Head of Academy & Principal Social Worker, Children's Services

Head of Academy & Principal Social Worker, Children's Services

Employer: Wokingham Borough Council

Salary: £73,452 - £80,878 (plus additional £3k market supplement)

Location: Shute End, Wokingham

Contract: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full Time

Hours: 37 hours per week

DBS Check: Enhanced

Closing Date: 11/01/2026 at 23:00

Reference: 706490

• Directly manage a team of skilled, passionate and experienced Practice Consultants, alongside Practice, Training and Retention professionals within the Academy.
• Provide strategic leadership and management of the Social Work Academy, ensuring high standards of practice and achievement of key performance targets.
• Deliver innovative programmes to recruit, train, and develop newly qualified and trainee social workers, as well as specialist staff supporting children with SEND.
• Act as Wokingham’s Principal Social Worker, advocating for social work locally and nationally, and championing best practice across the council.
• Lead the implementation of Wokingham’s social work practice model which is systemic relational practice, ensuring staff deliver effective interventions for children and families.
• Oversee training and development initiatives that equip our workforce with the skills and knowledge to safeguard children and promote positive outcomes.
• Contribute to quality assurance, continuous improvement, and service planning alongside other Service Managers and Heads of Service.
• Manage resources and budgets effectively, ensuring compliance with legislation, policy, and council procedures.
• Participate in the out‑of‑hours on‑call rota (currently one week in six).

• A competitive salary: £73,452 - £80,878 (plus additional £3k market supplement)
• Basic annual leave of 31 days, rising to 36 days with continuous service
• On‑site Gym access
• Access to EAP (Employee Assistance Programme)
• Local & national discounts
• Access to Car Scheme in partnership with Tusker
• Enhanced Local Government Pension Scheme

Please apply online via the link provided. Please note, we do not accept CVs submitted without a fully completed online application form.

Interviews:
Week commencing 19th January, in person at our Wokingham offices.

Carrie Mark, Service Director Practice Improvement Quality:

Alix Williams, Recruitment & Retention Specialist for Children’s Social Care:
Al

Wokingham Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff, other workers and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks along with other relevant employment checks.

Wokingham is an equal opportunities employer.

All offers are conditional and subject to the satisfactory completion of pre‑employment checks.

Please note that we reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified, and we will review applications on a daily basis. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we regret that we are unable to respond to every applicant individually. If you do not hear from us within 4 weeks of the Final date to receive applications, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion.