Nottingham City Council is a great place to work with outstanding leadership and a talented, agile workforce. We want our staff to feel well supported with manageable workloads and the right culture, climate and tools to do their jobs successfully.
At Nottingham City Council we are dedicated to our workforce, and we continue to evolve our career pathways to help our workforce progress. We also recognise that ambition levels are different from colleague to colleague and there is commitment to engage with you as part of your supervision and line management to understand where you see yourself in the future.
We understand that social work is an incredibly competitive environment to work in, and we want you to choose, and stay with, Nottingham’s Childrens Services. We truly value our social workers, and to support you, we pledge to provide:
- Manageable Caseloads
- Quality reflective supervision
- Supportive Environment
- Continuous development opportunities and clear progression pathways
- A focus on your resilience and wellbeing
- Competitive pay, benefits and reward package
Our social worker career development pathway has been designed for timely progression, with high support from management and your peers.
Take a look at our progression structure below
Progression
After you successfully complete the first six months’ criteria of your ASYE, you’ll be progressed to Level 2.
Salary (23/24)
£30,296 – Grade F
Progression
Upon completing your ASYE, you’ll progress to a Level 3 Social Worker.
This usually takes 6 months.
Salary (23/24)
£33,945 – Grade G
That’s a £3,649 pay rise in 6 months (from L1).
Progression
Gaining experience after your ASYE completion, you’ll progress to an Advanced Practitioner after 18 months.
Salary (23/24)
£38,223 (1–12 months)
£39,186 (12–18 months)
Grade H
That’s a £5,241 pay rise in 18 months (from L2).
Role
Our most senior social worker post (full caseload).
Progression
Depending on where you see yourself in the future, you could choose to stay here or progress onto our management and leadership roles.
Salary (23/24)
£44,428 (1–2 years)
£45,441 (2–3 years)
£46,464 (3+ years)
Grade I
PLUS a £3k Welcome and Retention payment*
That’s a £7,218 pay rise in 12 months (from entry pay at L3)
Total progression note
That’s a £15,145 total pay increase from NQSW to Experienced Social Worker in as little as three-and-a-half years.
Senior Practitioner
Role
The first layer of our management/leadership roles. Depending on where you see yourself in the future, you could choose to stay here or continue up the management structure.
Salary (23/24)
£45,421 (1–12 months)
£46,428 (1–2 years)
£47,441 (2–3 years)
£48,464 (3+ years)
Grade I, including:
• £1,000 supplement in year 1
• £2,000 supplement in year 2*
PLUS a £3k Welcome and Retention payment*
Team Manager
Role
An experienced social worker and manager rolled into one. Depending on where you see yourself in the future, you could choose to stay here or continue up the management structure.
Salary (23/24)
£50,474 (1–12 months)
£51,498 (1–2 years)
£52,512 (2–3 years)
£53,515 (3+ years)
Grade J – inclusive of:
• £1,000 Market Supplement in year 1
• £2,000 Market Supplement at year 2*
PLUS a £3k Welcome and Retention payment*
Role
It’s now your service to shape and lead. Depending on where you see yourself in the future, you could choose to stay here or continue up the management structure to Head of Service.
Salary (23/24)
£53,630 (1–12 months)
£54,676 (1–2 years)
£55,740 (2–3 years)
£56,840 (3+ years)
Grade K
PLUS a £3k Welcome and Retention payment*
Important notes
Welcome and Retention Payment
The welcome and retention payment is a lump sum payable to social workers with 2 years’ experience as a qualified social worker with Nottingham City Council or another organisation.
You can only claim this bonus once throughout your progression journey.
Market Supplement (Senior Practitioner / Team Manager)
The inclusive market supplement (non-contractual) is a monthly amount spread over the year.
- £1k in year one
- £2k in year two
This is subject to market factors and a renewed business case.
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