Social Worker | Duty & Assessment | Bolton Council
£37 per hour (Umbrella) | Locum
If you like fast-paced frontline work where decisions actually matter, Duty & Assessment is it. This is a great one for someone who’s confident with risk, can write a strong assessment, and doesn’t need hand-holding to prioritise properly.
About the role
You’ll sit at the front door of Children’s Services — screening contacts, progressing assessments, completing visits quickly, and making confident recommendations about next steps. The local expectation is child-focused, relationship-based practice, with strong multi-agency working and a clear emphasis on being transparent with families about worries, strengths, and what needs to change.
Key responsibilities
- Complete Child & Family Assessments within statutory timescales
- Undertake S47 enquiries, strategy discussions, and immediate safeguarding action
- Progress cases to ICPC / Child Protection planning where thresholds are met
- Produce clear, defensible recording and strong analysis (not just narrative)
- Work closely with police, health, education and early help to coordinate plans
- Make timely recommendations around step up/step down, legal planning and next interventions
- Keep the child’s lived experience central in visits, direct work and planning
Benefits
- High-impact work with variety (no two days are the same)
- Strong skill-builder role (risk analysis, thresholds, decision-making)
- £37/hr is solid for a D&A desk if the team setup is sensible
Requirements
- SWE registration (Social Work England)
- Recent children’s frontline experience (Duty & Assessment / Assessment / Safeguarding)
- Confident with thresholds, fast turnaround visits, and high-quality written work
- Enhanced DBS (or on the Update Service)
Interested?
Emily Cooper | ecooper@sheldon-phillips.com | 07745 200325
Referral bonus available for successful recommendations.