Qualified Social Worker - Building Your Futures - Portsmouth in Sussex

About the Service – Building Your Futures

Building Your Futures is an aspirational team who are passionate about children and young people's futures. The team are creative, child focused and strive for positive outcomes for the children we care for. The Building Your Futures Team supports children and young people who are looked after in foster care, cared for by connected carers or family, and specialist care, and where there is a plan to support children Going Home (reunification). The team works alongside a wide range of professionals and multi-agencies to support effective care planning for the children we care for.

The Role

As a Social Worker in the Building Your Futures team, you will:

• Support some of the most vulnerable children in our service.
• Lead on care planning, direct work, and life story work.
• Promote positive outcomes and ensure permanence plans are in place.
• Contribute to the Going Home pathway where appropriate.
• Deliver a high-quality, responsive service that reflects the wishes and feelings of children and young people.
• Be encouraged to adopt creative and solution-focused approaches tailored to individual needs.
• Engage children and young people meaningfully in all aspects of their care planning.

The ideal candidate

We are looking for someone who:

• Holds a Diploma or Degree in Social Work and is registered with Social Work England (ASYE must be completed).
• Has a sound understanding of relevant legislation, including the Children Acts 1989/2004, and is willing to develop expertise in legislation specific to this role.
• Demonstrates insight into the challenges faced by children in care.
• Communicates effectively with children and professionals across agencies.
• Possesses strong analytical skills to assess children's needs.
• Thrives in a dynamic environment and can manage competing demands with resilience.
• Is motivated and committed to achieving outstanding outcomes for children.
• Understands anti-oppressive practice and applies restorative approaches.
• Is child-centred, empowering children to make informed choices and respecting their views.
• Values diversity and promotes inclusive practice.
• Works collaboratively within a supportive team environment.
• Is proficient in using MS Word, Outlook, and relevant databases.
• Demonstrates empathy, diplomacy, and respect in interactions with service users.

Please ensure that you read the full job profile attached for the details and expectations of this role, paying particular attention to the section 'Who is the person' as you will need to refer to this when completing your Personal statement.

Hybrid working arrangements: Attendance requirements to the designated workplace will be 3 days required in the office.

Informal Enquiries

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact: Vicky Laybourne.

Interview details: Interviews will take place week commencing 2nd February 2026.

Application process

We anonymise applications during application & shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. As part of your application, we ask that you complete a personal statement, this statement is crucial and is where you must demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the job against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person' points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work/personal experience.

We are a Disability Confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal. We are committed to offering an interview to all those candidates that qualify under one of our commitments and meet the minimum criteria, however, for roles that receive a large number of applications, this is not always possible, and we will select the candidates that best meet the minimum criteria.

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.

About Portsmouth City Council

What we can offer you: Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act. Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our careers portal homepage.

Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS Disclosure at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership safer recruitment procedures.