Principal social worker

Principal social workers support social work teams, provide quality assurance and contribute to strategic leadership.

Senior managers

As a principal social worker you’ll:

provide leadership to social workers and practitioners and represent their views to senior managers
support social work teams to ensure positive outcomes for children and families
provide quality assurance to help social workers navigate complex decisions
use different models of practice and learning to guide decision-making
monitor cases to ensure professional standards are met
work with team managers to manage resources and performance
contribute to the development of policies, procedures and practice models
provide training to social workers to support professional development
develop and maintain effective working relationships with multi-agency partners

You'll need:

leadership skills to lead and motivate teams of social workers
in-depth knowledge of child development, family dynamics and safeguarding
critical thinking skills to analyse complex situations and make informed decisions
strategic thinking to develop long-term plans, achieve organisational goals and deliver for children and families
communication skills to navigate dynamics between social workers and senior managers
the ability to prioritise tasks and delegate responsibilities
an awareness of national policy and how it affects social work teams

To become a principal social worker, you must have:

been practising as a qualified and registered child and family social worker for at least five years
leadership and management experience in a social work setting
experience collaborating with external partners and influencing practice outside your organisation

With experience you could:

progress into an advanced leadership role such as head of service, assistant director or director of children's services
move into a training and consultancy role and deliver training programmes to social workers
become an expert in your specialist area of social work practice
complete the DCS leadership programme for aspirant directors to help you prepare you to progress to a director of children’s services role

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Next page: Service manager

These resources have been developed by Department for Education.
Published: 18 September 2023
Last updated: 21 November 2025