We are excited to be recruiting for a Head of Policy and Workforce. The next few years are likely to be seminal in the ongoing development of social work in Scotland, with significant change driven by reform through the National Care Service, the Promise, Mental Health Law Review, etc. With the Director, this post constitutes the senior management of the organisation, linking in directly with Social Work Scotland’s Board, local authority Chief Social Work Officers and key partners (such as the Office of the Chief Social Work Advisor) to identify, shape and participate in the national agenda for social work.

The Head of Policy and Workforce has a broad remit, providing operational social work insight and expertise across many issues, including workforce planning, leadership, learning and development, management and wellbeing. The role has responsibility for overseeing one or more national projects currently hosted by Social Work Scotland, and line managing other members of the team. The role works closely with the Director to inform the future of the organisation, and engage in a range of key national meetings, to ensure the social work profession is properly represented, in line with the membership’s positions.

If successful in securing the post, you will have the opportunity to build relationships with the leadership of the social work profession in Scotland, in operations, regulation, advocacy, policy, education and academia. You will lead a team of Policy and Practice Leads and Advisors to ensure the wider connecting themes that exist across the profession are reflected in the work that we do at the national level. Through these relationships you, and the team you will lead, will have a key role in steering the profession through its continuous process of change and development, identifying opportunities for improvement and innovation. You will be a visible representative of the profession at the national level, and you will help others to articulate Social Work Scotland’s positions.

At the core of Social Work Scotland is a commitment to assisting the profession be the best it can be for the individuals, families and communities who need social work or social care support; the Head of Policy and Workforce role is central to us delivering on that commitment. The successful applicant for this role will be a high achiever, able to manage multiple threads and tasks, be passionate about social work and able to instil that enthusiasm and dedication to wider groups to effect meaningful change.

To apply for this post, please submit a covering letter/email and a completed application form. Your covering letter should be between 800 and 1000 words and should set out why you want the job, and summarise how you meet the job’s ‘Person Specification’. Please state in your application form if you do want us to contact references prior to interview. Secondments welcome.

Social Work Scotland is the professional body for social work managers and leaders. We are a membership organisation with over 350 individual and organisational members. Social Work Scotland have been the host organisation for the Social Work Education Partnership (SWEP) Programme Office since 2020 and will continue to host SWEP staff through the partnership’s next phase of development.

That next phase involves the establishment of Regional Managers for the leadership and coordination of social work education across Scotland. In the first instance these roles will lead the stakeholder consultation, development and implementation of a new infrastructure for the planning and delivery of social work education. In years ahead, the Regional Managers will have a central role in overseeing the framework for advanced social work practice, supporting social workers through their career and professional journey.

SWEP Regional Managers will work within distinct regions of Scotland, supporting partners in that area to effectively deliver social work education and secure the future social work workforce. They will also work collaboratively alongside other Regional Managers and the SWEP Programme Office to enable effective, consistent national delivery. The infrastructure proposals identify three regions for the individual remit areas of the Regional Managers; North, East and West. (Further information can be found in the recruitment pack)

Giving cognisance to the existing structures in the West of Scotland, initially we are looking to recruit Regional Managers for the North and East areas.

We are excited to be appointing a Self-directed Support Project Officer to contribute to the work of a small team delivering on the Scottish Government’s Self-directed Support project, hosted by Social Work Scotland. The post holder will work closely in partnership with local partnerships, national stakeholder organisations and national government to provide implementation support and develop best practice approaches including a national model agreement for Option 1 Direct Payment.

Essential

Candidates should hold a professional qualification, have experience in the design and delivery of social care services and experience of working in a project.

Enquiries can be made to Calum Carlyle by email to: calum.carlyle@socialworkscotland.org

Social Work Scotland is the professional body for social work managers and leaders. We are a membership organisation with over 350 individual and corporate members. We exist to promote and support the development of the social work profession, and to inform, influence and improve public policy and public services.

In 2019 the Scottish Government and key partners established the Social Work Education Partnership (“SWEP”), to ensure continued improvement in the quality of social work education in Scotland. To facilitate and support the delivery of SWEP’s work plan a programme office was established, hosted by Social Work Scotland.

With the conclusion of SWEP’s first phase of work the programme office is now being re-set and expanded, to ensure the team is equipped to progress with the next, ambitious phase of change and development for social work education. Applications are now invited for the roles of Partnership Delivery Manager and Depute Partnership Delivery Manager.

The Depute Delivery Manager role will focus upon ensuring that SWEP’s strategic priorities are delivered at national and regional levels. They will oversee the recruitment and work of SWEP’s Regional Managers, as they establish an innovative regional infrastructure for the coordination and delivery of social work education and professional development. In the first instance the new infrastructure will facilitate a new approach for the planning and provision of social work student placements.

In 2019 the Scottish Government and key partners established the Social Work Education Partnership (“SWEP”), to ensure continued improvement in the quality of social work education in Scotland. To facilitate and support the delivery of SWEP’s work plan a programme office was established, hosted by Social Work Scotland.

With the conclusion of SWEP’s first phase of work the programme office is now being re-set and expanded, to ensure the team is equipped to progress with the next, ambitious phase of change and development for social work education. Applications are now invited for the roles of Partnership Delivery Manager and Depute Partnership Delivery Manager.

The Delivery Manager role is an exciting opportunity for an individual to lead work of national significance, reshaping social work education in Scotland for a generation. You will report directly to, and take direction from, the Social Work Education Partnership, developing, refining and delivering on a programme plan of varied, interconnected projects. The initial focus will be the establishment of an effective regional infrastructure for the planning and management of social work education, with priority given to the introduction of an innovative model for the provision of student placements.

Social Work Scotland is the professional body for social work managers and leaders. We are a membership organisation with over 350 individual and corporate members. We exist to promote and support the development of the social work profession, and to inform, influence and improve public policy and public services.

We are excited to be recruiting for a Justice Social Work Policy and Practice Lead. Scotland’s justice system has been subject to extensive change over recent years, and emerging from the pandemic the impetus for reform has never been stronger. The implications for Justice Social Work are likely to be significant, and this post will be critical in ensuring the voice and expertise of social work is heard in national debates; including, but not limited to, the ongoing development and expansion of community justice, the organisation and delivery of justice services locally, and implications of a National Care Service. The post will help facilitate the engagement and leadership of our Justice Social Work Standing Committee members, Chief Social Work Officers and the Social Work Scotland Board. In partnership with colleagues in Social Work Scotland and the Scottish Government’s Office of the Chief Social Work Advisor, this post also offers a chance to join up interdependent but disconnected policy agendas, constructing a more coherent and enabling operational environment for justice social work.

If successful in securing the post, you will have the opportunity to build relationships with the leadership of the social work profession in Scotland, in operations, regulation, advocacy, policy making, education and academia. You’ll also build or strengthen links across the justice sector, within Scotland, the UK and internationally. You will be a visible representative of the profession, and you will help Social Work Scotland’s members to realise opportunities and resolve challenges. At the core of Social Work Scotland is a commitment to assisting the profession be the best it can be for the individuals, families and communities who need social work or social care support; the Justices Social Work Policy and Practice role is central to us delivering on that commitment.

We are excited to be recruiting for a new Digital Social Work Policy and Practice Advisor. With support from Scottish Government’s Technology Enabled Care (TEC) programme and Office of the Chief Social Work Advisor, and in partnership with a range of national and local partners, the post will lead efforts to strengthen operational social work’s involvement in relevant technological developments. The post will build connections between social work teams and the TEC programme, ensuring national plans are shaped by the profession’s unique role and responsibilities. And the post will help create the conditions for extending the use of technology and digital services across all domains of social work and social care (i.e. children and families, justice, adults, older people, drugs and alcohol, etc.).

Social Work Scotland exists to promote the unique contribution and role of professional social work, with individual social workers balancing responsibilities to promote social justice and empowerment with those around public protection. This post, combined with our existing work programme, should create opportunities to explore how technology can enhance the profession’s work. Through the connection of this post to our membership, committees and sub groups, and with partners such as the Scottish Association of Social Work, our aim is that social work can better shape and direct the ongoing national work in this area, ensuring it is of real relevance and value to the critical roles that social workers hold.

The role of Digital Social Work Policy and Practice Advisor within Social Work Scotland will continue our contribution and strategic influence on the advancement of social work principles and practice in the developing national programme of work around technology and digital solutions to strengthen the introduction and mainstreaming of these areas within social work and social care.

If successful in securing the post, you will have the opportunity to build relationships with the leadership of social work in Scotland, across operations, regulation, advocacy, policy making, education and academia. You’ll also build or strengthen links with Scottish Government, voluntary sector and private sector colleagues, within Scotland, the UK and internationally. You will be a visible representative of the profession, and you will help Social Work Scotland’s members to realise opportunities and resolve challenges. At the core of Social Work Scotland is a commitment to assist the profession be the best it can be for the individuals, families and communities who need social work or social care support; the Digital Social Work Policy and Practice Advisor role will make a valuable contribution to us delivering on that commitment.

We are excited to be appointing a Self-directed Support Project Officer to contribute to the work of a small team delivering on the Scottish Government’s Self-directed Support project, hosted by Social Work Scotland.

The post holder will work closely in partnership with local partnerships, national stakeholder organisations and national government to provide implementation support and develop best practice approaches including a national model agreement for Option 1 Direct Payment.

Essential

Candidates should hold a professional qualification, have experience in the design and delivery of social care services and experience of working in a project.

Social Work Scotland is the professional body for social work managers and leaders. We are a membership body, with members coming from across the public, private and voluntary sectors. We exist to promote and support the development of the social work profession, and to influence and inform public policy affecting social workers, social services and local communities.

Upholding the values which underpin the social work profession, we give importance to every individual’s experiences and voice, and seek to make social justice real through all that we do. We embrace change and encourage collaboration. We are committed to creating opportunities for our members and team through which individuals can develop as compassionate, creative and effective leaders.

As Social Work Scotland’s Justice Social Work Policy and Practice Lead you will provide operational social work insight and expertise across the diverse range of issues currently facing justice social work in Scotland. Supporting the Justice Standing Committee’s Chair, you will be a visible representative of the profession in national discussions about policy, funding and reform. You will link in directly with Social Work Scotland’s Board, local authority Chief Social Work Officers and key partners (such as the Scottish Government’s Justice Directorate and Office of the Chief Social Work Advisor) to inform, influence and deliver the national agenda. You will assist colleagues and Social Work Scotland members to realise our organisation’s core objectives.

Social Work Scotland is the professional body for social work managers and leaders. We are a membership organisation with over 350 individual and corporate members. We exist to promote and support the development of the social work profession, and to inform, influence and improve public policy and public services.

We are excited to be recruiting for a new Protecting Children Policy and Practice Advisor. With funding provided by Scottish Government, this post will play a key role in supporting statutory social work to integrate and implement the refreshed national Child Protection Guidance.

The post will help facilitate connections between the leadership of the profession, Scottish Government and Child Protection Committees Scotland. It will also contribute extensively to Social Work Scotland’s work around delivery of the Promise, and national discussions relating to Equal Protection, the Age of Criminal Responsibility, incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and reform of Joint Investigative Interviewing of Children.

Working in partnership with local social work Child Protection leads, Scottish Government Social Work Professional Advisors and colleagues in CELCIS, etc., the post will provide both capacity and leadership at the national level. Taking direction from our Chief Social Work Officer network, Child Protection Sub-Group and Children and Families Standing Committee, the post holder will have the chance to assert the unique contribution and value of social work in the provision of holistic support for children and families.

At the core of Social Work Scotland is a commitment to assisting the profession be the best it can be for the individuals, families and communities who need social work or social care support; the Protecting Children Policy and Practice Advisor role is central to us delivering on that commitment.

Applicants should have experience of policy development and implementation, and be confident operating at a national level.

We are looking for an individual who can identify issues, articulate solutions that are workable, and build consensus; all with a view to social work values and principles.

The post holder will be a qualified and registered social worker with significant experience in children and families social work.

Social Work Scotland is the professional body for social work managers and leaders. We are a membership organisation with over 350 individual and corporate members. We exist to promote and support the development of the social work profession, and to inform, influence and improve public policy and public services. We are excited to be recruiting for a new Adult Social Work Policy and Practice Lead. With cross-party support for the development of a National Care Service in Scotland, and the legacy of COVID-19 still unravelling, the next few years will present many opportunities to reassert the role and value of social work. For adult social care, new structures of governance, operations and scrutiny may be built; in each domain social work must articulate what it needs in order to deliver positive change for individuals and communities.

This post with Social Work Scotland will be at the centre of those national debates, helping to facilitate the engagement and leadership of our Adult Social Care Standing Committee members, Chief Social Work Officers and the Social Work Scotland Board. In partnership with colleagues in Social Work Scotland and the Scottish Government’s Office of the Chief Social Work Advisor, this post also offers a chance to join up interdependent but disconnected policy agendas, constructing a more coherent and enabling operational environment for social work as a whole.

The post will have a role in supporting national projects currently hosted by Social Work Scotland, such as implementation of Self-Directed Support.

If successful in securing the post, you will have the opportunity to build relationships with the leadership of the social work profession in Scotland, in operations, regulation, advocacy, policy making, education and academia. You’ll also build or strengthen links across the Adult Social Work and Social Care sectors, within Scotland, the UK and internationally. You will be a visible representative of the profession, and you will help Social Work Scotland’s members to realise opportunities and resolve challenges. At the core of Social Work Scotland is a commitment to assisting the profession be the best it can be for the individuals, families and communities who need social work or social care support; the Adult Social Work Policy and Practice role is central to us delivering on that commitment.

We are excited to be recruiting for a new Children & Families Social Work Policy and Practice Lead.

Scotland is at a critical moment in the evolution of its services and support for children and families, with change likely to be particularly significant for social work. Realisation of the Promise, incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility, reform of Secure Care – just a few strands from a tightly interwoven agenda, within which each distinct part offers real opportunity for progress, and considerable operational challenge.

This post with Social Work Scotland will be at the centre of these national developments, helping to facilitate the engagement and leadership of our Children & Families Standing Committee members, Chief Social Work Officers and the Social Work Scotland Board. In partnership with colleagues in Social Work Scotland and the Scottish Government’s Office of the Chief Social Work Advisor, this post also offers a chance to join up interdependent but disconnected policy agendas, constructing a more coherent and enabling operational environment for social work as a whole.

The post will have a role in supporting national projects currently hosted by Social Work Scotland, such as reform of Joint Investigative Interviewing of Children. If successful in securing the post, you will have the opportunity to build relationships with the leadership of the social work profession in Scotland, in operations, regulation, advocacy, policy making, education and academia. You’ll also build or strengthen links across the Children & Families sector, within Scotland, the UK and internationally. You will be a visible representative of the profession, and you will help Social Work Scotland’s members to realise opportunities and resolve challenges. At the core of Social Work Scotland is a commitment to assisting the profession be the best it can be for the individuals, families and communities who need social work or social care support; the Children & Families Social Work Policy and Practice role is central to us delivering on that commitment.

Social Work Scotland is the professional body for social work managers and leaders. We are a membership organisation with over 350 individual and corporate members. We exist to promote and support the development of the social work profession, and to inform, influence and improve public policy and public services.

We are excited to be recruiting for a new Head of Policy and Workforce. The next few years are likely to be seminal in the ongoing development of social work in Scotland, with significant change driven by the adult social care reform agenda and the Promise (children’s services), among others.

With the Director, this post constitutes the senior management of the organisation, linking in directly with Social Work Scotland’s Board, local authority Chief Social Work Officers and key partners (such as the Office of the Chief Social Work Advisor) to set and participate in the national agenda. The Head of Policy and Workforce has a broad remit, providing operational social work insight and expertise across all issues, but primarily workforce planning, leadership, learning and development, management and wellbeing. The role has responsibility for overseeing one or more national projects currently hosted by Social Work Scotland, and line managing other members of

the team.

If successful in securing the post, you will have the opportunity to build relationships with the leadership of the social work profession in Scotland, in operations, regulation, advocacy, policy making, education and academia. Through these relationships you will have a key role in steering the profession through its continuous process of change and development, identifying opportunities for improvement and innovation. You will be a visible representative of the profession at the national level, and you will help others to articulate Social Work Scotland’s positions.

At the core of Social Work Scotland is a commitment to assisting the profession be the best it can be for the individuals, families and communities who need social work or social care support; the Head of Policy and Workforce role is central to us delivering on that commitment.