Senior Social Worker (Makesafe) (part time, 18.5 hours per week)
| Posting date: | 22 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £23,365 to £24,882 per year, pro rata |
| Additional salary information: | £46,731 - £49,764 FTE (Pro rata for 18.5 hrs p/w £23,365 – £24,882 plus LWA & ECU; plus a Welcome Payment of £3,500 subject to T&Cs and 4% Retention Payment after 2 years) |
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 05 August 2025 |
| Location: | Bracknell, Berkshire |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Bracknell Forest Council |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | People/25/319060 |
Summary
We are looking for a Senior Social Worker to join our Permanency team at the ‘front door’ of Children’s Social Care to help children at risk of exploitation and support their recovery. This is a part time, permanent role.
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 current Social Work England registration and at least three years post qualifying experience within Children’s Social Care. To succeed in this role, you will have an in-depth knowledge of relevant legislation, guidance, policies and thresholds.
You will be enthusiastic, self-motivated and passionate about improving outcomes for children and their families. You will be an effective communicator who can engage with young people in crisis and work in partnership with others.
If you can demonstrate passion and drive to improving outcomes for children and to support families to stay together, and would like to be part of a hard-working, supportive and friendly team, we look forward to receiving your application.
About the team…
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.
Bracknell Forest Council have an embedded nationally recognised practice model – the ‘Family Safeguarding Model’. Our model and our work are dynamic and impactful.
The Duty and Assessment Team acts as the front door for Children’s Social Care and carries out assessment and short-term work. We work alongside and directly with children, young people and their families. Our ‘front door’ colleagues know good beginnings have a better chance of making good endings.
We are a small, welcoming and friendly local authority. We are proud of our connected and inclusive culture, with a strong focus on wellbeing, which provides our workforce with a strong sense of belonging.
Our leadership team is visible, available and approachable.
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.
Key responsibilities…
To undertake child protection enquiries and single assessments (for children for whom vulnerability to exploitation has been identified) and exploitation screening tools for children open to the Duty and Assessment team, and to support colleagues in the team to do the same.
To undertake short programmes of preventative work with children at risk of exploitation whilst subject to assessment.
To co-ordinate Return (from Missing) Conversations for children open to the Duty and Assessment team, keeping updated records of missing children for reporting purposes.
Interview date
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 13th August 2025.
Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment.
We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.
Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.
Want to ask us a question?
For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:
Donna Barber - Team Manager
Donna.barber@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
At Bracknell Forest we champion equality, diversity and inclusion. At Bracknell Forest Council, we are always learning, ambitious and inclusive. Please see our candidate pack for more details.
Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.
Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of working within the current Social Care System and Framework.
Social Work England registration fees can be claimed back from the Council.
We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.
Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.
No agencies please.
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 current Social Work England registration and at least three years post qualifying experience within Children’s Social Care. To succeed in this role, you will have an in-depth knowledge of relevant legislation, guidance, policies and thresholds.
You will be enthusiastic, self-motivated and passionate about improving outcomes for children and their families. You will be an effective communicator who can engage with young people in crisis and work in partnership with others.
If you can demonstrate passion and drive to improving outcomes for children and to support families to stay together, and would like to be part of a hard-working, supportive and friendly team, we look forward to receiving your application.
About the team…
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.
Bracknell Forest Council have an embedded nationally recognised practice model – the ‘Family Safeguarding Model’. Our model and our work are dynamic and impactful.
The Duty and Assessment Team acts as the front door for Children’s Social Care and carries out assessment and short-term work. We work alongside and directly with children, young people and their families. Our ‘front door’ colleagues know good beginnings have a better chance of making good endings.
We are a small, welcoming and friendly local authority. We are proud of our connected and inclusive culture, with a strong focus on wellbeing, which provides our workforce with a strong sense of belonging.
Our leadership team is visible, available and approachable.
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.
Key responsibilities…
To undertake child protection enquiries and single assessments (for children for whom vulnerability to exploitation has been identified) and exploitation screening tools for children open to the Duty and Assessment team, and to support colleagues in the team to do the same.
To undertake short programmes of preventative work with children at risk of exploitation whilst subject to assessment.
To co-ordinate Return (from Missing) Conversations for children open to the Duty and Assessment team, keeping updated records of missing children for reporting purposes.
Interview date
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 13th August 2025.
Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment.
We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.
Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.
Want to ask us a question?
For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:
Donna Barber - Team Manager
Donna.barber@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
At Bracknell Forest we champion equality, diversity and inclusion. At Bracknell Forest Council, we are always learning, ambitious and inclusive. Please see our candidate pack for more details.
Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.
Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of working within the current Social Care System and Framework.
Social Work England registration fees can be claimed back from the Council.
We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.
Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.
No agencies please.
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.