Social Worker / Practice Lead – 32 Hours per Week

Wellington Women’s House is looking for an experienced Registered Social Worker to join our small, values driven team as our Social Worker / Practice Lead.

This is a hands on practice leadership role with a strong focus on supporting positive and sustainable housing outcomes for wāhine.

You will lead our social work practice, including resident assessments, risk and needs planning, complex support and housing pathways, while directly leading and supporting our Support Workers in their day to day practice.

We have intentionally structured this role so the Social Worker / Practice Lead can focus on professional practice, and resident outcomes rather than carrying responsibility for routine House administration.

About you

You will be a Registered Social Worker with a current Annual Practising Certificate, bringing sound professional judgement and experience working alongside people experiencing housing insecurity, trauma or complex circumstances.

You will bring a strong commitment to culturally responsive and culturally safe practice, with a demonstrated understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, tikanga Māori and Te Ao Māori. You will be confident applying this understanding in your everyday practice and in guiding Support Workers to work respectfully and responsively alongside wāhine from diverse cultural backgrounds.

You will understand that transitional housing is about supporting wāhine to move forward — building confidence, independence and connections while working towards safe and sustainable long-term housing.

You will be someone who:

• Builds respectful relationships with wāhine while maintaining clear professional boundaries.
• Demonstrates culturally responsive, trauma-informed and strengths-based practice.
• Understands tikanga Māori and can support culturally safe practice across the team.
• Is confident assessing risk, identifying support needs and knowing when specialist intervention is required.
• Enjoys leading, guiding and developing Support Workers and building confidence and consistency in frontline practice.
• Is self-directed, proactive and organised, while contributing positively to a small, collaborative team.
• Brings a calm, practical and solutions-focused approach to challenging situations.
• Has strong digital capability and experience using Google Workspace and CRM/case management systems.
• Understands the importance of accurate, timely and professional case noting.

Most importantly, we are looking for someone who can provide strong and culturally grounded social work leadership while keeping the mana, safety, strengths and long-term housing aspirations of wāhine at the centre of practice.

***Applications will be reviewed as they are received. We reserve the right to appoint to the position before the advertised closing date if a suitable candidate is identified***