Legal Adviser

Location: National

Proposed fee: £552 per day; A minimum commitment of 25-30 days per year.

This is a ‘worker' status role. As such, all payments will be processed through payroll and will be subject to statutory deductions including income tax, National Insurance, and optional pension contributions where applicable.

Social Work England is the specialist body that regulates social workers in their vital role. Every day, social workers support millions of people to improve their chances in life. We believe in the power of collaboration and share a common goal with those we regulate – to protect the public, enable positive change, and ultimately improve people’s lives.

We’re looking for partners who can offer their skills and knowledge for several days throughout the year to support our fitness to practise function. As a Legal Adviser, you will play a critical role in ensuring fairness and legality throughout fitness to practise hearings. You will provide independent, objective legal advice to panels and support unrepresented social workers to understand the process. This includes advising on procedural rules, legal tests, and the admissibility of evidence, while ensuring the panel’s decision-making process is legally sound.

You will play a pivotal role in our fitness to practise hearings, which assess concerns about a social worker’s professional conduct, competence, or health. You will advise panels to ensure proceedings are conducted fairly, efficiently, and in accordance with our regulations and fitness to practise rules. Your responsibilities will include:

• Giving advice to the panel
• Overseeing procedural fairness
• Preparing comprehensive reports on decisions reached

We are looking for candidates from diverse backgrounds who are representative of the UK population, our registrants and communities our social workers serve across the country. Our offices are Sheffield based, with the majority of our hearings taking place remotely. We are keen to receive applications from candidates throughout the UK.

Please note you must be a UK registered legal professional to be eligible to apply for this role, as well as having 5 years post qualification experience and meet your regulator’s current requirements for registration. Please read our published criteria for the appointment of legal advisers.

What you will do:

• Provide independent legal advice to fitness to practise panels, including advice on law, procedure, and regulatory rules.
• Familiarise yourself with cases by reading papers in advance and assimilating the information quickly and accurately.
• Provide clear and sound independent legal advice to panels, ensuring that relevant case law has been considered, and that advice considers legal and procedural matters as appropriate.
• Support social workers without representation so they can present their case and have it considered fully and fairly.
• Ensure that hearings are conducted effectively and fairly, in a manner that reflects an interest in natural justice.
• Support the adjudicators to ensure that hearings take place in public or private as appropriate to the case.
• In conjunction with the adjudicators, ensure that an accurate, fair and comprehensive decision is produced in electronic format to document the adjudicators decision and reasons.
• Refer to and apply the relevant sections of our legislation and policy guidance to assist panels to determine whether fitness to practise is impaired and any relevant sanction is applied.
• Provide feedback on significant legal risks and issues with procedure to fellow panel members and Social Work England’s hearing team.
• Maintain ethical standards and supporting others to adhere to these throughout the hearing process.
• Attend regular training and engage in annual appraisal.

Your Skills, Knowledge And Experience:

• A registered solicitor, barrister or chartered legal executive in England and Wales, an advocate or solicitor in Scotland, or a member of the Bar of Northern Ireland, or solicitor of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland, with 5 years’ post qualification experience.
• You will also meet the current requirement for registration with the relevant regulator.
• Sound knowledge of civil and/or criminal law in England and Wales, the Human Rights Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010, together with other relevant legislation and knowledge of current court decisions.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to identify key issues, assimilate information quickly and accurately and manage complex material.
• The ability to provide accurate and timely legal advice on the order of proceedings or queries by applying professional expertise and knowledge in different settings.
• The ability to prepare written decisions made by the adjudicators, ensuring reasoning and clear justification of decisions are made in an accurate, concise, and factual manner.
• The ability to work within established policies and procedures and a demonstrable commitment to the Nolan Principles for public life.
• Demonstrable commitment to and an understanding of Social Work England’s fitness to practise statutory framework, and evidence of a capacity to remain informed and up to date on current issues.
• Ability to collaborate with others as part of a small team.
• A clear and demonstrable understanding of confidentiality, with respect both to evidence and to panel deliberations.
• An understanding of the Data Protection Act, the importance of preventing data security incidents and maintaining confidentiality.
• The ability to ensure that arrangements are made for a fair hearing, providing support to parties and the adjudicators during hearings in line with legislative and contractual requirements.
• A proven role model for respectful, open and honest behaviour including a demonstrable commitment to equality, inclusion and diversity in service delivery.
• Ability to use Microsoft Office products and other electronic systems.

How to apply:

To apply for the role, please complete the application form and submit your application by 18th July 2025. The application process includes:

• Online Application: Submit your CV and complete the sift criteria.
• Shortlisting: Applications will be assessed against sift criteria to include 3 questions about essential skills.
• Interview: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview, which may include scenario-based assessments.
• Training: Successful candidates will undergo comprehensive training before commencing their duties.

For more information about the role or the application process, please contact our recruitment team at recruitment@socialworkengland.org.uk.

Closing date - 18th July 2025.

We are committed to embracing equality, diversity and inclusion by promoting and sustaining an open and supportive environment. We want everyone to feel they are able to bring their whole selves to work. We expect everyone to have commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, both in their role and in how we regulate.