Social Worker – Children’s

St Helier, Jersey | Posted on 20/10/2026

• Provide a comprehensive social work assessment and protection service to children, young people, their families and carers, who are in need of care and protection. This will include Children in Need, Children Looked After, care leavers and those in need of safeguarding. To deliver the day to day operation of social work services, and accessing and facilitating resources to manage risk and meet identified needs.
• Plan, organise and be accountable for prompt referral, case co-ordination and implementation of care and protection plans on a day-to-day basis, working with children/young people and their families and carers in one or more social work specialist areas to deliver social services to a range of individuals. These include children/young people who are looked after, with complex needs, care leavers, those children/young people and families requiring post adoptive services, individuals affected by domestic violence, substance misuse, mental health and adverse childhood experiences. This can also include children/young people and families who live off island.
• Holistically assess individual needs and develop and design care and intervention plans that treat each person as a unique individual, in order to protect, promote and monitor the safety and welfare of children/young people their families and carers. To promote the voice of the child and upholding and promoting their rights under the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child. This is in partnership with the child/young person, their families and carers in order to improve outcomes.
• Deliver appropriate, open, accurate and straightforward communication to children/young people, their families and carers, clearly explaining service policies and the professional role and responsibilities of the social work team including any statutory intervention which may prove necessary, in order to establish and maintain the trust and confidence of children/young people, their families and carers.
• Challenge and report dangerous, abusive, discriminatory or exploitative behaviour or practice, including potential criminal offences, in order to ensure the wellbeing of children/young people, their families and carers is safeguarded at all times. To work within a line management structure and take responsibility for escalation to line managers when this is required.
• Follow risk assessment policies and procedures, and access specialist professional advice and guidance as necessary, to ensure that potential and actual risk is identified and managed, particularly in relation to those clients who are assessed as being the most vulnerable to risk of harm by self or others. With the guidance of managers, to consider the use of statutory powers to ensure the child's/young person's protection and safety, applying legislation and directly providing written and oral evidence in Court as necessary.
• Maintain the highest standards of personal and professional conduct. Adhering to relevant codes of conduct, policies, procedures and legislation and take responsibility for maintaining and improving personal knowledge and skills. To ensure that the criteria for continuing professional registration are fulfilled and that members of the public and other professionals have confidence in the service.
• Create and maintain clear and accurate records to ensure that all relevant information is held as required by established procedures and best practice and in line with data protection, confidentiality, disclosure and consent policies. To always bear in mind that records and documents may be disclosable for the purpose of Serious Case Reviews, external inquiry and inspection, and to the Royal Court in respect of civil applications or incriminal proceedings associated with the protection of vulnerable individuals.
• To attend and represent the Children’s Service in a range of multi-agency decisionmaking and risk management meetings. To take part in complex meetings, which includes, but is not restricted to, strategy meetings, fostering and adoption panels and core planning meetings. Be responsible for chairing Core Group Meetings, Child in Need Meetings and Care Planning Meetings.
• As the lead professional, coordinate multi-agency, child/young people and family and carer involvement to ensure the delivery of improved outcomes of children and young people, which may be directed by the Court.
• To create, deliver and prepare multi-agency and specialist training to a range of colleagues, stakeholders and carers in response to service needs and/or as part of business as usual.
• To take part in a rota that provides an Out of Hours social work response as delegated by the Social Work Manager or Head of Service in situations of crisis, requiring an immediate operational response to risk.
• The supervising social workers in the fostering and adoption teams have responsibility for recruitment, assessment, training, supervision and support of foster carers and adopters as well as matching children to family placements.

Requirements

ATTRIBUTES

ESSENTIAL

DESIRABLE

Qualifications

Aprofessionalqualification in Social Work (e.g.Degree, Diploma or equivalentinSocialWork).

Registered with the appropriateUK professionalgoverningbody i.e. Social Work Englandandlocally, must also register under the HealthCare(Registration)(Jersey) Law 1995.

Knowledge

Thisrelatesothelevelandbreadthof practical knowledge required to do the job (e.g. theunderstanding of a defined system, practice, method or procedure).

Specialist knowledge in social work underpinned by theoryand relevant practical experience.

Anunderstanding of children’s & adult Safeguarding issues. Goodunderstandingofthe managementof risk and supporting vulnerable children/young people, families and carersin the community.

Understands how to assess and manage risk when making complexdecisions that may be disputed in court.

Practical knowledge of assessing and arranging

Knowledgeoftherangeof services providedboth withinCYPES,Healthand Community Services, by otherStatesDepartments and by private and voluntarysectorproviders

Knowledge of mentoring social work students and newly qualifiedsocial workers.

delivery of social care plans for caseload children/young people,their families and carers.

Understanding of therapeutic services, their arrangement and provision.

Practical understanding of legislation relating to theirspecialist area of social work,thegeneralworkings of civil courts and the conducting of police investigationsinto related criminal activity.

Understands how to maintainrecordsaccordingto confidentiality and data protection protocols.

Technical/Work-based Skills

Able todemonstrate a range of information technology skills i.e. an abilitytoeffectivelyuseIT equipment and role criticalsoftware.

Safeguarding certificated.

DBS clearance

GeneralSkills/Attributes

autonomously, with the capacityforindependent, responsible, professional decisionmaking, often whilst under considerablepressure.

Organisational and

administrative skills

Ability to take on board complexfactsorsituations requiring analysis,interpretation and

comparisonofarange of

optionsinordertoarriveat a complex judgement and to conveythis in formally written reports, which may be produced at the requestsoftheCourtsfora range of purposes.

Able tocommunicate calmly and clearly using a variety of media on sensitive andcomplex issues, including legislation,ofteninemotive situations.

Able tofacilitate the involvementofarangeof stakeholders (public and privatesector) to deal effectively with complex issues relating to vulnerable children/young people,their families and carers.

Abletofollowpolicyand understand theimplications and ramifications for areas outsideoftheirownareaof responsibility.

Highly resilient – good coping mechanisms for dealing withchallenging, stressful and emotional situations involving vulnerable children/young peopletheir families and carers.

Experience

Experience of providing a social careservice for children/young people, their families, carers and adults, whichmay be placements undertaken as partofthesocial work

training.

Discharging statutory social carefunctions on behalf of an organisation

(forexampleaperiod of

Co-ordinating support services and advising carers and families.

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