Senior Social Worker - Family Safeguarding (plus Welcome Payment of £7,000)
| Posting date: | 02 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £49,918 to £53,048 per year |
| Additional salary information: | Plus a one-off Welcome Payment of £7,000 subject to T&Cs and an annual 4% Retention Payment after 2 years |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 01 March 2026 |
| 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/26/330337 |
Summary
Bracknell Forest's Children's Social Care team are proud to have achieved an Outstanding in all areas grading in December 2025. Not only did we maintain our outstanding judgement but inspectors also recognised that “since the last inspection in 2022, Bracknell Forest has sustained and strengthened exceptional services for children and families”.
Ofsted described practitioners as “effusive about working in Bracknell", who value our strong child‑focused ethos, relational practice model, manageable workloads and high‑quality training and supervision.
“Leaders have established a highly effective Social Work Academy that provides tailored support to practitioners at every stage of their career”. This commitment to development and learning has contributed to Bracknell Forest's secure reputation as an ‘employer of choice’ for social workers.
About you…
You will need to be registered with Social Work England and have at least three years’ post‑qualifying experience in Children’s Social Care, that includes child protection, public law outline and care proceedings.
You will be passionate about relational social work and dedicated to joining our embedded culture and ethos of bettering vulnerable children’s lives. You will be committed to understanding the lived experiences of children, acting as a fierce advocate on their behalf and providing the support needed to improve their childhood experiences.
To thrive in this role, you will bring an in‑depth understanding of the relevant legislation, guidance, policies and thresholds that underpin safeguarding. You will also have strong experience of effective multi‑agency working, building partnerships and co‑producing needs‑led safety plans for children and young people. With excellent recording skills, you will have the ability to produce high‑quality assessments, reports and court statements.
About the team and children’s social care...
In December 2025, Ofsted concluded that “since the last inspection, leaders, managers and practitioners have not only sustained outstanding services but have raised the bar even higher”.
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). December 2025 Ofsted recognised our model “operates consistently and effectively” and “embraces a relational approach, with explicit commitment to understanding the culture and diverse needs of families”.
Children experiencing neglect or domestic abuse receive exceptional and expert in-house specialist help. They work closely with the family safeguarding team and offer step-by-step help to parents to improve home conditions and strengthen parenting capacity.
When risks escalate our conscientious managers take decisive action, with focus on the lived experience of children. Permanence planning meetings secure “timely decision-making, enabling children to thrive”. “Social Workers consider all permanence options for children, and contingency planning is in place so that children are offered the best permanence option”.
Key responsibilities…
Develop and implement effective safeguarding plans to protect children from harm.
To work alongside other professionals as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
To manage a caseload of Child in Need, Child Protection, Care Proceedings and Children Looked After.
To take part in the team duty system responding to concerns as and when they arise.
To make effective use of time and be able to prioritise workload, ensuring timeliness in visiting, report writing and other deadlines.
To participate in regular reflective supervision and be able to set clear goals and intervention strategies.
Our benefits - please visit the job vacancy's page on our website for a list of our benefits.
Interview date
Shortlisting will take place on a weekly basis and candidates who are successfully shortlisted will be offered an interview at least seven days later. Interviews will be held in person, giving you the opportunity to meet the team and get a real feel for our working environment.
We will be reviewing applications regularly and may close the advert early if we identify suitable candidates. To avoid disappointment, we encourage you 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.
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.
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.
Ofsted described practitioners as “effusive about working in Bracknell", who value our strong child‑focused ethos, relational practice model, manageable workloads and high‑quality training and supervision.
“Leaders have established a highly effective Social Work Academy that provides tailored support to practitioners at every stage of their career”. This commitment to development and learning has contributed to Bracknell Forest's secure reputation as an ‘employer of choice’ for social workers.
About you…
You will need to be registered with Social Work England and have at least three years’ post‑qualifying experience in Children’s Social Care, that includes child protection, public law outline and care proceedings.
You will be passionate about relational social work and dedicated to joining our embedded culture and ethos of bettering vulnerable children’s lives. You will be committed to understanding the lived experiences of children, acting as a fierce advocate on their behalf and providing the support needed to improve their childhood experiences.
To thrive in this role, you will bring an in‑depth understanding of the relevant legislation, guidance, policies and thresholds that underpin safeguarding. You will also have strong experience of effective multi‑agency working, building partnerships and co‑producing needs‑led safety plans for children and young people. With excellent recording skills, you will have the ability to produce high‑quality assessments, reports and court statements.
About the team and children’s social care...
In December 2025, Ofsted concluded that “since the last inspection, leaders, managers and practitioners have not only sustained outstanding services but have raised the bar even higher”.
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). December 2025 Ofsted recognised our model “operates consistently and effectively” and “embraces a relational approach, with explicit commitment to understanding the culture and diverse needs of families”.
Children experiencing neglect or domestic abuse receive exceptional and expert in-house specialist help. They work closely with the family safeguarding team and offer step-by-step help to parents to improve home conditions and strengthen parenting capacity.
When risks escalate our conscientious managers take decisive action, with focus on the lived experience of children. Permanence planning meetings secure “timely decision-making, enabling children to thrive”. “Social Workers consider all permanence options for children, and contingency planning is in place so that children are offered the best permanence option”.
Key responsibilities…
Develop and implement effective safeguarding plans to protect children from harm.
To work alongside other professionals as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
To manage a caseload of Child in Need, Child Protection, Care Proceedings and Children Looked After.
To take part in the team duty system responding to concerns as and when they arise.
To make effective use of time and be able to prioritise workload, ensuring timeliness in visiting, report writing and other deadlines.
To participate in regular reflective supervision and be able to set clear goals and intervention strategies.
Our benefits - please visit the job vacancy's page on our website for a list of our benefits.
Interview date
Shortlisting will take place on a weekly basis and candidates who are successfully shortlisted will be offered an interview at least seven days later. Interviews will be held in person, giving you the opportunity to meet the team and get a real feel for our working environment.
We will be reviewing applications regularly and may close the advert early if we identify suitable candidates. To avoid disappointment, we encourage you 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.
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.
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.
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.