5 minutes with IT: working for Social Work England

We are currently looking for an experienced and enthusiastic developer to advance and support solutions using skills in C#, .NET Core, Node.js and Appian. We caught up with David Bates, our head of IT and data management, to chat about what our IT team does and his experience of working at Social Work England.

Applications for the role of software developer close on 28 February 2022.

What drew you into working with Social Work England?

Having spent much of my career in financial services, the chance to work at Social Work England presented me with the valuable opportunity to refocus my efforts on social good, rather than financial gain.

The fact that Social Work England was a brand-new, specialist body taking a fresh approach to regulation was another major draw for me. Being involved in the development of any new organisation from the very beginning is a very rare and exciting opportunity and one that just couldn’t be ignored.

How does Social Work England differ from other places you’ve worked?

It’s a much smaller organisation than others I have worked with in the past. This is no bad thing, as it has allowed me to have a greater involvement across various IT and non-IT activities outside of my core competencies, which keeps things interesting.

The organisation is also much more flexible in its approach to getting things done - we’re still relatively new so there no prescribed way of doing things and there’s space to make a real difference.

And throughout my time at Social Work England, the one thing that has impressed me the most is the way we celebrate success, and that when we do fail - we do so together.

What is the role all about and what about it makes you want to get up in the morning?

The role we’re currently recruiting for is a C# .Net core developer. It’s a role that is critical to delivering digital solutions that support our internal and external user needs using technology such as Appian, C# and Umbraco.

This role is key to our ambitious plans for our digital services, and you will be joining at an exciting time as enter the final stages of our 3-year corporate strategy and working towards setting our strategy for the next 3 years. An opportunity not to be missed!

Whilst the technology used is an exciting part of the job, it’s more the people I work with that really make me want to get up in the morning. Everyone working across the organisation is so friendly and supportive, and this has been key in keeping me motivated and inspired.

What key projects do you work on that excite you?

I feel like there are so many great projects we’re working on right now! However, the one that really stands out at the moment is the work on our core case management system.

As we’re a new organisation we don’t have legacy technology that limits how we address our users’ requirements. Working with new technology and learning how we can use it to deliver an excellent level of customer experience is something that is really close to my heart.

Do you feel you are making a difference in your job?

In IT, and particularly in a large organisation, it can be difficult to see how your work impacts others. This isn’t the case at Social Work England, as we make a real effort to work closely with the primary users of our digital solutions.

But it goes further than that - creating accessible digital solutions for a profession that does such important and often difficult work, genuinely makes me feel that my role makes a positive contribution to society.

What skills have you developed in your role at Social Work England?

I had to quickly develop several additional technical skills, covering a range of technologies that I had not come across before, which ended up being a really enjoyable and fascinating experience.

Learning new technologies is part of an IT geek’s DNA and has really been supported within my role. On the softer side, I had to quickly move from the mindset of “buy – sell, profit!” to one of supportive and respectful communication. This is particularly important as we have some very challenging decisions to make daily, which are made much easier by having this approach.

Are there opportunities for professional development?

Our IT team are a great advocate of profession development. Each week, every member of the IT team has 3 hours self-enrichment time available to them, to investigate new technologies, consolidate learning, or work on any personal ideas to deliver business benefit. We also have access to learning and development courses in line with our roles, or where we want to grow our experience.

What is the best piece of advice you have for somebody who is considering applying for this role?

Do it! It’s the best move you’ll ever make.