Wigan Council believes all of our children deserve the best start in life and we’re looking for the right people to make this happen across a range of teams.
We want you to join our exciting team and help make a real difference to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people across the borough, while strengthening our current workforce.
Our staff benefits package
Working for Wigan’s Children's Services means you’ll have access to a range of benefits:
- Competitive salary - up to £42,403 per annum for social workers
- Flexible working
- Supportive work environment with regular supervision and group reflection
- Managed caseloads, with reduced caseloads for the newly qualified
- Training and support package, including Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities
- Up to 32 days annual leave plus opportunity to buy up to an additional 10 (pro rata)
- Free parking
- Health and wellbeing support
- Excellent pension scheme
- Shopping discounts
- Gym membership discount
- Based in Wigan - the heart of the North West with established travel networks from both Manchester and Liverpool, making it an ideal place to live and work. For the time you need to spend in the borough on visits, our offices are easily accessible from the M6, M61 and the M58.
Find out more about why you should work for Wigan Council.
Training and support
We offer a comprehensive training offer to support you to develop your skills, including:
- Bespoke CPD booklet providing a wealth of learning opportunities across a range of topics including virtual learning events, training, blogs and e-learning for Children’s Social Care
- Access to research in practice resources, tools and workshops as part of a continuous development programme
- Regular 'My Time' discussions with your manager which focus on your wellbeing, personal supervision and development
- Newly qualified social workers joining Wigan benefit from our comprehensive ASYE offer. It aims to ensure that all newly qualified social workers in Wigan feel that they have the right level of emotional and practical support in place to help them develop and excel as social work practitioners
- We will ensure that all newly qualified social workers will be provided with an ASYE assessor on their first day, and they will be allocated to a Workforce Development Advanced Practitioner to oversee their first year in practice.
- Continued support from our Second Supported Year in Employment (SSYE) programme for those as they move out of their first year in practice. With a bespoke training offer focusing on increasing your skills, confidence and experience in social work practice.
Health and wellbeing
We believe that the health and wellbeing of our staff is paramount. As well as regular support from your manager and your team, all social care staff across Wigan can access a wealth of dedicated wellbeing support. This includes:
- Dedicated focus on support and wellbeing through your induction and beyond
- 24-7 access to our Wellbeing Hub and Helpline offering free, confidential support to help you overcome whatever challenges life brings
- Bespoke free counselling can be accessed via telephone, virtually or face to face.
- Fast track physio service and lots of other ‘Get Moving’ initiatives that will help you to stay physically active, including discounted gym membership
- Tailored, dedicated support in the event of any serious incident, including regular Schwartz Rounds sessions to promote wellbeing and shared experiences of reflection amongst peers.
We’ve got your back
We recognise that social work can come with its own set of challenges, and we’re here to say - we’ve got your back.
- We foster supportive working environments
- We make sure caseloads are managed, which we know can make a huge difference to workloads
- We invest in you to make sure you have the right skills and experience
- We provide quality supervision
- We offer plenty of flexibility when it comes to personal situations and family priorities.
How do I apply?
If you’re interested in joining our friendly social care team, we would love to hear from you. To get in touch, you can: