Job responsibilities At Kirklees we want to be innovative and creative in the way we work to deliver our services to our communities. We know we have challenging times ahead, so we are always looking for better and smarter ways to work. You will be the Council wide professional lead for adult social work both within the Council and across multi-agency settings. You will ensure promotion of core social work values, strength and asset based approaches and will ensure the highest standards of practice by social workers by taking a professional lead across the organisation on the quality of adult social work practice. Ensuring people we work with remain central to everything we do, you will support and influence adult social work practice at operational and strategic level, relating the views of social workers to all levels of management; providing independent scrutiny of adult social work practice and standards; and ensuring that the views and experiences of adults, their families and carers (and practitioners), inform service planning and delivery. The role will include strategic advice and guidance to Senior Leadership, including the Executive Director of Adults and Health. Key areas of responsibility Reporting to the Head of Social Care Communities, you will have overall responsibility for championing professional adult social work practice and development within the organisation. You will act as a challenge and quality improvement agent to the system, in the role of critical friend providing quality assurance on adult social work practice, including observations of social care practice, safeguarding practice and DOLs work. You will practise and promote social work values and demonstrate a leadership style that fosters a culture of innovation in adult social work practice, providing for coherent local implementation of the national social work agenda for adults. You will lead and oversee excellent adult social work practice, through the development of quality assurance/audit mechanisms that improve social work practice. You will contribute to the development of the teaching partnerships, or their equivalents, with local higher education establishments and neighbouring local authorities. You will have strategic oversight of, and ensure that, professional support and supervision is available to senior social care staff in the Council and will have a lead role in ensuring there are adequate opportunities for peer support and the maintenance of professional identity for those social care specialists working in integrated teams such as mental health. You will establish and maintain effective systems for local social work practice governance, quality and outcomes to ensure the best outcomes for service users. Is the champion for professional social work practices within adults, leading on the development and review of policies and procedures relating to the delivery of social work. Bridges the gap between professional and managerial responsibility, to influence the delivery and development of social work practice. Takes a lead role in ensuring the framework for practice, quality, performance and use of resources is operationalised, using practice evidence, performance information and intelligence to identify and address performance/quality variation across teams. Maintains an overview of the effectiveness of adult social work practice and represents the views of practitioners to all levels of management and Elected members in Kirklees and to partner agencies. Leads on audit activities to ensure agreed objectives and targets are met. Develops and sustains continual quality improvement and best practice. Ensures adult social work employees are supported with regular guidance, mentoring and coaching to enhance the quality of practice. Ensures the Council is taking an active role in regional and national networks, including liaison with the Chief Social Worker, contributing to developments and sharing best practice.