Location: London Borough of Croydon
Rate: On call rate - £37.57 + Enhanced rate for weekends and call outs.
Contract: Locum, Shift-Based
Working Arrangement: Onsite or within 30 minutes’ reach of Croydon
Start Date: ASAP
Croydon are looking for seasoned Children’s Social Workers to join their Emergency Duty Team on a shift-based locum contract. This is an out-of-hours service operating through a triage call centre model — cases are screened first, then distributed to EDT workers for response.
You’ll need to be confident working independently, making quick decisions, and handling high-risk situations without immediate management oversight. Support will be available via senior on-call managers, especially on weekend and overnight shifts.
Shift Pattern:
Day Shifts: 9am–9pm (Saturdays, Sundays & Bank Holidays)
Night Shifts: 9pm–9am (Weekdays & Weekends)
You must be within 30 minutes of Croydon – this is essential.
Your Role:
- Respond to urgent child protection and welfare concerns outside of core hours
- Undertake statutory assessments under s17/s47
- Coordinate emergency interventions with police, health and housing services
- Make decisions on placements, safety planning, and legal thresholds in real time
- Record and report case actions clearly for handover to daytime teams
What they’re looking for:
- Qualified Social Worker with SWE registration
- 10+ years’ frontline experience (Senior Practitioner level)
- Previous experience working in an EDT or high-risk assessment setting
- Strong knowledge of legislation, thresholds, and emergency response protocols
Interested and available for EDT work? Let’s have a confidential chat.
Maddie Billingham
M: 07561 805654
L: 01635 226350
E: mbillingham@sheldon-phillips.com
Referral bonus: Know someone suitable? £500 to you when we place them.