Qualified Children\'s Social Worker - Work to First Hearing team (Private Law) in Lincoln

As a Family Court Adviser (FCA) in our Work to First Hearing team you will play a key role in ensuring Cafcass only intervenes in the lives of those children who need a service. This role is fast paced, draws on Child Protection expertise and requires analytical and effective risk assessment to identify key issues for the court and make safe recommendations in the best interests of the child. You will predominantly achieve this through effective telephone interviews with applicants and respondents and by assessing information received from other agencies. You will then collate this to allow you to succinctly and expertly communicate advice in the court through clear, evidence‑based reports and representations, which will occasionally mean attending initial Court Hearings to ensure that children remain central to all decision making.

We’re looking for practitioners who are confident, curious, compassionate and committed to excellent social work practice.

To Join Us, You’ll Need:

• A Social Work qualification is essential.
• Have the Right to Work in the UK (we don’t sponsor people to work in the UK).
• Registered with Social Work England (or likely to be able to register quickly if practising outside England).
• Recent, relevant experience of working directly with children and families.
• It’s desirable you’ll have experience in family court proceedings, or knowledge of Private and/or Public Law.
• For applicants with limited post‑qualifying experience, relevant pre‑qualifying experience supporting children and families may be beneficial.
• Strong organisational skills, professional resilience and the ability to work independently while effectively managing a varied caseload.

Our Social Workers work flexibly across multiple settings — including the offices in Chelmsford or Norwich, home, courts, schools and other appropriate, safe locations, and we ensure you have the technology to do this. Shared learning is very important to us, and we bring our teams together regularly, both remotely and in‑person, for team meetings and group supervision, which creates space to connect with peers and managers, reflect on practice, and feel supported. You’ll also have regular 1:1 time with your manager, especially during your induction, and again there will be a balance between doing this remotely and in‑person, so you have opportunities to form in‑person connections.

As the largest employer of Children’s Social Workers in England, we’re uniquely placed to support your professional growth and wellbeing.

At Cafcass, You’ll Benefit From:

• High‑quality equipment and technology to help you work efficiently and engage with families effectively.
• Access to specialist resources, guidance and training to strengthen your practice.
• A strong commitment to wellbeing, reflective supervision and healthy work–life balance.
• An inclusive environment that values diversity, encourages learning and constantly strives to improve outcomes for children, families and colleagues alike.

Closing Date: 9th February 2026. If you have any questions about the role or recruitment process, please contact Narinder.kaur2@cafcass.gov.uk. Before applying, we encourage you to read about our offer and pre‑employment checks. Successful applicants will complete several pre‑engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. If any criminal offences are disclosed, we will conduct an individual assessment in line with the DBS code of practice and the Cafcass DBS policy.

We look forward to receiving your application! Be Their Voice – we represent children in family court cases in England. Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests, we speak up for over 140,000 children every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures, ensuring their needs, wishes and feelings are heard.

The wellbeing of our colleagues is something we are truly passionate about, as demonstrated by everyone having four dedicated, additional days per year when they are encouraged to spend time focusing on their health and wellbeing. Colleagues can also have a health and wellbeing cash plan, for which Cafcass pays the basic premium, which allows them to claim back some costs of routine health expenses, including dental check‑ups, eye tests, physiotherapy sessions and more.

Our team can also offer support and guidance when it comes to specific health conditions, such as neuro‑diverse conditions, cancer and the menopause. Our wellbeing offer is further strengthened by an external Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) which provides a free confidential support service 24 hours a day.

We are proud to be a disability confident leader, we invite you to join our team, we are committed to actively attract and recruit individuals with disabilities including “non‑visible” disabilities and mental health conditions. Our inclusive and accessible recruitment process means we aim to accommodate reasonable adjustments as needed.

Benefits include generous holidays (28 days holiday rising to 33 days with five years continuous service), excellent pension, flexible working, exclusive discounts, professional fees reimbursement and car leasing scheme. Detailed benefits information will be provided during the selection process.