Walsall Council, Social Worker – Aspiring Futures (Fixed term, 12 months)
Grade: G9; Salary Range: £42,839 – £46,142
Overview
The Aspiring Futures team is dedicated to protecting and supporting young people who are at risk of or being exploited. This fixed-term role involves working intensively with a small caseload of exploited children and young people, conducting assessments, and partnering with specialist agencies to safeguard and promote their well‑being.
Responsibilities
- Work with a reduced number of exploited young people to provide intensive support and assessment.
- Complete The Our Family assessments and Exploitation Risk Reduction assessments, gathering information on familial, extra‑family and contextual risks to develop safety plans.
- Participate in MACE (Multi‑Agency Child Exploitation) meetings and Team Around the Family meetings, presenting risk reduction strategies and supporting decision‑making.
- Collaborate closely with partner agencies (Police, Street Teams, Youth Justice Service, Education, Health, Violence Reduction Partnership, Mentoring Services, Detached Youth Work Services, Voluntary Organisations) to coordinate interventions.
- Attend daily Exploitation Triage sessions and support the identification of high‑risk individuals.
- Provide individual monthly supervision and engage in group supervision with other practitioners; receive clinical supervision through a trained clinical psychologist.
- Maintain accurate, comprehensive case records, reports and analysis for statutory and internal purposes.
About You
- Social Work qualified, with a minimum of 12 months post‑qualifying experience in children’s services.
- Registered with Social Work England.
- Experienced in assessing and supporting children who are children in need, at risk of significant harm, or in care, with a solid understanding of statutory responsibilities under the Children Act 1989 and Working Together to Safeguard Children.
- Knowledgeable in risk management, context weighting, and the factors that contribute to exploitation.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills when working with young people, families, colleagues and wider professional networks.
- Strong assessment, report writing, analytical and professional curiosity skills.
- Passionate about making positive change for exploited young people and committed to staff development.
Benefits
- Competitive salary within the £42,839 – £46,142 range.
- Full council benefits package: holiday discounts, grocery, clothing, electrical and gym membership discounts.
- Financial benefits, expenses and flexible leave.
- Professional development opportunities.
- Hybrid working model – 2–3 days office based (or as required) with the ability to work from home; 9 days per fortnight pattern.
Eligibility and Safeguarding
This post is covered by the Government’s Code of Practice on the English Language Fluency Duty for public sector workers; the successful candidate must communicate accurately in spoken English.
Completion of an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check is required. For this role, a Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) check will also be conducted, covering identity verification, national and immigration status, employment history (last three years) and unspent convictions.
We are an equal opportunity employer, welcoming applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of sex, race, disability, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic.
Application Information
Applicants must describe how their experience and skills match the criteria in the employee specification. Please provide a detailed supporting information statement; CVs are not accepted. Contact the Team Manager, Antony Ross (Antony.ross@walsall.gov.uk) or Group Manager, Rebecca Warren (Rebecca.warren@walsall.gov.uk) for an informal discussion.
Closing date for applications: 14/06/2026. Interviews are scheduled between 24/06/2026 and 03/07/2026.
