Social Worker (Children in Care)
| Posting date: | 03 December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £40,643 to £49,577 per year |
| Additional salary information: | inclusive of Market Supplement of up to £4,500 per annum |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 17 December 2025 |
| Location: | Basingstoke, Hampshire |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 3 days per week |
| Company: | Hampshire County Council |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | HCC622906 |
Summary
As a Social Worker in our Children in Care Team, you’ll play a vital role in safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of care-experienced children. You’ll lead on assessments, care planning, and interventions to ensure every child’s voice is heard. Working creatively and confidently with multi-agency partners, you’ll deliver holistic, child-centred support that makes a real difference.
Managing a varied and complex caseload, you’ll build strong, trusting relationships that enable positive change and help achieve the best possible outcomes for children. You’ll join a friendly, stable, and supportive team that shares a passion for creating brighter futures. Our strength-based approach focuses on promoting wellbeing and maintaining family connections wherever possible.
What you’ll do
• Carry out comprehensive assessments to understand each child’s needs and circumstances.
• Develop and review care plans that reflect the child’s needs and wishes.
• Take timely safeguarding action and monitor risks throughout the child’s journey.
• Engage in direct work with children to support their emotional and social development.
• Work towards achieving stable and permanent placements for children.
• Collaborate effectively with multi-agency partners and advocate for the child’s rights.
• Travel across the country as required to meet in person with children in care.
What we’re looking for
• Qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England (SWE).
• Solid understanding of key UK legislation governing work with children.
• Experience supporting children and families within statutory frameworks, ideally including children in care and those involved in care proceedings.
• Ability to assess needs, identify risks, and develop effective, outcome-focused plans.
• Strong report-writing skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, confident in multi-agency working.
Why join us
• Regular, reflective supervision and a culture that values your voice.
• Flexible working, including a 9-day fortnight and hybrid options to support work-life balance.
• Career development opportunities, including 5 personal development days per year and access to excellent learning through our DfE ‘Partner in Practice’ initiative.
• Dedicated business support team to free up your time for frontline work.
• Up to £8,500 relocation assistance for experienced UK-based Social Workers relocating to Hampshire (subject to management approval).
• Access to Health Assured's comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme to support your physical and mental wellbeing, including 24/7 telephone support, a suite of online resources, and legal and financial advice.
• Generous annual leave, occupational sick pay, and access to the Local Government Pension Scheme.
To learn more about this role, please review our Candidate Pack available on our website. Please click on the Apply button for details.
Important: You must already have the right to work in the UK. We are currently unable to offer sponsorship for this role.
Other job titles you may be searching for may include: Child Protection Social Worker, Looked After Children Social Worker, Children’s Services Social Worker, Safeguarding Social Worker, Children and Families Social Worker.
Managing a varied and complex caseload, you’ll build strong, trusting relationships that enable positive change and help achieve the best possible outcomes for children. You’ll join a friendly, stable, and supportive team that shares a passion for creating brighter futures. Our strength-based approach focuses on promoting wellbeing and maintaining family connections wherever possible.
What you’ll do
• Carry out comprehensive assessments to understand each child’s needs and circumstances.
• Develop and review care plans that reflect the child’s needs and wishes.
• Take timely safeguarding action and monitor risks throughout the child’s journey.
• Engage in direct work with children to support their emotional and social development.
• Work towards achieving stable and permanent placements for children.
• Collaborate effectively with multi-agency partners and advocate for the child’s rights.
• Travel across the country as required to meet in person with children in care.
What we’re looking for
• Qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England (SWE).
• Solid understanding of key UK legislation governing work with children.
• Experience supporting children and families within statutory frameworks, ideally including children in care and those involved in care proceedings.
• Ability to assess needs, identify risks, and develop effective, outcome-focused plans.
• Strong report-writing skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, confident in multi-agency working.
Why join us
• Regular, reflective supervision and a culture that values your voice.
• Flexible working, including a 9-day fortnight and hybrid options to support work-life balance.
• Career development opportunities, including 5 personal development days per year and access to excellent learning through our DfE ‘Partner in Practice’ initiative.
• Dedicated business support team to free up your time for frontline work.
• Up to £8,500 relocation assistance for experienced UK-based Social Workers relocating to Hampshire (subject to management approval).
• Access to Health Assured's comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme to support your physical and mental wellbeing, including 24/7 telephone support, a suite of online resources, and legal and financial advice.
• Generous annual leave, occupational sick pay, and access to the Local Government Pension Scheme.
To learn more about this role, please review our Candidate Pack available on our website. Please click on the Apply button for details.
Important: You must already have the right to work in the UK. We are currently unable to offer sponsorship for this role.
Other job titles you may be searching for may include: Child Protection Social Worker, Looked After Children Social Worker, Children’s Services Social Worker, Safeguarding Social Worker, Children and Families Social Worker.
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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.