcoming organisation that wants to contribute to a place where people feel active, connected and prosperous. We are passionate about improving the outcomes and experience of Bolton people. We want Bolton to be a vibrant place built on strong cohesive communities, successful businesses and healthy, engaged residents.

As an employer we want to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment, by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits, including discounts and exclusive gym membership prices and salary sacrifice schemes. In addition, we offer a generous annual leave allowance, flexible work opportunities, access to a Pension Scheme, as well as a range of employee wellbeing and support services.

Our Values are really important to us, read all about them below, along with all our great staff benefits, the job description/person specification for the role and the important legal bits, and our Top Tips too.
Ready to apply? Then please click Apply and upload your anonymised CV and supporting statement discussing your relevant skills and experience and explain how you believe they make you a strong fit for this role.

Within Greater Manchester, local authorities have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers, carers, and ex-military personnel. Please see greater.jobs for further information before you apply.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) clearance - this post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (amended in 2013). Employment offers are conditional subject to satisfactory clearances. For roles where a criminal records check from the DBS is required, this includes satisfactory clearance of this check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of an individual’s offence/s. Information provided by you or the DBS will be dealt with in a confidential manner and in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice which can be viewed here. Bolton Council’s policy on the Employment of Ex-Offenders is available here.

This post is a designated customer facing role under the fluency duty and requires a specified level of spoken English as per the person specification.

This organisation has signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment. That means we will recognise your continuous or ‘unbroken’ service in any Greater Manchester local authority or NHS organisation that has signed the commitment, Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service or Greater Manchester Combined Authority, giving you access to our service-related benefits. Please see the home page of greater.jobs for more information.

For more information about working for Bolton Council, please see greater.jobs; for advice and support with your application, contact recruitment@bolton.gov.uk