Senior Social Worker - Children's North Locality - Patchway

Our social workers make a real difference. Every day they work with families to help children and young people who have had a difficult start in life to achieve their ambitions. You will be listening to young people and putting them at the heart of all that we do and working in partnership with families, equipping them with the skills they need to ensure young people live in happy, healthy and safe homes.

• You would be working within an established team of experienced social workers who undertake statutory social work in the areas of Child Protection (CP), Children in Need (CiN) and the initial stages of Children in Care (CiC), as well as working within the Public Law Outline and Care Proceedings.
• We have a strong culture of giving staff the time, freedom and support to explore new and better ways of doing things, so were looking for individuals keen to use their creativity to deliver high quality, child-centred practices, which ensure the best outcomes for children and families.
• You will provide information, advice and support to children, young people, their families and carers to enable children to enjoy and achieve social inclusion.
• You are responsible for fulfilling a duty to safeguard vulnerable children and young people and to assess need, develop plans and provide services where appropriate. You will then review these plans regularly to ensure that outcomes are being achieved.
• It will be key for you to ensure vulnerable children and young people are protected and supported to achieve positive outcomes through the provision of well planned, integrated and coordinated services.

• We require you to be a qualified Social Worker with relevant registration to practice with Social Work England (SWE).
• You must have already successfully completed your ASYE (where qualifying since 2012) and have substantial post qualifying experience in a childrens services role.
• Given the elements of this role, you will be used to solving problems, be confident about making important decisions and are passionate about working with children, young people and families to meet their goals and aspirations.
• You must demonstrate that you have experience of supervision or mentoring of social workers or support staff and substantial first-hand experience in a relevant childrens social care team.
• You will be able to demonstrate wider strategic critical thinking and the ability to manage and advise on risk.

This role sits within an area currently undergoing a period of change due to the government-led social care reform. As the sector evolves, some elements of the role may naturally develop too - offering opportunities to grow, adapt and be part of meaningful change. We'll keep you fully informed throughout and make sure you feel supported, valued and confident as the updates arise. It's an exciting time to join us and help shape the future for our children and families.

• This role is currently based in the North Locality Hub in Patchway.
• Although this post is advertised as a full-time position, we encourage and welcome applications from experienced social workers who may be seeking part time, job share or flexible working arrangements.
• Please note that due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained.
• You will be expected to travel throughout the authority and surrounding area so you must have a full, valid driving licence with regular access to a vehicle insured for business use or have an alternative suitable means of travel.

Interviews are anticipated to be held week commencing 6th July 2026.

• As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts , including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities.
• We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.
• We invest in the careers of our people, and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps our people make the greatest long-term difference in their work.
• Whats special here is the strength of the team ethos . We are a relatively small local authority, so managers know staff well. They can plan their services to ensure teams have manageable caseloads and have effective supervision so feel supported to make decisions which are right for the children and young people they work with.
• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about working for South Gloucestershire Council. Staff report feeling heard and responded to by senior leaders. Reduced workloads, increased stability of managers and more business support have strengthened their ability to respond to and improve the quality of practice for children. A wealth of concentrated training, including the Programme for Change initiative, has developed skill sets and expertise of staff. Staff benefit from a clear pathway of career progression, including a bespoke managers development programme. (Ofsted Report published July 2024)

These posts attract a gross lump sum 3,000 recruitment