Senior Social Worker, Preparing For Adulthood Team in Manchester

Working Hours: 35 Hours Per Week

Contract Type: Permanent, Full-Time

Working Style: Hybrid - Employees split their time between working remotely (e.g., from home) and working on-site (e.g., in an office).

Additional Payments: Essential Car User Allowance

Closing Date: 11.59pm, 18 September 2026

Interview Method: Face to Face

This Role is Subject to:

• 2 References
• Qualification - Social Work
• Qualification and registration with Social Work England
• Medical Clearance - Pre-placement health assessment (PPHA)
• Essential Car Documentation - This post is a designated Essential Car User. Therefore, you must always hold a full valid driving licence and provide your own car for use at work. You will receive the Essential Car User Allowance.
• DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) clearance - this post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (amended in 2013). Appointable candidates will be required to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

As a Senior Social Worker within Manchester's Preparing for Adulthood Team, you will play a key role in supporting young people with care and support needs as they transition from childhood into adulthood. Working with young people from age 16-18 onwards, you will help them and the people important to them to plan for the future and achieve the outcomes that matter most to them. The service supports young people with learning disabilities, neurodivergence, physical disabilities, sensory impairments and complex needs, working across children's and adults' services to ensure a seamless transition into adulthood.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead and model excellent social work practice within a highly specialist service. You will manage complex cases, provide professional guidance and consultation to colleagues, support quality assurance and practice development, and promote strengths-based, person-centred and trauma-informed approaches that improve outcomes for young people and their families. You will work closely with education, health, children's services, housing, commissioning, providers and voluntary sector partners to develop creative solutions and overcome barriers to independence and inclusion.

As a Senior Social Worker, you will be instrumental in shaping practice within a service that continues to evolve and innovate. You will contribute to service development, support less experienced practitioners, champion safeguarding and positive risk-taking, and help embed high-quality social work that makes a lasting difference to the lives of young people as they move towards adulthood.

The Preparing for Adulthood Service is unlike many traditional adult social work teams. Our work involves working across children's and adult services and focuses on possibilities, aspirations and helping young people build the lives they want as adults. You will be part of a supportive and ambitious management team, working alongside experienced practitioners, Person Centred Planners and partner agencies to develop innovative approaches to transition planning. The service covers three specialist pathways: Living at Home, Leaving Care and Transitional Safeguarding, providing diverse opportunities for learning, development and career progression.

This is your opportunity to help shape the future of social work with young people at one of the most significant points in their lives.

As a Senior Social Worker in our Preparing for Adulthood Team, you will:

• Lead on the most complex and high-risk cases, supporting young people with learning disabilities, neurodivergence, physical disabilities, sensory impairments and complex needs as they transition into adulthood.
• Chair MDT meetings and Adult Safeguarding meetings.
• Provide professional leadership, guidance and support to social workers, social care assessors and person centred planners promoting high-quality, strengths-based person-centred and trauma-informed practice.
• Undertake complex assessments and care planning, applying legislative frameworks including the Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and associated statutory guidance.
• Lead and contribute to Mental Capacity Assessments and Best Interests decision-making processes, ensuring that individuals' rights, wishes and outcomes remain at the centre of all practice.
• Provide expertise and consultation in relation to safeguarding adults, managing risk, complex family dynamics and multi-agency working.
• Support and advise practitioners in relation to legislative frameworks affecting young people and adults with care and support needs.
• Work collaboratively with health colleagues and wider partners to support Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessments, reviews and decision-making processes where appropriate.
• Work closely with education, health, children's services, housing, commissioning, providers and voluntary sector partners to ensure seamless transition planning and positive outcomes for young people and their families.
• Contribute to service development, quality assurance and practice improvement activity, supporting the development of excellent social work practice across the service.
• Act as a role model for professional practice, supporting colleagues with complex decision-making, reflective practice and professional development.

This is a pivotal role within Manchester's Preparing for Adulthood Service. As a Senior Social Worker, you will not only make a profound difference to the lives of individual young people and families, but will also play a key role in shaping the quality, culture and direction of the service itself.

About the Candidate

We are looking for an experienced and confident social worker who:

• Is a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.
• Has a minimum of three years' post-qualifying social work experience working with adults with care and support needs.
• Has substantial experience of undertaking Mental Capacity Assessments, leading Best Interests decisions, and applying the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
• Has experience of safeguarding adults, risk management and multi-agency working.
• Has knowledge and practical experience of the legal frameworks that support the rights of people who may lack capacity.
• Has experience of working with or alongside Continuing Healthcare (CHC) processes and multidisciplinary health colleagues.
• Demonstrates excellent assessment, analytical and decision-making skills.
• Is passionate about improving outcomes for young people and supporting them to achieve a successful transition into adulthood.
• Can provide professional leadership and support to colleagues while championing strengths-based, person-centred practice.

Essential requirements for the role:

• To be successful in this role, you will:
• Be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.
• Have a minimum of three years' post-qualifying experience working with adults with care and support needs.
• Demonstrate sound knowledge and practical application of relevant legislation and policy, including the Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Equality Act 2010 and Human Rights Act 1998.
• Have significant experience of undertaking Mental Capacity Assessments and leading or contributing to Best Interests decision-making.
• Have experience of co-ordinating safeguarding concerns and undertaking safeguarding enquiries in partnership with other agencies.
• Have experience of working with health professionals and contributing to Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessments, reviews and multi-disciplinary decision-making.
• Demonstrate the ability to manage highly complex casework, balancing risk, rights, professional judgement and person-centred outcomes.
• Have experience of multi-agency working.
• Possess excellent assessment, analytical, report-writing and communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly and confidently in a range of settings.
• Be able to provide professional guidance, support and leadership to colleagues, demonstrating a commitment to high-quality practice and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrate a commitment to strengths-based, person-centred practice and promoting the rights, independence and aspirations of young people as they transition into adulthood.

Desirable requirements that would be useful in this role:

• Experience of working with people with learning disabilities, neurodivergence, physical disabilities, sensory impairments and complex needs.
• Experience of working with young people between the ages of 16 and 25 in transition between children's and adult's services.
• Knowledge of Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND code of practice.
• Experience of partnership working with key stakeholders including health, education, children's services, housing, providers, carers and community organisations to achieve positive outcomes.
• Experience of providing informal practice leadership, mentoring, coaching or specialist consultation to other social workers and professionals working with complex cases.

About Us

We’re the local council for one of the UK’s most vibrant and diverse cities. Working for Manchester isn’t just a job – it’s an opportunity to contribute to a city that leads change and transforms lives. Whether it’s strengthening communities or driving innovation in public services, you’ll play a vital role in creating opportunities and shaping a brighter future for everyone.

Our Manchester is our vision for a fairer, greener, and healthier city – a vision shaped by the people of Manchester. It guides everything we do at the Council and is brought to life through the Our Manchester behaviours:

• We take time to listen and understand
• We work together and trust each other
• We show that we value our differences and treat each other fairly
• We ‘own it’ and we’re not afraid to try new things
• We’re proud and passionate about Manchester

Benefits we offer

• Generous holiday allowance - Enjoy up to 26 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays. Increasing to 31 days after five years of local government service. Want more leave? You can purchase up to two additional weeks during our annual leave purchase period.
• A buzzing pension - You’ll be enrolled in the UK’s largest local government pension scheme, with plenty of options to top up your benefits. Includes life cover of three-times your salary as a lump sum.
• Enhanced parental and carers leave - Take advantage of our enhanced family leave options, designed to provide ample time for you to bond with your new born or support your family during critical life events.
• Brilliant perks - Access a range of discounts, from saving on the weekly shop to holidays and days out with MCR+. Plus discounts on phone contracts, cycle to work scheme, free flu jabs and eye tests, and more.
• Learn and grow - We are dedicated to nurturing talent and providing you with the tools to thrive. Take part in a diverse set of learning opportunities, from workshops and training sessions through to apprenticeships and qualifications. All this begins with our comprehensive onboarding process.
• A Good Employment Charter member - We are committed to offering secure, flexible work and embedding fairness into everything we do. We review pay annually, recognize three trade unions, and are constantly working to offer the best possible health and wellbeing support throughout all stages of your working life.
• Up to 3 days volunteering leave - Give back to the community with three days pro-rate of paid volunteering leave, in addition to existing benefits.

Creating an Inclusive Team at Manchester City Council

At Manchester City Council, we’re dedicated to creating a workplace that truly reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We actively welcome applications from people of all ages and backgrounds, particularly from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, Disabled people and young people.

Support During the Process

• Interview Adjustments: Let us know if you need any adjustments to demonstrate your suitability during the interview.
• Accessible Formats: Our ReciteMe tool can be accessed through the "Accessibility tools" button at the top of our careers page. This tool offers features like text-to-speech, translation into multiple languages, and adjustable text size and colour to make our site more accessible for everyone.

Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

We guarantee assessments for applicants who meet the recruiting panels minimum shortlisting requirements for the role and identify with at least one of the criteria below:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care.
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term condition
• Have you completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme or any MCC positive action programmes?

When You Join Us

We’re a Disability Confident Employer, offering:

• A workplace adjustment hub which provides specialist support, advice and guidance to ensure you have the adjustments needed to thrive at work.
• Disabled Staff Network, Neurodiversity Staff Network and Mental Health Staff Network that provides a safe inclusive space to share experiences and opportunities to influence council practice.
• A strong commitment to ensuring all information adheres to accessibility standards and that our workplaces are accessible and disability-friendly.

For more information about the role or any adjustments, email [email protected].

What we will need from you if you're successful

In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment. This is not a role we consider to be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route based on Manchester City Council policy. Candidates are therefore encouraged to consider their own right to work options without the requirement for Manchester City Council sponsorship.

Pre-Employment Checks

If you are successful in securing a position with us, the pre-employment checks will depend on the role you’ve applied for, see the top of the advert for details. These checks are an important part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our workforce and the community we serve.

Other relevant information

We want everyone to be able to be themselves at work and give their best. If you need additional support to undertake the duties of the role, we’ll make every effort to source any necessary aids, adaptations or equipment. If, however, any task proves to be unachievable, we will look at redesigning parts of the role.

For more information about the role, please ensure that you read the role profile attached.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application. However, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

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