Quality improvement manager

Summary: Analyse the performance of social workers, teams and processes to ensure the delivery of high-quality social care.
Other names: Performance improvement manager

What you'll do

As a quality improvement manager you’ll:

lead quality assurance initiatives and implement new policies to improve outcomes for children and families
track the impact of initiatives to ensure continuous improvement
carry out audits and reviews of policies and procedures to quality gaps
analyse data and create reports for staff and senior leadership identifying trends and areas for improvement
stay up to date with evolving regulations and the outcomes of local and national safeguarding reviews
audit case records for quality assurance and to identify areas for improvement
provide training and support to ensure staff understand and follow new policies and processes
work with senior managers to prepare for inspections and develop learning from them
collaborate with other departments and external organisations to develop and implement improvement initiatives

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

leadership and management skills to motivate a team of social workers and practitioners
the ability to analyse complex information and make informed decisions
interpersonal skills to communicate with a range of colleagues and partners
the ability to understand trends from research and apply them to practice improvements
knowledge of social work regulations to ensure services are delivered to a high standard
knowledge of continuous quality improvement methods
change management skills to ensure successful implementation of new initiatives
the ability to stay up to date with best practice and new developments
knowledge of child protection and welfare policies and procedures

How to become one

To become a quality improvement manager you must:

have completed a degree, apprenticeship or graduate training scheme in social work
be registered with Social Work England
ideally have at least 5 years' experience as a qualified child and family social worker
have experience leading a team and conducting performance management and supervision
have experience designing and implementing quality assurance and improvement plans

If you’re an experienced practitioner, the Pathway 2: middle managers programme can help prepare you to progress to a quality improvement manager role.

Career paths and progression

With experience you could:

progress into an advanced leadership role such as service manager or head of service
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

The Pathway 3: heads of service programme can help prepare you to progress to a service manager or head of service role.

Current opportunities