Experienced Social Worker

Grade H/I SCP 27 £38,220- SCP 31 £41,771, I SCP 31 £41,771- SCP 35 £46,142 plus Essential Car User Allowance up to £963pa
Contract: Permanent
Essential Requirement: Driving License, DBS.
Essential Qualification: Must have a Social Work Qualification and registered with Social Work England.
Interview date: TBC
For further information about this role, contact Mandy Fitzsimmons Mandy.Fitzsimmons@bolton.gov.uk

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

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
We embrace AI to enhance our operations and to innovate our services. However, we value human talent and are looking for passionate individuals to join our organisation. Please ensure you personally complete your application and read all the instructions carefully to maximise your chances of success.

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.
Ask us about flexible working options to fit with your work/life balance - #HappytoTalkFlexible

The Role
Are you an experienced Social Worker looking to join a high-performing, supportive local authority where your wellbeing, development and professional judgement are valued?

Our roles are predominantly in our Safeguarding and Referral & Assessment Teams, although other posts may become available.
At our most recent Ofsted inspection, inspectors recognised the positive culture within Bolton Children's Services, noting that:
"Social workers are well supported and say they feel valued."
and
"Social workers describe a culture of regular and reflective supervision. "
In 2023, Bolton retained its overall GOOD Ofsted rating following our ILACS inspection, reflecting our ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality services for children and families.
Why Bolton?
We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:
Payment of your Social Work England registration fee
Genuine hybrid and flexible working arrangements (subject to service requirements)
Free on-site parking
Modern office facilities, including an on-site café
Annual leave starting at 28 days, increasing to 32 days after five years' local government service
A supportive and visible management team who are readily available to provide guidance and support

We offer the opportunity to work with some great people who are passionate about relational, child centred and restorative practice to improve comes for our children and families. We believe families are the experts in their own lives and welcome participation in shaping our services.

We are also committed to workforce collaboration and development and strong relationships with our partners.

Bolton takes a relational and restorative approach to our recruitment in line with our practice approach and so we would love to hear from you, for an informal discussion please contact Mandy Fitzsimmons for Referral & Assessment or Jodie Brannick / Karen Duckworth for Safeguarding.
Mandy.Fitzsimmons@bolton.gov.uk 01204 336156

Jodie.Brannick@bolton.gov.uk Karen.Duckworth@bolton.gov.uk

Bolton is a GOOD authority but it’s not complacent and there are lots of opportunities to contribute to how our services are developed and we welcome ideas, innovation and new ways to do things differently. We will encourage you to be part of and contribute to our whole service days, our practice weeks, our social care briefings, as well as being part of our workforce voice meetings where you can really shape how we do things here in Bolton.

About You
We are looking for experienced social workers able to confidently deliver best practice to achieve positive outcomes for our children and families. Reporting to a team manager, the role will require excellent partnership working, relationship building skills, and the ability to coordinate multi-agency meetings, assessments, plans, and intervention.

You will be experienced in delivering quality outcomes for children and young people

You will have an ability to develop strong relationships with children and their families, partners, and your colleagues

You will show a commitment and embody Bolton Council’s values

How to apply
If you are excited by the opportunity to join Bolton Children's Services, please submit your CV along with a supporting letter outlining how you meet the requirements of the role, as detailed in the Job Description and Person Specification. If you would like to be considered for a particular team, please indicate this within your application.

We are committed to providing a positive candidate experience and review applications regularly so you can expect to hear from us promptly following submission.

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