Professional Social Work Adviser for Justice

Job summary

Are you an experienced social worker ready to lead justice social work nationally?

This is an exciting opportunity to join the new National Social Work Agency (NSWA) as Professional Social Work Adviser for Justice Social Work (JSW), playing a key role in shaping the Agency’s development and influencing the future of the social work profession in Scotland. The postholder will support the National Chief Social Work Adviser and Deputy Chief Social Work Adviser, ensuring the provision of professionally informed advice across government policy, with a specific focus on justice social work. They will work alongside Professional Social Work Advisers for children’s, adults’ and mental health services and be a member of the NSWA senior leadership team.

We are seeking a highly experienced social worker to lead all aspects of JSW, working closely with policy teams across the Scottish Government to ensure national policy is informed by professional advice and experience. They will be confident in constructively challenging national and local approaches to policy development and implementation, and committed to improving outcomes through person-led principles grounded in social justice and human rights.

The postholder will provide strategic and organisational leadership within the NSWA as a new executive agency, while advising Scottish Ministers on all matters relating to JSW. They will help shape national social work policy, respond to emerging challenges, and ensure consistent, high-quality practice across Scotland. Acting as a strong voice within the Scottish Government, they will champion the cross-cutting nature of social work and influence justice-related policy areas, working closely with relevant justice bodies and the Scottish Government’s Justice Directorate.

Collaboration with sector partners is essential, including local government, local leaders and social work employers. Through the Scottish Social Work Partnership—an alliance between NSWA, COSLA and Social Work Scotland—you will, as a principal partner, help drive a shared vision for a skilled, supported and sustainable workforce equipped to meet Scotland’s current and future needs.

Job description

• Provide well-informed, high quality and timely professional advice to Scottish Ministers and Government officials on statutory responsibilities as they relate to justice social work practice, regardless of setting.

• Ensure justice social work has a strong voice within Scottish Government, advocating for the profession in national policy development and collaborating across government to ensure policy aligns with front line practice and implementation.

• Become a core member of the NSWA’s senior management team, ensuring the Agency delivers its core objectives/functions and recognised as the source of justice social work advice and guidance across national government

• Collaborating with the Justice Directorate to ensure that the social work perspective is represented during policy development, ensuring the implications of policy decisions are considered in terms of their impact on JSW.

• Working with the Justice Directorate to support the delivery of Scottish Government justice priorities including providing professional advice on areas relating to prison based social work, community justice interventions, early intervention, Diversion from Prosecution, Community Payback and Drug Testing and Treatment Orders, post- release supervision and Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements as required.

• Promote professional leadership for the profession, working closely with partners to advance professional accountability, and drive service improvement across the sector.

• Contribute to national policy development across the Scottish Government, advising on the implications of new legislation and government initiatives for the social work profession, working collaboratively to find practical, consensus-driven solutions that improve outcomes

• Challenge conventional approaches to delivery of social work services within and beyond Scottish Government to support improvement and transformation in the sector, including recognising the financial implications of introducing new practices involving budgetary expenditure.

• Promote the vital role of social work in protecting vulnerable individuals and groups, raising standards, and developing a confident, competent, and valued workforce focused on service user needs.

• Lead national policy forums and represent the NSWA and Scottish Ministers as required, fostering strong, collaborative relationships with key partners to enhance the effectiveness of the NSWA, the profession, and social work services across Scotland

• Promote the raising of standards and the development of a confident, competent and valued social work workforce focused on the needs of the service user including contributing to the embedding of effective professional governance at a local level.

Person specification

Qualifications

It is essential that you are a registered social worker with the SSSC or equivalent body.

Success profileSuccess profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on. Experience

• Extensive experience and significant achievement in social work and Service Management at Service/Senior Manager/Head of Services or equivalent in JSW.

• Current knowledge of Justice social work services, strengths and challenges and awareness of emerging themes.

• Strong understanding of the Scottish political and policy landscape in Scotland, with experience of contributing to national reform agendas and aligning services with strategic priorities.

• Proven ability to work across organisational boundaries, to build and maintain partnerships and relationships across stakeholders and politicians that generates confidence, respect and collaborative working

Behaviours:

• Changing and improving - Level 4

• Leadership - Level 4

• Communications and Influencing - Level 4

You can find out more about Success Profiles here: Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £77,460, Scottish Government contributes £22,440 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Apply via the link provided

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Angela.Latta@gov.scot
• Email : Angela.Latta@gov.scot

Recruitment team

• Email : Angela.Latta@gov.scot

Further information

https://fa-evxn-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1001/job/3036/?utm_medium=jobboard&utm_source=CivilServiceJobs