Children's - Social Worker - Grade H MR (DfE)
| Posting date: | 26 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £29.03 per hour |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 28 March 2026 |
| Location: | Plymouth, South West England |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Wax Recruitment Ltd |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: |
Summary
Job title: Children's - Social Worker - Grade H *MR (DfE)
Job Category: Social Care Qualified
Hours per week: 37
Location: Ballard House, West Hoe Road, West Hoe, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 3BJ, Plymouth City Council
Pay: £29.03 per hour
Job description
This is a statutory role whose primary purpose is to safeguard children and
young people who have either suffered or who are likely to be at risk of
suffering significant harm as defined by the Children Act 1989. This role also
encompasses other statutory duties and responsibilities of Children’s Social
Care as defined by legislation and guidance.
To identify the full range of risks to children and help manage those risks;
ensure proportionate intervention, including securing and supporting
alternative homes for children, including those in and beyond public care placed
with family and friends and for adoption.
The successful candidate will be undertaking casework with
children, young people and families,
working within the legislative and
policy frameworks that underpin
the casework under S47 and CP, PLO processes potentially leading to Court work.
Key activities
Directing work with children, young people and families in multiple
settings/locations, ensuring the child/young person’s voice is central to all
case work and recording including:
o Delivering recognised packages of support and tools to engage
children, young people and families to achieve positive outcomes.
This will require climbing stairs and lifting small children and their
equipment, travel to and from destinations, lone working and
occasional weekend and evening working
o Building purposeful, effective relationships with children and families,
demonstrating a high level of skill in evidence based, effective social
work approaches to helping children and families which support
change
o Working to tight deadlines, managing conflicting demands and
interruptions
Undertaking assessments of need and risk; plan for outcomes, reviewing in
line with procedures and applying understanding of the key risk factors
affecting child welfare and development including:
o Analysis of the decision-making, the difference between opinion and
fact, the role of evidence and the reasoning of any conclusions
reached and recommendations made
o Maintaining timely and accurate case recording in line with practice
standards, managing information in line with the council’s policies,
procedures and guidance on data protection
Undertaking Court work and may be called upon to give evidence on behalf
of the Local Authority
Participating positively in supervision, practice development
Essential
qualifications/
knowledge
Degree or higher qualification in Social Work that has resulted in
registration with relevant professional regulatory body for the profession
Knowledge of the legislative frameworks for child and family social work
Desirable
qualifications/
knowledge
Knowledge of child and family social work in a statutory setting
Understanding of child development, including the impact of different
parenting styles on development; the impact of loss, change and uncertainty
in the development of resilience and assessment of vulnerability factors.
Assessing risk and need
Planning and reviewing outcomes to achieve sustained change
Working with service users who demonstrate challenging behaviour
Be able to recognise the risk indicators of different forms of harm to
children including sexual, physical and emotional abuse and neglect; the
impact of cumulative harm, particularly in relation to early indicators of
neglect
Effective communication skills (written, verbal and use of technology)
Ability to build effective relationships in contexts that may encompass
resistance to change, ambivalence or selective cooperation with services
Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritise competing
demands
Ability to use strategies that promote professional resilience and
management of self in circumstances that may at times be challenging
The nature of the role includes lone working in home environments where
basic rules of hygiene and safety are not observed and where the
unpredictability of the home environment can also result in the potential risk of
abuse and violence.
Involvement on a daily basis with service users who are experiencing or
who have experienced all forms of child abuse. The subject material is often
distressing and this is an integral feature of the role
Due to service users experiences and their emotional state often of
anxiety/ distress there is a heightened risk that the post holder may
experience, sometimes on a regular basis, significant verbal abuse,
aggression and other anti-social behaviour from service users and/or
members of the public
Job Category: Social Care Qualified
Hours per week: 37
Location: Ballard House, West Hoe Road, West Hoe, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 3BJ, Plymouth City Council
Pay: £29.03 per hour
Job description
This is a statutory role whose primary purpose is to safeguard children and
young people who have either suffered or who are likely to be at risk of
suffering significant harm as defined by the Children Act 1989. This role also
encompasses other statutory duties and responsibilities of Children’s Social
Care as defined by legislation and guidance.
To identify the full range of risks to children and help manage those risks;
ensure proportionate intervention, including securing and supporting
alternative homes for children, including those in and beyond public care placed
with family and friends and for adoption.
The successful candidate will be undertaking casework with
children, young people and families,
working within the legislative and
policy frameworks that underpin
the casework under S47 and CP, PLO processes potentially leading to Court work.
Key activities
Directing work with children, young people and families in multiple
settings/locations, ensuring the child/young person’s voice is central to all
case work and recording including:
o Delivering recognised packages of support and tools to engage
children, young people and families to achieve positive outcomes.
This will require climbing stairs and lifting small children and their
equipment, travel to and from destinations, lone working and
occasional weekend and evening working
o Building purposeful, effective relationships with children and families,
demonstrating a high level of skill in evidence based, effective social
work approaches to helping children and families which support
change
o Working to tight deadlines, managing conflicting demands and
interruptions
Undertaking assessments of need and risk; plan for outcomes, reviewing in
line with procedures and applying understanding of the key risk factors
affecting child welfare and development including:
o Analysis of the decision-making, the difference between opinion and
fact, the role of evidence and the reasoning of any conclusions
reached and recommendations made
o Maintaining timely and accurate case recording in line with practice
standards, managing information in line with the council’s policies,
procedures and guidance on data protection
Undertaking Court work and may be called upon to give evidence on behalf
of the Local Authority
Participating positively in supervision, practice development
Essential
qualifications/
knowledge
Degree or higher qualification in Social Work that has resulted in
registration with relevant professional regulatory body for the profession
Knowledge of the legislative frameworks for child and family social work
Desirable
qualifications/
knowledge
Knowledge of child and family social work in a statutory setting
Understanding of child development, including the impact of different
parenting styles on development; the impact of loss, change and uncertainty
in the development of resilience and assessment of vulnerability factors.
Assessing risk and need
Planning and reviewing outcomes to achieve sustained change
Working with service users who demonstrate challenging behaviour
Be able to recognise the risk indicators of different forms of harm to
children including sexual, physical and emotional abuse and neglect; the
impact of cumulative harm, particularly in relation to early indicators of
neglect
Effective communication skills (written, verbal and use of technology)
Ability to build effective relationships in contexts that may encompass
resistance to change, ambivalence or selective cooperation with services
Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritise competing
demands
Ability to use strategies that promote professional resilience and
management of self in circumstances that may at times be challenging
The nature of the role includes lone working in home environments where
basic rules of hygiene and safety are not observed and where the
unpredictability of the home environment can also result in the potential risk of
abuse and violence.
Involvement on a daily basis with service users who are experiencing or
who have experienced all forms of child abuse. The subject material is often
distressing and this is an integral feature of the role
Due to service users experiences and their emotional state often of
anxiety/ distress there is a heightened risk that the post holder may
experience, sometimes on a regular basis, significant verbal abuse,
aggression and other anti-social behaviour from service users and/or
members of the public