Children’s Social Worker

Children’s Social Worker

£44,391 – £48,385 + Joining Incentive £2,000

Location: Maidstone covering Kent and Medway

Ref: NTX1077636

Join our team at Cafcass!

Interested in learning more about working with us? Register for our live event 4th February at 5pm to hear from our social workers and managers about their experiences and what makes Cafcass unique. What makes Cafcass unique

We are excited to offer a joining incentive of £2,000 for the new team members who join us. You can find out further information about this incentive prior to applying for the role – check vacancy documents.

We are hiring Children’s Social Workers for our Work to First Hearing Team.

Within the Work to First Hearing team you will play a key role in ensuring Cafcass only intervenes in the lives of those children who needs 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.

Children’s Social Workers key responsibilities include:

• Conducting assessments and directly engaging with children to understand and represent their views and wishes to the court.
• Using expertise in robust risk assessment and mediation will be essential as you advocate for arrangements that prioritise the best interest of the children.

Who we’re looking for:

• Relevant Social Work qualification is essential
• You must be registered with Social Work England regulator
• You’ll ideally have a minimum of 3 years’ experience working with children and families in a social work capacity
• Experience in Family Court proceedings and understanding of Private and/or Public Law would be an advantage
• Organised and resilient with ability to work independently and managing workload effectively

Location

Whilst you may see these roles have contractual base in our Maidstone office, our teams work flexibly and remotely, your proximity to the office doesn’t always have to be a critical consideration. This hopefully will allow you to work in a way that suits you best.

We provide the resources, equipment, and support, so that individually and collectively, we can be the voice of children and young people when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures.

We provide extensive wellbeing support for colleagues, as well as excellent benefits, all of which we hope encourages you to work within our dedicated team.

Next steps / Timelines

Below we have given you an indication of a timetable we are hoping to work towards, although dates are subject to change.

Closing date: 28th February 2025.

Telephone interviews: As and when candidates apply.

Final Interview: To be confirmed

Vacancy Contact –

Hiring Manager:

To apply, please visit our website via the button below.

In anticipation of your successful application, we encourage you to review our offer and pre-employment checks process. You are welcome to raise any questions or concerns about these checks during your application, with the assurance that this information will remain confidential.

Successful applicants will undergo various pre-engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). In line with the DBS code of practice and our policy, if a criminal offence is declared, an individual assessment will be conducted. For further details regarding this assessment, please refer to the Cafcass DBS policy.

We look forward to receiving your application!