Social Worker - Family Placement Team (eligible for £6,000 Welcome Payment) in Bracknell

Are you ready to make a meaningful difference in a council that champions children, empowers social workers and puts learning at the heart of everything we do? We have an exciting opportunity in our Family Placement Team for a Social Worker on a full‑time, permanent basis. Our Children’s Social Care service is outstanding in all areas (Ofsted, December 2025) and has an effective Social Work Academy.

As a Children’s Social Worker you are passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people and share our commitment to making a real difference in their lives. You understand that social work can be rewarding and challenging, and you bring resilience, empathy and professionalism to your practice. You are a strong communicator who values collaboration, works effectively with colleagues, carers and partner agencies, and is confident in undertaking assessments, presenting information clearly and making balanced, child‑focused recommendations. You are also committed to your own professional development and open to learning, feedback and reflective practice. Most importantly, you value being part of a supportive team, contributing to and benefiting from a culture of peer support, shared learning and mutual respect.

The Family Placement Team is a small, welcoming and highly supportive team where strong working relationships are key. We recognise that our work can be complex, so we prioritise peer support, open communication and shared problem‑solving. We work closely with children’s social workers and other professionals to ensure vulnerable children receive the best possible care and support. The team is responsible for assessing prospective foster carers, special guardians, connected persons and private foster carers, contributing to foster carer recruitment and delivering training to support carers in their role. You will be part of a team that values quality practice and takes pride in ensuring children are placed locally with suitable carers whenever possible. With supportive managers, knowledgeable colleagues and dedicated administrative support, you will have the time and space to focus on meaningful work and build strong relationships.

Key responsibilities:

• Undertake viability and full assessments of prospective applicants’ suitability to become foster carers, special guardians, connected persons, and private foster carers.
• Present all relevant items at foster panel or court (depending on the nature of each case).
• Contribute to the recruitment of prospective foster carers by responding to enquiries and completing initial screening visits.
• Provide training to prospective and existing foster carers as per the needs of the service.
• Ensure that children are placed locally within available foster carers.

Our benefits:

• 28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
• Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work‑life balance.
• Paid employee volunteering scheme.
• Local government pension scheme with life insurance cover.
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
• Reimbursement of Social Work England registration.
• Recognition of continuous service within NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits (Terms and Conditions apply).
• Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing.
• Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.

Values:

Our core values are inclusive, ambitious and always learning. These influence the way we work with each other, serve residents and engage with communities. We demonstrate our values in how we behave every day.

Reasonable adjustments:

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, contact us.

Interviews:

Interviews will be held on Thursday 30 April in person. Candidates are advised to submit their application as soon as possible. AI is prohibited during the interview and any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.

Equal opportunities:

Bracknell Forest Council – Working for Equality. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.