Safeguarding Manager (Registered Social Worker) Ref:0057ZD

About the Role

Join our team as a Safeguarding Manager in Stoke-on-Trent.

WithYou has an exciting opportunity in our Stoke Community Drug and Alcohol service for a Safeguarding Manager to contribute to the development of a fully integrated safeguarding culture. We’re looking for an experienced Qualified Social Worker, with exceptional leadership skills and expertise within safeguarding - if this sounds like you, we’d love to hear more. 

As a leading charity supporting people with drug, alcohol, and mental health challenges, we operate over 80 services across England and Scotland, providing free and confidential support to more than 100,000 people each year. Find out more about us here.

Please note that you must have current Social Worker England registration to be considered for this position.

The job description for the position can be found here.

The closing date for applications is 30th November 2025. Please note that this role may close early should sufficient applications be received, so early application is advised. All applicants must submit a CV along with a cover letter explaining why they should be considered for this role. Applications will not be accepted without a cover letter.

Job Opportunity

Reporting into the Head of Service Delivery, the Safeguarding Manager will be responsible for ensuring robust compliance within the service, including with external regulatory bodies and will work closely with colleagues in the Operations Leadership Team, sharing effective practice as required. You will be responsible for raising the standards of safeguarding practice we provide to our service users to ensure that they are safe, effective, and responsive to client needs and will work alongside colleagues to improve outcomes. You will be accountable for ensuring that safeguarding is always a priority and will be the subject matter expert within the service, providing them with support to deliver high-quality services. This is a truly hands on role, making a tangible difference to our services and those who access them.

This position is full time and fixed term until 31/03/2026. The salary for this role is £34,000 - £44,290 per annum (dependant on experience).

Essential Skills

You will be a compassionate and motivated Social Worker, with the ability to connect quickly with the people we support, treating them respectfully and with dignity and ensuring that they are at the heart of our organisation. We’re looking for demonstrable experience of leadership within safeguarding services, ideally within the substance misuse arena and within complex organisations. As a visible and inspirational leader, you will drive a culture of cohesion within your team. Fundamentally, we are looking for someone who is passionate about what we do, bringing a dynamic and proactive approach.

To carry out this role successfully you will:

• be a Fully Qualified Social Worker (BASW, DipSW, CQSW, CSS), and registered with Social Work England 
• be able to demonstrate your experience of working across complex health, social care or criminal justice landscapes, and have experience working in partnership with a range of statutory and non-statutory agencies
• be able to demonstrate experience of providing leadership in safeguarding services
• have experience of managing and leading drug and alcohol, mental health or similar services
• be able to demonstrate a proven track record of provision of supervision to registered Social Workers
• The ability to build effective relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders

About Company

WithYou provides free and confidential support, without judgement, to more than 100,000 people every year experiencing challenges with drugs, alcohol and mental health across England and Scotland.

Our name reflects who we are – a positive place where people can progress, connect with others and get friendly, expert help in a way that’s right for them.

Our staff team changes lives. If you’re passionate about helping people get the support they need for issues with drugs, alcohol and mental health, we’d love to hear from you.

DE&I

As an organisation, we continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our staff. We know that representing the communities we serve is key to us meeting our vision of a future where everyone lives a life free from the harm associated with drugs and alcohol. We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring and we encourage people from underrepresented communities and backgrounds to apply to join our team, including people with lived experience, people with disabilities, people from racialised communities, LGBTQ+ people, people of all ages and armed forces veterans.

As part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant we provide a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates that are veterans and meet all the essential criteria for a role. With You is also a Disability Confident Employer and we offer a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with a disability and meet all the essential criteria for a role.

If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a medical condition which you believe may affect your performance during any aspect of our selection process, we’ll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to perform at your best.

Benefits

• 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays 
• An extra day off for your birthday or a special occasion of your choice
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• 2 days paid volunteer leave per year
• Auto-enrollment into We Are With You’s pension scheme
• Access to a Blue Light Card - giving you great savings on big high-street and online brands
• Flexible working opportunities and access to a range of services and resources to support you with your wellbeing
• We have an excellent Refer a Friend scheme which offers you a £500 bonus for any recommendations, any role! Our scheme allows you to recommend your friends and family to work with us and earn a £500 bonus payment for every successful referral you make. Please note, the Refer a Friend scheme is only applicable if your recommended friend completes their 6 months probation period