Consultant Social Worker

Who we are & what we stand for

Do you want to help make Gateshead a place where everyone thrives? If that sounds like you, keep reading - we might be the perfect match. We’re delighted that you’re interested in working with us. You’d be joining us at a very exciting time. We pride ourselves on our ambitious and forward-thinking approach to taking care of Gateshead and its people, and we passionately believe that our employees reflect that spirit in truly enabling Gateshead to thrive.

At Gateshead Council you’d be a highly valued member of a team that recognises and respects the skills that you bring to your role, encourages creativity and passionately advocates a great work‑life balance. Our actions speak louder than words, and with flexi‑time and hybrid working available across many of our roles, as well as a full suite of outstanding employee benefits, we’re confident that it isn’t just the salary that attracts our staff.

We offer a focused and joined‑up approach to give young people the best possible start in life. This is incredibly important work and includes an excellent early help and prevention service, assessment, intervention and safeguarding supporting children and their families, services for children in and having experienced our care, our fostering, residential and adoption services, support for vulnerable adolescents & those with disabilities and many more.

It can be challenging but very rewarding as we passionately pursue our goal of helping Gateshead children to thrive.

We have a Social Care Academy that builds on our well‑respected ASYE programme, which is highly valued by Newly Qualified Social Workers and across the wider workforce, including our Senior Management Team. The programme received positive feedback at our most recent Ofsted inspection, where Children’s Services were graded Good, and we have a clear ambition to achieve Outstanding.

We have an exciting opportunity to recruit a Consultant Social Worker to our Social Care Academy in Gateshead. This post is Fixed Term for 12 Months.

• Work alongside the Academy Team Manager and Consultant Social Worker to assess and support two cohorts of Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) each year, based in the Academy team for 3–6 months before they transition into permanent posts within Children’s Social Care.
• Act as Practice Educator for a pod of up to four student social workers, undertaking their final placements within the Academy team.
• Lead group supervision for student social workers and NQSWs on a regular basis, and support other Practice Educators in delivering effective reflective supervision.
• Co‑work cases with NQSWs to support progression of plans in line with statutory duties, including cases involving risk of significant harm and/or legal intervention.
• Provide a consultative and supportive role to social workers in the early stages of their careers and beyond, enabling access to high‑quality learning, practice development and progression opportunities.
• Remain embedded in frontline social work practice while gaining experience of oversight, quality assurance and operational direction within a team.
• Maintain oversight (alongside the Team Manager) of the workloads, performance and quality of practice of the student social workers and NQSWs you support.
• Undertake formal assessment and make professional recommendations in line with Social Work England standards and Skills for Care requirements.
• Contribute to the development of Early Career Social Work pathways and development programmes, supporting continuous improvement across Children’s Social Care and Early Help.

The Consultant Social Worker role is central to the experience of all Early Career Social Workers in Gateshead and offers a unique opportunity to positively influence outcomes for children, young people and their families through the development of a confident, skilled and…