Job profile for Senior Social Work Practitioner
Senior Social Work Practitioner
Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove, BN3 3BQ 04/11/2026
The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.
Job details
Salary £49,817 – £53,051
Contractual hours 37
Basis Flexi Hours Package
We are pleased to offer a wide range of benefits to support you and your wellbeing. You can read about them on our Why work for us pages.
Job category/type Social Work – Adults
Date posted 19/10/2026
Job reference REQ0001668
Attachments 4854.Feb26.Senior Social Work Practitioner.JDPS (3).docx
Shortlisting Questions Preview Senior SW (3).docx
Job description
Do you have strong leadership skills and a passion for supporting staff to deliver high-quality social work practice?
Are you confident managing complex cases and making sound decisions in high-risk situations?
Do you thrive in a multi-agency environment, working collaboratively to improve outcomes for adults with multiple and compound needs?
Are you committed to delivering trauma-informed, inclusive and person-centred services?
The Enhanced Support Team provides enhanced Adult Social Care support to adults experiencing overlapping challenges such as homelessness, mental health difficulties, substance use, domestic abuse and contact with the criminal justice system. This role plays a key part in leading practice, supporting staff, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, safe and effective services for residents whose needs require coordinated, multi-agency responses.
Contract type: This role is permanent
Interviews to be held: TBC
There is full information about the role below and attached but, if you would like an informal discussion, please contact Holly Croydon, Service Manager Operations on 07753280150 or email holly.croydon@brighton-hove.gov.uk
About the role
This is a senior practice and operational role within a specialist service supporting adults with entrenched and overlapping needs. You will support the Service Manager in the day-to-day running of the team, ensuring safe, effective service delivery while leading and developing a team of social work professionals.
What you’ll be doing (tasks)
Providing day-to-day operational management of the service, including allocation of work, oversight of caseloads, and ensuring safe staffing and service delivery.
Line managing and supervising social workers and other practitioners, supporting their professional development, performance, and wellbeing.
Leading on complex, high-risk cases, offering expert advice, decision-making, and oversight to ensure safe and effective interventions.
Ensuring the team meets statutory duties under key legislation including the Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005, and safeguarding responsibilities.
Supporting effective safeguarding practice, including oversight of Section 42 enquiries and risk management for individuals experiencing significant harm or self-neglect.
Managing delegated budgets responsibly, balancing individual outcomes with financial accountability.
Monitoring team performance against key performance indicators and using data, audit, and feedback to drive continuous improvement.
Building and maintaining strong partnerships with housing, health, criminal justice, and voluntary sector organisations to deliver coordinated care.
Contributing to service development, practice improvement, and a strong learning culture, including mentoring, coaching and supporting newly qualified staff and students.
What you’ll bring (skills & experience)
A recognised Social Work (or relevant AHP/Nursing) qualification and professional registration.
Strong working knowledge of legislation including the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, safeguarding frameworks, and relevant housing legislation.
Significant experience working with adults with complex needs, including mental health, homelessness, substance use or related challenges.
Experience of supervising staff, managing performance, and supporting professional development in a high-pressure environment.
Proven ability to manage and advise on complex cases, including risk assessment and safeguarding.
Experience of working within multidisciplinary teams and building effective partnerships.
Confidence in managing resources, including staff and budgets, to deliver effective services.
Excellent communication and IT skills, including recording, reporting, and use of data to improve practice.
A strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusive practice.
Why join us (benefits)
Be part of a specialist, innovative service supporting some of the most vulnerable people in the city.
Opportunities to lead practice and shape service delivery within a developing and evolving team.
Access to ongoing professional development, including leadership, supervision, and specialist training.
A supportive environment that values reflective practice, collaboration, and continuous learning.
Opportunities to contribute to service development and wider system change across Brighton & Hove.
Our commitment to inclusion
We are committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We recognise that people experiencing multiple and compound needs often face significant barriers, particularly those from marginalised or underrepresented groups.
Our team embeds inclusive and trauma-informed practice in all aspects of our work. We actively adapt how we deliver services to meet individual needs, working collaboratively with partners and communities to improve access, reduce inequalities, and achieve better outcomes for all.
Encouraging a diverse workforce
Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it’s what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.
Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).
Why work for us
As a council, we want to:
- be connected
- be confident
- be innovative and creative
- be diverse and inclusive
- be healthy and psychologically safe
Additional information
Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.
We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.
Please note that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check.
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