Salary range (based on full time hours) £58,604

County Offices, Aylesbury (but you'll need to travel across the county) Ref: POR01562

Your impact will be felt across the entire county. You matter. At Buckinghamshire County Council, we're never afraid to re-evaluate the way we do things, or to implement change. And nowhere is that approach more important than in the area of social work. We've already embarked on an extensive change programme based on the recommendations of the Munro review and you'll play a pivotal role in the programme's success.

The role

This is about being a social work champion – you'll drive best practice in the Council, with our partners, and nationally through links with the Chief Social Worker. You can expect to play a key role in the changes we're making, including the re-focus of our early help offer and radical changes to the way we approach social work in line with the ‘reclaiming social work' model. You'll help us develop a systemic approach to practice as well as being our lead advisor on all issues relating to social work practice. That means taking responsibility for staff training and development, providing consultation on best practice, acting as Agency Decision Maker, and being involved in the Children's Safeguarding Board work programme. Put simply, you'll be responsible for driving continuous improvement in our organisation – and for securing improved outcomes for children across the county.

Your skills and experience

This is a high profile role which will see you shaping the future of social work within Buckinghamshire, so you'll need exceptional leadership skills along with a social work degree, registration with HCPC and training in systematic practice at least to AFTSP Intermediate level. We'll be looking for substantial experience of working directly with children and their families at a senior practitioner level, including a full range of statutory social work tasks, and for experience of managing a complex and varied caseload . You should have an up-to-date knowledge of relevant best practice, legislation, guidance and regulations, and you'll be skilled at building relationships with service users and carers, agencies and colleagues. Passionate and driven, you'll bring the ideas and vision to make our social work service more effective than ever before.

Buckinghamshire County Council will support you with all the resources needed to help you meet the demands of a challenging job. We believe in backing and supporting successful, talented people, who are proud to work for Bucks CC – a top-rated council – and who want to make a difference to improving people's lives. We are committed to ensuring that our best asset – our people – benefit from rewarding careers, growing and working with us to meet the challenges of a changing environment.

Next steps

To find out more about Buckinghamshire County Council, please visit www.buckscc.gov.uk/jobs where you can also find out more about a career with us and sign up to our talent community.

To apply, please visit this website

Closing Date: 28th May 2013

Positively welcoming applications from all parts of the community.