Senior Social Worker Specialist Private Fostering

We are keen to be able to offer an exciting, stimulating and unique opportunity for social work qualified staff to apply for the role of Senior Social Worker in an innovative new design to revive Private Fostering in Southwark.

About the Role:

The role includes both managing a caseload and promoting private fostering within the internal organisation as well as within the Southwark community. This role will include private fostering assessments and support for these children, participating on the panel, enabling effective and timely recording that feeds into the strategic overview. In this role you will lead on private fostering in Southwark which will include co-locations in the community which will support various stakeholder consultations, workshops and training. This is a chance to try a different way of working and creative approaches to engage with the Southwark community and ensure that our Privately Fostered children are receiving the best service possible. This is a great opportunity for Senior Social Workers interested in innovation, systemic working and relationship-based direct work with children and families and professionals alike. The post holder will need to demonstrate a commitment to the value base of child-centred and family-minded practice focused on improving lives.

About You:

• Social work qualification and be registered with Social Work England.
• Relevant social work experience in statutory social work.
• Possess the professional potential and personal attributes to guide families.
• Possess good IT skills.
• Excellent analytical and decision-making skills to handle complex information effectively.
• A strong commitment to anti-discriminatory practices and addressing inequality.

About the Team:

You will be joining a friendly team of dedicated professionals who share your passion for positive outcomes for children and families and ensure the delivery of a high quality, comprehensive, integrated, systemically informed social work service within Southwark’s Practice Framework.

In return for all your hard work, skills and experience, you will receive:

• A competitive base salary - For roles in our Assessment & Intervention and Safeguarding & Family Support teams, we are offering for a time limited period a Welcome Payment of £2,500 for joining Southwark, followed by a retention payment of £3,000 per year for your first two years, and £4,000 after three years.
• Strong supportive senior management team
• Regular one to one supervision
• Professional development & training opportunities
• Clear career development pathways
• Agile and flexible working arrangements
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Season ticket and cycle loans
• Annual Leave starting at 28 days per year that can increase to 36 with continuous service
• Wellbeing programme
• Options to join our HSF Health plan and eye care schemes
• EAP employee assistance programme, confidential counselling and support
• Social clubs and staff groups

For detailed qualifications and requirements, please review the job description and person specification located at the bottom of the advert.

Contact Information:

If you are interested to discuss the role with the hiring manager, please email Joyce Patton via email.

Additional Information:

• Social Work Qualification or equivalent
• Working Hours: 36 hours per week.
• Location: Sumner House, SE15 5QS.
• DBS Check: This post requires Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance.

Benefits and more information: https://jobs.southwark.gov.uk/why-us/

Recruitment Timeline:

• Advert close date: 11:59pm on Sunday 15th June 2025
• Shortlisting date/s: To be confirmed
• Interview date/s: To be confirmed

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme: As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you’ll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

About Southwark: We are the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues and social enterprises, and we have a young, diverse and growing population. At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities.