Senior Social Worker - Duty And Assessment in Bracknell

Are you an exceptional Social Worker looking to join an outstanding local authority? At Bracknell Forest, you will be a valued member of a supportive team, with access to high-quality training, regular supervision and a manageable caseload. We are committed to providing the right support at the right time. By investing in our people, we create an environment where you can thrive professionally, with the tools, development opportunities and encouragement you need to make a real difference.

Bracknell Forest's Children’s Social Care team are proud to have achieved an Outstanding in all areas grading in December 2025. Not only did we maintain our Outstanding judgement but inspectors also recognised that since the last inspection in 2022, Bracknell Forest has sustained and strengthened exceptional services for children and families. Ofsted described practitioners as effusive about working in Bracknell who value our strong child focused ethos, relational practice model, manageable workloads and high quality training and supervision. Staff shared with inspectors that they appreciate leaders visibility, approachability and unwavering commitment to children, all factors that underpin their decision to continue their careers in Bracknell Forest.

Main duties of the job:

• You will need to be registered with Social Work England and have at least three years post qualifying experience in Children’s Social Care, including child protection work.
• You will have solid experience in completing comprehensive assessments of children’s needs which are timely and detailed and take account of children’s unique characteristics, including their culture, ethnicity, religion and any disabilities.
• To thrive in this role, you will bring a solid understanding of the key legislation, guidance, local policies and thresholds.
• You will be comfortable working closely with a range of partners and confident in your ability to assess situations, analyse information and record your work clearly.
• This is a fast paced role, so being able to stay calm, organised and proactive, especially when leading on complex situations, will really help you succeed.
• As a Senior Social Worker, you will role model and champion high quality practice.
• You will demonstrate a strong commitment to your own continued professional development and use your knowledge and experience to support colleagues, helping to foster our inclusive and collaborative culture.

About us:

The Assessment Team is the front door to Children’s Social Care and carries out short term, meaningful work directly with children, young people and their families. You will be part of a busy, supportive service that makes a real difference from the very first point of contact. We work closely with our partners in MASH, where inspectors recognised that the multi agency safeguarding hub (MASH) delivers a prompt, thorough response and receives good quality multi agency referral information. This strong partnership working ensures children receive timely and well informed interventions.

Our managers are highly committed to supporting the work of all social workers. Ofsted highlighted that managers provide timely and consistent oversight and offer the right guidance so staff clearly understand next steps. They were described as confident and proficient and noted to understand risk exceptionally well. You will be part of a team that is responsive to children’s experiences and prioritises safety planning. Child protection strategy meetings are convened quickly, with strong multi agency attendance and effective information sharing, helping you and your colleagues to mitigate risks and improve the lives of vulnerable children.

We are a small, welcoming and friendly local authority where you will have the opportunity to build strong, positive and supportive working relationships with colleagues and peers.

Job responsibilities:

• To carry out needs-led child focused assessments which include outcome focused plans.
• To work alongside other professionals and partner agencies in assessing children in need and undertake child protection enquiries.
• To be the allocated Social Worker for a duty caseload of single assessments under S17 and S47 investigations, with some short-term work.
• To take part in the duty system responding to child protection concerns.
• To develop and maintain accurate case records and comply with the department's policies, procedures and guidelines, including data protection and GDPR.
• To participate in regular reflective supervision and be able to set clear goals and intervention strategies.
• To support and mentor less experienced colleagues including newly qualified Social Workers, Family workers and Social Work Students.

Person Specification:

Qualifications:

• Essential: Degree in Social Work or equivalent, Social Work England registration, at least three years of post-qualifying experience within children's social care that includes child protection, in-depth knowledge of relevant legislation, guidance, policies and thresholds, successful completion of the ASYE programme.
• Desirable: Post qualification - for example: Practice Educator, ABE Training, Motivational Interviewing training, Age Assessment training, Human Rights Assessment training.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.