Practice Lead - Adult Social Care

We have an exciting opportunity for a Practice Lead to join us! Are you an experienced social worker with a passion for excellent practice, learning and professional leadership? This is a full‑time, permanent role, with a salary of £47,831 - £52,414 per annum plus an annual retention bonus of £3,000 subject to eligibility.

The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead is seeking a Practice Lead to join our Adult Social Care service. This is a key professional leadership role, working closely with the Principal Social Worker, to strengthen practice quality, support our workforce and help shape the future of Adult Social Care in the borough.

This is an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic Practice Lead to join our Adult Social Care service. Why now? It’s a great time to join RBWM. We’ve started our transformation journey—Living Well Together—a vision shaped by staff that’s about helping residents live well and enabling our teams to work well together in a connected, compassionate, and forward‑thinking environment. We’re investing in new roles, new technology, and enhanced learning and development to support our teams and improve outcomes.

Our latest staff survey shows:

• 92% of colleagues feel their work is meaningful
• 87% say their line manager demonstrates the council’s values

At RBWM, we are proud of our ambitious and supportive Adult Social Care service. We are committed to:

• High‑quality, strengths‑based practice
• A positive learning culture
• Workforce development and career progression
• Working together as One Team to improve outcomes for residents

Our values – Humility, Empower, Respect, One Team – underpin everything we do.

The role: As Practice Lead, you will play a vital role in promoting and embedding high‑quality, strengths‑based and person‑centred practice across Adult Social Care. You will provide expert professional advice on complex work, model best practice, and support practitioners through coaching, reflective development and direct practice involvement.

Your role will involve:

• Provide authoritative professional advice on complex casework, including safeguarding, mental capacity and risk enablement.
• Support and influence practice quality through reflective supervision, coaching and skills‑based development.
• Contribute to quality assurance activity, audits and service improvement.
• Support learning from safeguarding adult reviews, complaints and assurance activity.
• Play a central role in supporting ASYE and Social Work Apprenticeship programmes.
• Hold a small, flexible caseload to maintain practice credibility and support teams during periods of pressure.
• Work collaboratively with managers, partners and practitioners to strengthen outcomes for residents.
• Contribute to CQC assurance readiness and statutory compliance.

This is a practice‑focused role, using professional influence and expertise rather than line management, and offers the opportunity to make a tangible difference to the quality of social work practice across the service.

What we are looking for:

• An experienced, reflective and values‑driven social worker who is committed to continuous improvement and professional leadership.
• A recognised Social Work qualification and registration with Social Work England.
• Significant post qualifying experience in statutory adult social care.
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding, the Mental Capacity Act and strengths based practice.
• Experience of supporting and developing practitioners, students or newly qualified social workers.
• The ability to influence and improve practice through coaching, reflection and collaboration.
• A clear commitment to co‑production and working alongside residents and carers.
• Practice Educator and/or Best Interests Assessor qualifications are desirable but not essential.

What we offer:

• 32 days annual leave.
• Payment of Social Work England registration renewal fees.
• Free employee parking close to the offices.
• Flexible working including a hybrid working pattern for a better work‑life balance.
• Generous Local Government Pension scheme includes life cover (3 times of annual salary); and an Additional Voluntary Contribution (AVC) scheme to enhance your pension provision.
• Give As You Earn scheme.
• Instant Reward Scheme to recognise and reward innovative achievement.
• Employee Assistance Programme providing counselling, advice and information.
• Access to discounts and deals with hundreds of retailers, including discounted gym memberships and travel deals.

RBWM values a collaborative and inclusive work environment, fostering creativity and innovation in all aspects of its operations. As an equal opportunities’ employer, we encourage applications from all as we believe diverse talent makes us stronger. If you have a disability, are a current or former member of the armed forces or have been part of any formal care system up to the age of 25, you will be guaranteed an interview, should you meet the minimum requirements for the role.

Interview dates: Thursday 28 May. If you wish to discuss this position informally, please contact Dr Mary Francis (Principal Social Worker) on Mary.Francis@RBWM.gov.uk.