Senior Social Worker (Family Placement Team) 03298

Senior Social Worker (Family Placement Team) 03298

Are you an experienced Social Worker looking for a new challenge within a supportive and forward-thinking local authority? West Berkshire Council is seeking a Senior Social Worker to join our Family Placement Team, reporting to the Team Manager for Family Placement. This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to the delivery of high-quality social care services to children and families, while working alongside dedicated professionals in a collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

• Working directly with children, young people, and their families to provide effective assessments and interventions.
• Ensuring the delivery of high-quality fostering and adoption services, in line with legislative requirements and best practice.
• Conducting assessments of needs and risks, and implementing appropriate care plans.
• Providing guidance and support to less experienced Social Workers, offering supervision and advice on complex cases.
• Collaborating with other professionals and agencies to ensure holistic support for children and families.
• Contributing to the Team Manager’s duties, such as attending management meetings, participating in panels, and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.

Qualifications and skills

• Qualified Social Worker with a relevant professional qualification and registration with Social Work England.
• Extensive post-qualification experience in a Social Work role, ideally within a local authority setting.
• Sound knowledge of legislation, regulations, and national standards relating to fostering and adoption.
• Experience in managing complex cases and providing effective supervision to junior staff.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive relationships with children, families, and colleagues.
• Strong organisational and time management abilities, with the capacity to work independently and as part of a team.
• Demonstrates commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion in practice.

West Berkshire Council Offer and Benefits

• Flexible working where possible between the hours of 07:00–21:00; hybrid working where possible, 40% in the office.
• Access to a wide range of training and development opportunities.
• Generous Local Government pension scheme.
• Family friendly policies and a range of local discounts.
• Wellbeing Programme including Employee Assistance Programme and other employee benefits.
• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 29 days per annum (plus public holidays), rising by 5 days after 5 years’ service.

How to apply

Please complete a short online application form. You will then be able to upload your CV. The closing date is given as a guide; we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications. Please submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Contacts

If you would like to learn more about this role, please contact Keith Langley on 01635 503102 or email keith.langley@westberks.gov.uk.

Equal Opportunities

The Council supports Equal Opportunity of employment, and positively encourages applications from people who fall within any of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

Privacy and safeguarding

This role has been identified as public facing in accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016; the requirement to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English applies. West Berkshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all its staff and volunteers to share these values. Successful candidates will be offered employment subject to Disclosure and Barring Service checks along with other relevant employment checks. This privacy notice applies to job applicants applying for vacancies with West Berkshire Council https://info.westberks.gov.uk/pnapplications

Note

Additionally, this role description may include other related postings or referrals that are listed here for context. This refined description focuses on the Senior Social Worker (Family Placement Team) 03298 responsibilities and requirements.