Qualified Children's Social Worker in Kent

At Cafcass, we are recruiting Children’s Social Workers who share our passion, commitment and ambition to facilitate positive outcomes for children involved in private and public law family court proceedings.

Roles we are recruiting for:

• FCAs in our Public Law Team
• FCA in our Private Law Team
• FCA in our Early Intervention Team

Our Social Workers, professionally known as Family Court Advisers (FCAs), play a vital role. You might work within the Private Law team, where there is disagreement on the best arrangements for the welfare of the child(ren) involved, a Public Law team, where local authorities have raised serious welfare concerns, or a converged team covering both law types. Whatever the team you join, the underlying role is the same: to speak on behalf of children and young people to ensure their thoughts, wishes and feelings are not just understood but heard.

As the only organisation that does this kind of work, FCAs can make recommendations leading to lasting change for children and families, which is why this is a responsibility we take seriously. And why we are committed to creating a safe, healthy and supportive environment for our colleagues to practice.

As part of this early analysis, FCAs will also write assessments to the court, providing clear and succinct recommendations and professional advice. This includes outlining any immediate safeguarding issues and advising on the most proportionate, child-focused next steps to support early judicial decision-making. In-person court attendance to offer further advice and guidance where necessary is also a requirement.

What you’ll be doing

As a FCA at Cafcass, you will:

• Complete high quality assessments, engaging directly with children to understand their experiences, wishes and feelings and ensure these are clearly and powerfully represented to the family court.
• Apply your expertise in risk assessment, analysis and mediation, advocating for solutions that place the child’s safety, wellbeing and long-term interests at the centre of decision making.
• Work with adults, local authorities, and a wide range of professionals to help resolve complex issues and influence better outcomes for children.

Who we’re looking for:

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.

You can view the full job description in the vacancy documents.

Where you’ll work

Our Social Workers work flexibly across multiple settings including the office in Maidstone, 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.

If shortlisted, the hiring manager will be able to give you more insight into what a typical week or month might look like should you join us.

How we support you

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.

You can find more about how we support our practitioners on our website, and we’ll share more during the selection process.

Next steps

Below we have set out an indicative timetable we are hoping to work towards, although dates are subject to change.

• Closing date: 14 March ****
• Telephone interviews: WC 16 March ****
• Final Interview: WC 23 March ****

If you have any questions about the role or recruitment process, please contact us. Before applying, we encourage you to read about our offer and pre-employment checks. Any questions or concerns can be confidentially raised through your application. 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.