Social Worker - Adolescent Safeguarding

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council | Children’s Services
Up to £41 per hour (Umbrella) | Locum contract
Working pattern: Hybrid working (office base in Dudley)

If you’re a confident frontline Social Worker who enjoys working with adolescents and navigating complex safeguarding risks, Dudley’s Adolescent Safeguarding Team is a really solid opportunity. This is the kind of role where your relationship-based practice, curiosity, and ability to work at pace genuinely matters.

About the Role

You’ll work with young people (typically 13+) where risk is high and situations are complex — including contextual safeguarding, exploitation concerns, missing episodes, criminal exploitation, and harm outside the home. You’ll be part of a service that’s strengthening its trauma-informed, relationship-based approach for adolescents, building on restorative practice and Family Safeguarding ways of working.

Key responsibilities

  • Manage a caseload of adolescents with complex safeguarding and contextual risks

  • Complete high-quality assessments, clear risk analysis and outcome-focused planning

  • Undertake S17 Child & Family Assessments and S47 enquiries where required

  • Lead multi-agency planning (strategy discussions, exploitation meetings, CP/CIN processes)

  • Deliver purposeful direct work with young people to capture voice, lived experience, and daily risk

  • Work closely with partner agencies and families to reduce risk and strengthen protective networks

  • Maintain strong recording, decision-making, and evidence-based recommendations throughout

Practice Model

Dudley is Child Friendly Dudley — with values built around Restorative Practice and a family-led approach, offering high support and high challenge to help families make safe changes.
The service has implemented the Hertfordshire Family Safeguarding Model, bringing multi-disciplinary partners together to work intensively with families and reduce risk.

Requirements

  • Social Work England registration

  • Recent experience in statutory Children’s Social Care

  • Confident working with adolescents and complex safeguarding risk

  • Strong assessment skills, analytical thinking, and clear written work

  • Able to work at pace and make sound, timely decisions

  • Strong multi-agency working and professional challenge skills

Benefits

  • Up to £41 per hour (Umbrella)

  • Supportive service direction with a clear practice framework

  • Exposure to specialist adolescent safeguarding work and multi-agency partnership

  • Hybrid working arrangements (service-led)

Interested?

If you want to hear more (or know someone who would be a great fit), get in touch:

Emily Cooper
07745200325 | ecooper@sheldon-phillips.com

Referral bonus available – up to £500 for successful recommendations.