Social Worker - Quality Assurance

Children’s Services Quality Assurance Project | Nottingham City Council
Up to £37.50 per hour (Umbrella) | Locum contract 

Nottingham City Council is looking for an experienced Qualified Social Worker to join a Children’s Services Quality Assurance Project. This is a role for someone who can look at practice with a sharp eye, spot themes early, and turn audit findings into clear, practical actions that actually improve outcomes for children and families.

You’ll be completing and moderating audits, undertaking case investigations and compliance checks (including short-notice pieces of work), and producing strong, evidence-based reports that highlight risk and drive improvement. If you’re confident challenging practice appropriately and working with managers to support learning and change, you’ll fit well here.

About the Role

This project supports service improvement through a structured programme of audit and quality assurance activity. You’ll provide oversight, challenge, and reporting across a range of children’s social care practice areas, helping ensure consistent standards and measurable progress against improvement actions.

Key Responsibilities

  • Plan and coordinate audit activity across the year

  • Complete planned and short-notice audits, including compliance checks and case investigations

  • Produce clear audit reports with findings, risks, and recommendations

  • Moderate audits to ensure consistency and quality across all audit work

  • Track progress against improvement plans and report on impact

  • Provide constructive challenge and advice on emerging risks and practice issues

  • Support learning by contributing to best-practice resources and communications

Practice Model

Nottingham City Council’s approach is rooted in strengths-based practice (including Signs of Safety), working with the whole family, restorative practice, and trauma-informed ways of working.

Requirements

  • Social Work England registration

  • Strong post-qualifying experience in statutory Children’s Services

  • Experience of auditing/quality assurance, or a clear track record of case oversight and improving practice standards

  • Excellent analysis and report-writing skills (confident presenting risk, rationale, and recommendations)

  • Comfortable providing respectful professional challenge to support good decision-making

  • Organised, responsive, and able to work at pace when priorities shift

Benefits

  • Competitive rate up to £37.50 per hour (Umbrella)

  • Hybrid working (with office attendance as required)

  • High-impact role with influence across service improvement activity

  • Varied, project-based work focused on quality and outcomes

Interested?

Contact Emily Cooper - 07745 200325 | ecooper@sheldon-phillips.com

Referral bonus: Know someone suitable? We pay up to £300 for successful recommendations.