Workforce Development Support Officer

About the team

The Principal Social Work Team plays a central role in supporting practice excellence across Children's Social Care at Oxfordshire County Council. Working alongside service leaders, practitioners and partners, the team is responsible for driving continuous improvement, embedding best practice and ensuring our workforce has the skills, knowledge and confidence to deliver high-quality services for children, young people and families.

The team leads on professional standards, workforce development, learning and development, practice improvement and the implementation of national reforms across Children's Social Care. We work collaboratively with colleagues across safeguarding, quality assurance, partnerships and operational services to design and deliver learning opportunities that support excellent social work practice and positive outcomes for children.

This is an exciting time to join the team as we continue to develop our workforce offer in response to the Families First reforms, Family Safeguarding model and wider changes across Children's Social Care. We are committed to creating an environment where learning is valued, innovation is encouraged and staff feel supported to grow and develop throughout their careers.

About the Role

Are you an organised and proactive administrator with a passion for learning, development and supporting excellent practice? Would you like to play a key role in developing the Children's Social Care workforce and helping to improve outcomes for children, young people and families across Oxfordshire?

We are looking for a Workforce Development Support Officer to join our Principal Social Workers Team within Children's Social Care. This is an exciting opportunity to support the coordination and delivery of a wide range of learning and development activities that enable social care professionals to build the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to provide outstanding services.

In this role, you will provide high-quality administrative, coordination and project support for the Children's Social Care training and development programme. Working closely with the Workforce Development Manager, internal trainers, external providers, Corporate Learning and Development colleagues and operational services, you will help ensure that learning opportunities are effectively planned, communicated, delivered and recorded.

You will be responsible for coordinating training programmes, managing course schedules, supporting learning management systems, monitoring attendance and producing reports that help evaluate the effectiveness of the training offer. You will also contribute to the ongoing development and improvement of learning programmes linked to Families First, Family Safeguarding, practice development, specialist training and wider national reforms within Children's Social Care.

This is a varied and rewarding role that requires excellent organisational skills, strong attention to detail and the ability to build positive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. Whether arranging training venues, responding to enquiries, analysing evaluation data or supporting workforce development projects, you will play an important part in ensuring our workforce has access to high-quality learning opportunities that support service improvement.

About you

You will have experience of providing effective administrative, coordination or project support within a busy environment, ideally within learning and development, training, social care, education, local government or a similar setting.

You will be highly organised and capable of managing multiple priorities while maintaining accurate records and ensuring actions are followed through to completion. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential, as you will regularly liaise with colleagues, trainers, service managers and external providers.

You will be confident using Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Outlook and Word, and comfortable working with shared drives, SharePoint and learning management or booking systems. Experience of producing reports, analysing data and presenting information clearly will also be important.

Most importantly, you will share Oxfordshire County Council's commitment to continuous learning, inclusion, service improvement and supporting a workforce that delivers the best possible outcomes for children and families.

Could this be you?

Before applying, we recommend reviewing the attached job description. It contains further information about the role and the essential criteria we will use during the selection process.

Rewards and benefits

At OCC, you'll be part of a team that’s not only passionate about what we do, but also about how we do it. We foster a culture of inclusion, respect, and continuous improvement, and we’re proud to offer flexible working arrangements, professional development opportunities, and a strong sense of purpose in everything we do.

• Hybrid working – Flexibility is important to deliver the service and to suit individual lifestyles, we encourage discussion at interviews as we acknowledge there isn’t a one size fits all approach.
• Culture of flexible working
• Great learning and development opportunities to support your growth
• Technology to support agile working – with unlimited access to Copilot for smarter productivity
• Employee Assistance Programme with health and wellbeing support
• Generous annual leave - up to 30 days plus bank holidays, and an option to 'buy' additional time off
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Local Government Pension Scheme - employer contributions up to 18.9%
• Discounts - local and national offers for shopping and travel

Ready to Apply?

• If you are interested in this role, please submit your application by XXX
• We are open to job-share applications.
• This role may be suitable for a secondment opportunity. Please apply as below and indicate that you are interested in a secondment.
• When applying, please include a current CV along with a personal statement of up to 750 words outlining how you meet the requirements of the role.
• Shortlisting will take place week from XXX.Interviews will be held in person or via Microsoft Teams soon after.
• For informal enquiries or further information about the role, please contact: XXX
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Our commitment to:
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to:
Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to:
Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Our commitment to:
Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, part time working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

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