Senior Social Worker - Duty and Assessment
| Posting date: | 01 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £48,400 to £51,433 per year |
| Additional salary information: | plus a one-off Welcome Payment of £7,000 subject to T&Cs and 4% Retention Payment after 2 years |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 14 July 2025 |
| Location: | Berkshire, South East England |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 1 day per week |
| Company: | Bracknell Forest Council |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | People/25/317436 |
Summary
We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Social Worker in our Duty and Assessment team, on full-time, permanent basis.
If you are passionate about supporting families in making positive changes and share our commitment to helping to keep more children safely at home with their families, then this could be the role for you.
To learn more about what it is like to work with us, take a look at our workforce video.
Read more about our culture and what our staff say Children's social care culture | Bracknell Forest Council
About you...
You must have a current Social Work England registration and at least three years post qualifying experience within Children’s Social Care that includes child protection. To succeed in this role, you will have an in-depth knowledge of relevant legislation, guidance, policies and thresholds. Strong experience in multi-agency working, along with excellent skills in assessment, analysis and recording, as well as the confidence to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and lead in complex situations, are also essential for this role.
You will role model and champion good social work practice, are able to evidence relevant continued professional development and will support others in sharing your knowledge and experience to contribute to our inclusive culture.
About the team...
The Duty and Assessment team acts as the front door for Children’s Social Care and carries out short term work. Working alongside and directly with children, young people, and their families.
We are a small, welcoming, and friendly local authority. Our leadership team knows that it is essential for social workers to have a secure physical and psychological base from which to be the best practitioners they can be. We are proud of our connected and inclusive culture, with a strong focus on wellbeing, which will provide you with a strong sense of belonging.
We are Ofsted rated ‘Outstanding,’ with Ofsted recognising that at Bracknell Forest Council, “Children who need help and protection in Bracknell Forest receive a consistently high quality service”
Inspectors concluded that social workers and other frontline practitioners benefit from manageable caseloads, good training and powerful and highly reflective supervision that ensures children are at the heart of decision making.
In November 2023 our Ofsted monitoring visit highlighted:
Social workers receive regular supervision from their managers
Caseloads are manageable and allow workers to have time to spend with children
Social workers are very positive about working in Bracknell Forest
Staff feel valued and that they can progress in their social work career. They feel well supported by managers and leaders
Everything we do in Children’s Social Care is about improving the life chances of Bracknell’s children, put simply, we change lives for the better.
Because we’re Bracknell Forest: a great place to learn and develop your practice.
You can read what our team have to say about working at Bracknell Forest via this link: Children's social care jobs | Bracknell Forest Council
Key responsibilities...
To carry out needs led child focused assessments which include outcome focused plans.
To work alongside other professionals and partner agencies in assessing children in need and undertake child protection enquiries.
To be the allocated Social Worker for duty caseload of single assessments under S17 and S47 investigations, with some short-term work.
To take part in the duty system responding to child protection concerns.
To develop and maintain accurate case records and comply with the department's policies, procedures and guidelines including data protection and GDPR.
To participate in regular reflective supervision and be able to set clear goals and intervention strategies.
We use the Family Safeguarding Model in our approach to collaborate with families to keep them together, where it is safe to do so, supported by Motivational Interviewing (MI). This approach empowers families, children, and young people, enabling parents to make positive changes that lead to improved outcomes for their children and enhance their own wellbeing.
Our benefits...
28 days* annual leave increasing to 33 days* after 3 years’ continuous service.
The opportunity to buy up to 10 additional days* annual leave per year and sell 5 days.
Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
Electric vehicle salary sacrifice for an electric car at a fixed monthly cost (subject to eligibility).
An inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks.
Local government pension scheme.
Life insurance cover (linked to the pension scheme)
Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits such as annual leave entitlements, occupational maternity/paternity leave, and more. (Terms and Conditions apply – please refer to candidate pack for more information.)
Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
A great office location next to travel links and Bracknell Forest’s thriving town centre.
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing.
Sports and Social Club.
Staff dental and health plans.
Discounted leisure centre and gym membership.
Supermarket discount.
Interview date
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 23rd July
If you are passionate about supporting families in making positive changes and share our commitment to helping to keep more children safely at home with their families, then this could be the role for you.
To learn more about what it is like to work with us, take a look at our workforce video.
Read more about our culture and what our staff say Children's social care culture | Bracknell Forest Council
About you...
You must have a current Social Work England registration and at least three years post qualifying experience within Children’s Social Care that includes child protection. To succeed in this role, you will have an in-depth knowledge of relevant legislation, guidance, policies and thresholds. Strong experience in multi-agency working, along with excellent skills in assessment, analysis and recording, as well as the confidence to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and lead in complex situations, are also essential for this role.
You will role model and champion good social work practice, are able to evidence relevant continued professional development and will support others in sharing your knowledge and experience to contribute to our inclusive culture.
About the team...
The Duty and Assessment team acts as the front door for Children’s Social Care and carries out short term work. Working alongside and directly with children, young people, and their families.
We are a small, welcoming, and friendly local authority. Our leadership team knows that it is essential for social workers to have a secure physical and psychological base from which to be the best practitioners they can be. We are proud of our connected and inclusive culture, with a strong focus on wellbeing, which will provide you with a strong sense of belonging.
We are Ofsted rated ‘Outstanding,’ with Ofsted recognising that at Bracknell Forest Council, “Children who need help and protection in Bracknell Forest receive a consistently high quality service”
Inspectors concluded that social workers and other frontline practitioners benefit from manageable caseloads, good training and powerful and highly reflective supervision that ensures children are at the heart of decision making.
In November 2023 our Ofsted monitoring visit highlighted:
Social workers receive regular supervision from their managers
Caseloads are manageable and allow workers to have time to spend with children
Social workers are very positive about working in Bracknell Forest
Staff feel valued and that they can progress in their social work career. They feel well supported by managers and leaders
Everything we do in Children’s Social Care is about improving the life chances of Bracknell’s children, put simply, we change lives for the better.
Because we’re Bracknell Forest: a great place to learn and develop your practice.
You can read what our team have to say about working at Bracknell Forest via this link: Children's social care jobs | Bracknell Forest Council
Key responsibilities...
To carry out needs led child focused assessments which include outcome focused plans.
To work alongside other professionals and partner agencies in assessing children in need and undertake child protection enquiries.
To be the allocated Social Worker for duty caseload of single assessments under S17 and S47 investigations, with some short-term work.
To take part in the duty system responding to child protection concerns.
To develop and maintain accurate case records and comply with the department's policies, procedures and guidelines including data protection and GDPR.
To participate in regular reflective supervision and be able to set clear goals and intervention strategies.
We use the Family Safeguarding Model in our approach to collaborate with families to keep them together, where it is safe to do so, supported by Motivational Interviewing (MI). This approach empowers families, children, and young people, enabling parents to make positive changes that lead to improved outcomes for their children and enhance their own wellbeing.
Our benefits...
28 days* annual leave increasing to 33 days* after 3 years’ continuous service.
The opportunity to buy up to 10 additional days* annual leave per year and sell 5 days.
Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
Electric vehicle salary sacrifice for an electric car at a fixed monthly cost (subject to eligibility).
An inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks.
Local government pension scheme.
Life insurance cover (linked to the pension scheme)
Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits such as annual leave entitlements, occupational maternity/paternity leave, and more. (Terms and Conditions apply – please refer to candidate pack for more information.)
Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
A great office location next to travel links and Bracknell Forest’s thriving town centre.
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing.
Sports and Social Club.
Staff dental and health plans.
Discounted leisure centre and gym membership.
Supermarket discount.
Interview date
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 23rd July
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.