Head of Social Work​/Social Care

We are seeking an experienced and values-driven leader to take on the role of Head of Social Work/Social Care, a pivotal position spanning Devon Partnership NHS Trust (DPT) and Devon County Council (DCC) within a well-established Section 75 partnership. This is a unique opportunity to provide strategic leadership across an integrated health and social care system, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and legally compliant services for people with complex needs.

The role leads on the professional governance of social work and social care, including acting as Head of Profession for registered social workers within DPT, and provides Devon-wide oversight of the Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) service, ensuring statutory Mental Health Act duties are delivered consistently and effectively. This post plays a critical role in shaping high-quality, person-centred practice, strengthening workforce capability and maintaining strong partnership working across organisational boundaries.

The Head of Social Work/Social Care provides strategic and operational leadership across integrated mental health services, ensuring robust governance, quality assurance and statutory compliance under the Care Act and Mental Health Act. The role oversees assigned and delegated social care functions delivered through the Section 75 partnership agreement, providing assurance across both DCC and DPT through established governance routes, including report writing and regular reporting to Boards and committees.

As Head of Profession, the postholder leads on professional standards, registration, supervision, and development for all registered social workers within DPT. The role also provides Devon-wide leadership and oversight of the AMHP service, ensuring sufficient capacity, resilience and high-quality statutory decision‑making.

In addition, the postholder leads on key areas of practice and process, including safeguarding, hospital discharge, Section 117 aftercare and transitions to adult services, driving consistency and continuous improvement across the system. The role is responsible for progressing the strategic vision and priorities set both nationally and locally, leading change through improvement programmes and delivering the annual objectives of the Section 75 partnership agreement and its associated development plan.

Responsible To:

• Executive Chief Nursing Officer & Allied Professions
• Deputy Chief Operating Officer with direct report to DCC DASS

Job Purpose

This role is to support the delivery of excellent social care in Devon Partnership Trust.

This post:

• Head of Profession for Social Work throughout DPT
• Leads on the delivery of the Section 75 for Devon County Council
• Supports the development of improved performance and service delivery of mental health social work and care both across Devon Partnership Trust, Devon County Council and Torbay Council
• Ensures close liaison with service user and carer networks in respect of service delivery and development and will help to promote recovery and social inclusion
• Provides social work and social care leadership, ensuring effective consultation, engagement and dialogue on social care policy and professional social work and social care issues.
• Promotes quality improvement of mental health social work and care within Devon Partnership Trust and the local authorities
• Lead on a range of programmes addressing performance and service issues
• Effectively manages the delivery of social care within the assigned budgets
• Manages allocated social care/social inclusion projects and undertake other corporate projects as agreed within individual objectives and will deputise for the responsible Director as required.

Key Objectives

The outline objectives for this post are:

• Promote a social care management and professional leadership structure that aligns to contemporary legislation and approaches to social care service
• Liaise with the directorates to lead, influence and support best delivery of social work and care
• Assuring Care Act eligibility criteria are being applied consistently
• Assuring Social Care reviews are being undertaken consistently to the correct criteria
• Assuring carers assessments and support are undertaken
• Meeting Local Authority financial and performance targets and identifying gaps and constructing plans to remediate
• To highlight any training needs to support assigned staff to work effectively as a mental health social care function
• To hold day to day operational responsibility for the delivery of the savings plan.

The role

Social Work and Social Care Leadership the post holder will seek to enhance and develop leadership skills within the social work profession across the Trust, ensuring an effective contribution to the overall leadership of the Trust.

Social Work and Social Care Performance the post holder will help develop and oversee the performance requirements under the Sec 75 agreement and lead on the interface with Devon County Council on policy and…