Social Worker - Supervising

Posting date:	15 January 2026
Salary:	Not specified
Additional salary information:	Competitive
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	14 February 2026
Location:	Wigan, WN1 1NJ
Company:	inploi
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	75778979

Summary

Priority Candidates will be considered in the first instance

Wigan Life Centre South

College Avenue

Wigan

WN1 1NJ

Salary: Grade 9, £22,624 - £25,592 per annum.

21 hours per week

We're on a journey to build a workforce reflective of our Borough.

We are committed to fostering diverse teams where everybody can bring their authentic selves to work and feel that they belong. If you want to work for a Council where everybody is encouraged to meet their full potential and make a difference in our neighbourhoods, we would love to hear from you!

Your role:

You will help to deliver and lead good quality, child centred practice across the service. You will ensure that practice is underpinned by Progress with Unity principles and the Family Safeguarding Approach which is embedded in all our work with children and families.

You will assist in the day-to-day matching of referrals to foster carers through liaison with the allocated SSW, ensuring that any support or training needs are identified for carers. You will complete matching documentation ensuring timely distribution and tracking. You will assist in ensuring placement planning meetings take place and assist with key tasks as directed by the duty manager, contributing to a service that puts children first.

About you:

Ideally, you’ll bring experience of working with children and young people who are looked after, and/or have a background in fostering. A solid understanding of fostering legislation and the Fostering National Minimum Standards is essential.

You’ll be proactive, with a commitment and motivation to match children and young people to carers. The role requires you to have strong interpersonal skills to engage effectively with foster carers and highlight their strengths. Building robust, lasting relationships with colleagues, partner agencies, and foster carers will be second nature to you.

You’re a team player who sees the strengths in everyone you work with and approaches challenges with creativity and a commitment to innovative problem-solving, whilst ensuring that when required seeking advice from the duty manager.

About us:

Wigan Council has been voted ‘Overall Council of the Year’ at the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) Awards. We are signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment ensuring that your service will be continuous or 'unbroken' between the supporting organisations.

The Progress with Unity plan is a place movement for change for the next decade, bringing a new era for Wigan Borough. It draws on the strengths of our individual organisations, recognising that together we can achieve much more for our communities by delivering on our 2 place missions; create fair opportunities for all children, families, residents and businesses and make our towns and neighbourhoods flourish for those who live and work in them.

We are making great strides here in Wigan to make our fostering service even better. We have six fostering team managers in Wigan, providing a breadth of experience and opportunity across different specialisms. Our fostering leadership team is strong and experienced providing great peer support and challenge. We have lots to celebrate and we want to further develop a consistent trauma informed, therapeutic approach in all our carers. We are keen to develop and provide consistency to our duty team and are looking for those with interest in matching children and young people to our approved carers and identifying long-term matches for our children.

Wigan is a great place to work, and as a Local Authority, we truly value and recognise our staff as its greatest asset. We are embedding the Family Safeguarding Approach in our Children’s Services. We are ambitious about our offer to Wigan’s children and young people, and our shared goal is to ensure that young people have accommodation options that prepare them for adulthood. Through our “BeWigan” behaviours, Be Courageous, Be Accountable and Be Positive, we actively encourage innovation, strive to deliver outstanding services and celebrate our successes.

Here at Wigan, we are proud to support flexible working patterns, when the service can accommodate this. We also take a blended approach to where we work, depending on the work we do. This may include working from home, the office, or the community. We like to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits click here to find out more about working for #TeamWigan.

To be appointed to this role you must be able to prove your right to work in the UK. Please visit the link below to check you qualify to apply. Please note, at present we are not a licenced sponsor. Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Prove your right to work to an employer

For further information, please contact Jen Aylesbury Ball at J.Aylesbury-Ball@wigan.gov.uk

Interview date: Week Commencing Monday 9th February 2026

This position is subject to Enhanced Disclosure Procedures plus child barred list check The employer is committed to safeguarding

To view the details relating to this position, please click the links below:

Supporting Documents

↗ Job Specification
↗ DBS Applicant Information
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