Qualified Children's Social Worker - Child focused courts in Darlington

Location: Engaging directly with children and families out of the Teesside Courts covering South Durham and Darlington with a contractual base in our Durham office for team meetings roughly twice a month and the option to use either the Durham or Middlesbrough office as a touch down.

Salary: £45,749 - £49,886 + £4,000 joining incentive (see wider benefits below)

A once in a generation opportunity to practice social work differently. Family justice is changing, and Cafcass is at the heart of that change. With the national rollout of Child Focused Courts, we are leading a transformation in how children's voices are heard and how decisions are made in family proceedings. Child Focused Courts place children's safety, wellbeing and lived experience at the centre of decision-making from the very start of proceedings. This problem solving, less adversarial approach allows decisions to be informed earlier by a clear understanding of children's experiences, including through the preparation of Child Impact Reports.

The role at a glance:

• Work within Cafcass' Child Focused Courts teams.
• Undertake direct work with children and families involved in family court proceedings within either Public or Private Law Cases.
• Ensure children's voices are heard clearly and influence judicial decision making.
• Collaborate closely with judges, legal professionals and partner agencies.
• Practise social work that is purposeful, evidence informed and values led.

Many practitioners involved in early Child Focused Court pilots describe this way of working as professionally rewarding, aligned with core social work values, and genuinely impactful for children.

What you will do:

• Conduct high quality assessments that focus on Children's lived experience, safety and wellbeing.
• Engage directly with children, ensuring their views, wishes and feelings are understood and represented.
• Prepare clear, analytical reports for the family court, including contributions to Child Impact Reports.
• Apply robust risk assessment and mediation skills to support child focused decision making.
• Work effectively across private law proceedings, with a strong understanding of public law context.
• Manage your caseload independently while contributing to a supportive, learning focused team environment.

Who we are looking for:

We welcome applications from qualified and experienced Children's Social Workers who share our commitment to child centred practice. You will need:

• A recognised Social Work qualification.
• Registration with Social Work England.
• An understanding of family court processes and private and/or public law.
• Strong analytical, organisational and communication skills.
• Resilience, professional curiosity and confidence in working autonomously.

We recognise that social workers bring experience from a wide range of settings, including local authority, court, voluntary, safeguarding and therapeutic roles. If your background aligns with our purpose, we encourage you to apply.

Why work for Cafcass?

At Cafcass, you will be supported to do your best work for children. We offer:

• Opportunities to contribute to nationally significant reform in family justice.
• Strong professional supervision and reflective practice.
• Access to learning from ongoing Child Focused Court pilots and national rollout activity.
• A competitive salary and Local Government pension.
• Generous annual leave and wellbeing support.
• The resources, equipment and flexibility needed to work effectively, connect with children and your colleagues.

Together, we work to ensure that children and young people are heard when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures.

Inclusion and belonging:

Cafcass is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the children and families we serve. We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds and value professional diversity, lived experience and different career pathways. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and in the workplace. If you need support at any stage, we encourage you to tell us.

Application process and next steps:

We aim to run a fair, transparent and supportive recruitment process. Indicative timescales are outlined below and may be subject to change.

• Closing date: 10th August 2026.
• Telephone interviews: We'll offer dates / times as close to when you apply as we can.
• Final Interview: Once you've had your telephone interview, we'd hope to be able to offer dates / times quite quickly.

If you have any questions about the role or recruitment process, please contact Kiera Manuel in the first instance. Successful applicants will complete several pre-engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. If any criminal offences are disclosed, we will conduct an individual assessment in line with the DBS code of practice and the Cafcass DBS policy.

We look forward to receiving your application!