Principal Social Worker- Child and Family Teams

The job requirements are detailed below. Essential qualifications, skills and experience are listed in the Job Descriptions/Person Specification which can be found under the attachments section below.

37 hours per week - Child and Family Teams Grade 13 at £49,282 per annum. All Social Workers who work in these teams are eligible to receive a £2,250 market supplement. This is regardless of length of post qualifying experience and will be reviewed in May 2027. This payment will be paid pro rata on a monthly basis.

This is an open ended advert and the location of the post being recruited to will be dependent on vacancies at the time; the teams are based in the following locations:

• South - Ty Elai, Williamstown
• West - Ty Elai, Williamstown

Join us as we enter an exciting phase of service transformation. Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is pleased to offer a Principal Social Work position within our newly reconfigured Child and Family Teams.

About the Team: Our Child and Family Teams specialise in care planning for children who require care and support. This includes cases subject to child protection planning, PLO and Court, in addition to adoption work. A dedicated service enables more focus on risk management to avoid escalation. The overall aim is to reduce the need for PLO, child and family separations, and care proceedings.

As a Principal Social Worker, you will work in a challenging yet supportive and rewarding team environment. You will be expected to take on a mentoring role where required with newly qualified practitioners and commit to your own development. Within this role you will receive regular informal and formal supervision and will be expected to deputise on occasion for the Team Manager.

Why Work for us? Working in Rhondda Cynon Taf Children’s Services, you will have access to a wide range of staff benefits, as well as an extensive range of learning and development opportunities. We prioritise the well-being of our practitioners, providing support, manageable workloads, and resources needed to thrive.

We are currently rolling out a new Model of Practice across the service, which is relationship focused, collaborative and trauma informed. This means you will access a comprehensive evidence-based training package, which includes Collaborative Communication training – supporting staff to work in an outcome focused way, encouraging reflective and empowering conversations with young people and their families, as well as a bespoke in-house trauma informed practice training programme.

Other benefits include:

• The right to request flexible working and we have supportive policies for parents which include enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity pay.
• Agile working, enabling you to work from both home and the office.
• Pilot of an enhanced flexible working policy in these teams, allowing you to have up to 2 non-working days per month!
• Access to our highly regarded ‘Reflective spaces’ which consist of collaborative discussions between a team or individuals, facilitated by a psychologist that supports the sharing of thoughts, feelings and reactions to experiences in work.
• Access to our Occupational Health Unit and ‘Vivup’, our fully Confidential Employee Assistance Programme.
• 26 days annual leave, rising to 31 days after 5 years’ service. There is also an option to purchase additional annual leave to a maximum of 10 days (pro rata) per year.
• A generous Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Additional Council wide benefits include our Cycle to Work scheme, discounted LeisureForLife membership and a staff discount Vectis card.

This is just some of what we have to offer; take a look at our dedicated Children’s Services webpages for more information about why you should choose a Social Work career in RCT.

For further information about the vacancy or to arrange an informal discussion with the manager, please contact: Protecting children and vulnerable adults is a core responsibility of all staff appointed to the Council. In addition to this safeguarding responsibility, the successful applicant for this role will also be subject to an enhanced disclosure and barring service check.

The Council values diversity in its workforce. We are committed to ensuring that no unlawful discrimination occurs in the recruitment and selection process on the grounds of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, transgender, including those with non-binary identities, religion or belief or pregnancy and maternity. We offer a number of staff networks for employees including the Allies Network, a Disability and Carers Network and Perthyn our LGBTQ+ Network.

An application submitted for this post in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application made in English. As part of the Council’s longer-term objectives in relation to the Welsh language and its Workforce Planning Strategy, it is committed to a guaranteed interview scheme for Welsh-speakers of Level 3 and above. If you meet the essential criteria as identified in the person specification for the job and are a Welsh-speaker of Level 3 and above, you will be invited to interview if you choose to participate in the scheme.

In support of the Council’s voluntary pledge to support the Armed Forces, the recruiter must always be prepared to ensure that applicants who have identified themselves as members of the Armed Forces including Service Leavers, Veterans or Reservists and who meet the essential criteria of the person specification, are offered an interview.

Care Experienced Leavers – Guaranteed Interview Scheme: As part of the Council’s corporate parenting role, it is committed to supporting its care experienced leavers. This means anyone who has spent time within the care system at any point in their life. We encourage applications from individuals who are care experienced to enable them to access employment, education, experiences and volunteering opportunities. The Council will guarantee an interview for any care experienced leavers who wish to take part in the scheme who meet the essential criteria for the role.