Your career in children's social care
When working in children's social care, you can expect to be able to progress in your career, and to move through available job roles as you gain experience or choose to focus on areas of social work which interests you.
Available roles include:
- Student Social Work Placement
- Social Work Degree Apprenticeship
- Frontline Programme
- Step Up to Social Work
- Return to Social Work
- Newly Qualified Social Worker
- Social Worker
- Senior Social Worker
- Advanced Practitioner Social Worker
- Practice Manager
- Practice Consultant
- Service Manager
- Independent Reviewing Officer
- Local Authority Designated Officer
- Head of Service
Student Social Work Placement
We're part of the Yorkshire, Rural and Urban Teaching Partnership and continue to influence discussions about course content, admissions and placements.
We've worked with and provided placements for University of York.
Social Work Degree Apprenticeship
Our Social Work Degree Apprenticeships are run internally.
Apprentices study with the Open University for 3 years whilst working in their substantive teams, undertaking 1 placement outside of their team.
We guarantee an interview upon qualification of the BA in Social Work.
Frontline Programme
The Frontline programme takes place over 2 years and includes:
- Year 1 as a student in a Unit with their consultant Social Worker
- Year 2 as a Newly Qualified Social Worker undertaking the assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE) programme in a Social Work team
Frontline participants are trained to work systemically.
Step Up to Social Work
The Step Up to Social Work programme is fast-tracked, and is intended for people with significant previous experience and a 2:1 degree.
It runs bi-annually and students are hosted by the authority on a bursary.
Return to Social Work
Qualified social workers who have taken a career break or pause from registration can undertake the Department for Education Return to Social Work programme to support re-registration.
We offer placements and experience to support you in gaining re-registration.
Newly Qualified Social Worker
We have a comprehensive assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE) programme which includes membership of our Social Work Academy programme and an accredited module delivered at Huddersfield University.
This crucial first year is about providing the support and experience needed to develop and evidence the individuals learning journey. Each newly qualified social worker (NQSW) will keep a critical reflection log, develop a professional development plan, be directly observed and seek feedback, which becomes the NQSW’s portfolio to evidence their development through the first year.
The ASYE portfolio is internally moderated, and external moderation takes place at a standardisation panel with partners across the Teaching Partnership.
NQSW’s are allocated to a named Social Work Consultant, who provides mentoring and support. The newly qualified social worker carries out a self-assessment against the Knowledge and Skills Statement (KSS), and this forms a tailored learning and development plan which is agreed and regularly reviewed with their mentor, manager and ASYE co-ordinator at 3 monthly review meetings.
Newly qualified social workers start with a reduced caseload, so that they have protected time to learn and develop with support and assessment feedback at 3, 6, and 9 months and a summative assessment based on the KSS at 12 months. In addition to this, they also participate in the Social Work Academy.
Social Worker
Following completion of the ASYE program, social workers have the opportunity to develop further in their roles.
Social workers will continue to receive reflective supervision, to access learning and development opportunities structured around the KSS. Social Workers can also access further accredited continuing professional development through our Teaching Partnership.
Senior Social Worker
Senior social workers may undertake a range of tasks including:
- managing a caseload of children and their families with the most complex problems
- designing and implementing appropriate care solutions
- deputising for the service manager
- mentoring and co-working with less experienced social work practitioners, including NQSWs
- supervising social work students
Senior Social Workers will also be expected to take advantage of the practice educator route, to support students in placement.
Any Social Worker meeting the progression criteria (three years post qualifying experience and endorsement from their line manager) can be recruited as a Senior Social Worker.
The opportunity to progress to a Senior Social Worker is available to all Social Workers across the service once they are able to meet the progression criteria.
Advanced Practitioner Social Worker
Advanced practitioners are non-case holding social workers in York. The role has been developed to provide:
- consultative advice
- support and guidance to social workers in their teams
- support for learning and quality assurance frameworks
Advanced Practitioners will also be expected to take advantage of the practice educator route, to support students in placement.
We jointly deliver the Practice Education 1 (PE1) and Practice Education 2 (PE2) courses with the University of York, where social workers, senior social workers and advanced practitioners have the opportunity to quality and support student in their learning on placement within the authority.
Practice Manager
The Practice Manager role is a social work qualified manager, responsible for primarily non-qualified or non-case holding teams.
This role is responsible for case management and supervision of team members.
Practice Consultant
The Practice Consultant directly supervises and supports students from across Children’s Social Care Teams.
This is a supportive role, involving:
- assessment and intervention methods that students will use in their practice settings
- acting as a champion for practice education
- promoting best practice
- supporting other Practice Educators (PEs) throughout the organisation
- contributing to teaching on the PE programmes
- facilitating practice learning sessions for students
- increasing the Teaching Partnership’s capacity to deliver statutory placements
This role is key to helping to build a workforce of well trained, competent and confident social workers who can meet the challenges of practice.
The Practice Consultant is the ASYE co-ordinator, chairing all ASYE reviews within children’s social care, and is responsible for the development and delivery of the Social Work Academy.
Maintaining close links with Workforce Development, the practice consultant supports mapping of learning to the KSS and Professional Capabilities Framework as well as supporting planning and delivery of the social work apprenticeship and return to social work programmes.
Service Manager
A Service Manager is a social work qualified manager, responsible for teams of social workers.
The Service Manager is responsible for:
- case management
- supervision of team members
- quality assurance
- team development
A management qualification or the ability to work towards obtaining one is required.
Independent Reviewing Officer
An Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) will be Social Work qualified and experienced.
The IRO is responsible for:
- provision of independent quality assurance
- scrutiny and review of care
- safety planning to children in care and subject to safeguarding interventions
The IRO is responsible to escalate and seek resolution of potential drift or poor practice affecting the delivery of services.
A management qualification or the ability to work towards obtaining one is required.
Local Authority Designated Officer
A Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is a statutory role.
The LADO is responsible for overseeing the City of York Council Safeguarding Partnership Managing Allegations Against Staff procedure.
This is a social work qualified role, with substantial social work experience and ideally some management experience.
The role involves:
- dealing with enquiries and referrals from a range of partnership agencies, independent and voluntary organisations
- providing advice and guidance around managing allegations
- determining if threshold has been met for LADO
- delivering training on LADO process to teams within the service, and other relevant partners as required
Once a referral has been accepted, the LADO is responsible for chairing meetings, maintaining oversight whilst investigations are carried out, and ensuring any conclusions are recorded and relevant referrals made to regulatory bodies.
Head of Service
Head of Service is a senior leadership role involving second line management and quality assurance, and practice development of a number of service areas.
The Head of Service will deliver a cost effective service to an agreed budget, and manage de in line with this objective. Will provide a strategic lead for their service area.
A leadership qualification or the ability to work toward one is required.
Also see
Recruitment Team
Human Resources (HR) Business Centre