Practice Development Leader

Contract Type: Permanent

Contract Hours: 37 per week

Salary: Grade H3 SCP 36-40 £48,738 - £53,051 per annum

Closing Date: 2nd October 2026 at 12 Noon

This post is open to employees currently On Notice/At Risk and Internal.  Please note applications from employees currently On Notice/At Risk will be given priority. On Notice/At Risk employees should complete the application form as normal, upon submission you must email the Recruitment Team – recruitment@blackpool.gov.uk to ensure that your application form is marked as priority.

Are you an experienced and passionate Social Worker who is committed to raising standards, developing practice and supporting excellence across Children's Services?

Blackpool Council is seeking a highly skilled social worker to play a pivotal role in improving social work practice, supporting workforce development and strengthening safeguarding outcomes across our services. Reporting to the Head of Transformation/Quality Assurance & Principal social worker you will influence practice, drive continuous improvement and help embed a culture of learning and professional excellence. 

About the Role
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Social Worker who thrives on developing others and improving outcomes for children and families.

As Practice Development Lead, you will:

•    Provide professional support to the workforce to strengthen practice, embed learning and drive continuous improvement across Children's Services
•    Support the development and implementation of practice standards across Children's Services 
•    Deliver coaching, mentoring, training, action learning sets and learning circles to support professional development.
•    Lead and participate in quality assurance activities, including audits of social work practice and recording.
•    Support newly qualified social workers (ASYE) and social work students throughout their learning journey.
•    Foster a culture of continuous improvement, reflective practice and professional challenge.
•    Work collaboratively with managers and practitioners to improve performance, quality and service delivery.
•    Contribute to workforce development planning and practice improvement initiatives across the organisation. 

What We're Looking For
We are looking for an influential and credible social worker with a strong track record of practice leadership and workforce development.

Essential Qualifications
•    Professional Social Work qualification.
•    Registration with Social Work England (or equivalent professional registration as applicable).
•    Evidence of post-graduate study and/or Practice Educator qualifications.
•    Ongoing professional development leading to further professional or academic qualifications. 

Why Join Blackpool Council?
At Blackpool Council, our vision is:
"The UK's number one family resort with a thriving economy that supports a happy and healthy community who are proud of this unique town

We are committed to:
•    Delivering high-quality services.
•    Supporting continuous learning and professional development.
•    Creating stronger communities and improving outcomes for residents.
•    Promoting a culture of accountability, fairness, integrity and compassion. 

This role offers a unique opportunity to influence practice across both Children's Services, helping shape the future workforce and ensuring the highest standards of social work practice.

If you are an experienced social work leader who is passionate about professional development, safeguarding and quality improvement, we would love to hear from you. Join Blackpool Council and help make a difference to the lives of adults, children and families across our community. 

If you want to know more about the role, please do contact Rubia Parveen, Senior Practice Development Lead, rubia.parveen@blackpool.gov.uk

to view the Job Description.

Please click here to see the benefits of working for Blackpool Council.

Are you a Blackpool resident aged between 16-24? Would you benefit from some free guidance on producing a quality application for job vacancies such as this one? Blackpool Council?s Youth Hub - The Platform, has highly skilled Employment Advisers that can support you with demonstrating how you can evidence you meet the Essential and Desirable criteria requirements on a Job Description.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children/vulnerable adults. This post is subject to satisfactory reference history of at least two years, Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check, medical clearance, evidence of any essential qualifications and proof of Right to Work in the UK in accordance with the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and amendments to the exemptions order, which mean that certain offences are ‘protected’ and do not need to be disclosed, guidance on the "filtering" of offences can be found at New filtering rules for DBS certificates (from 28 November 2020 onwards) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

For further information on the health and wellbeing support on offer during your employment, please see here.

Have you got what it takes to ride the Roller Coaster ride of Social Work in Blackpool? for further information on the career path and development opportunities available at Blackpool please see here.