Principal Social Worker & Practice Lead

Are you a visionary social work leader dedicated to excellence in practice? Achieving for Children is looking for a Principal Social Worker (PSW) and Practice Lead to champion high-quality social work and drive continuous improvement across the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead.

We are an Ofsted Judged 'Good' local authority that places children and young people at the heart of everything we do. In this pivotal role, you will be the professional voice of our frontline practitioners, ensuring that our social work delivery is reflective, evidence-based and consistently improves the lives of the families we serve.

About the role

The Principal Social Worker is a high-profile leadership position designed to bridge the gap between frontline practice and senior management. You will provide independent scrutiny on statutory duties while fostering an environment of reflective practice and professional growth. You will be an advocate for the profession, ensuring that the views of social workers and the lived experiences of children and families directly influence our service planning.

You will be the driving force behind our practice frameworks and will lead the development and embedding of Signs of Safety (SoS) and our newly adopted Systemic practice, creating the resources and learning pathways that empower our workforce. This is an exciting opportunity to develop your practice through the offer of the Systemic foundational year which is accredited by the Association of Family Therapy.

Key responsibilities include:

• Acting as the primary liaison between practitioners and senior leaders, providing a strong professional voice for the workforce.
• Leading on quality assurance and policy guidance to ensure inspection readiness and compliance with professional standards.
• Embedding evidence-based approaches and monitoring the effectiveness of the Signs of Safety framework across all services.
• Working alongside the PSW for Kingston and Richmond and reporting to the Associate Director of Quality Assurance to ensure a unified approach to excellence.

If you wish to have an informal discussion about the role please contact Sarah Moran, Deputy Director Children's Social Care & Early Help on sarah.moran@achievingforchildren.org.uk

About you

We are looking for a resilient, energetic leader who is passionate about strength-based practice and delivering better outcomes for children. To succeed in this role, you will need:

• Relevant post-graduate qualification and current Social Work England registration. You should also be a Qualified Practice Educator and a recognised Signs of Safety Practice Lead.

About our benefits

We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:

• 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (Or for term-time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non-working periods in your contract)
• Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
• Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
• Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• A range of staff benefits and discounts
• An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway