Children in Care Social Worker | Northampton Children’s Trust | £36 per hour
Sheldon Phillips are working in partnership with Northampton Children’s Trust to recruit an experienced Children in Care Social Worker to join their established service. This is a fantastic opportunity to work within a supportive and child-focused team, ensuring looked after children receive consistent care planning, stability, and positive long-term outcomes.
Role Overview
As a Children in Care Social Worker, you will manage a caseload of looked after children, working to ensure high-quality care planning and permanence outcomes are achieved. You will build strong, trusting relationships with children and young people, ensuring their voice is central to all plans and decisions made about their future.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage a caseload of children in care, including looked after children and care leavers where appropriate
- Undertake statutory visits in line with timescales and legislation
- Develop, implement, and review care plans with a focus on permanence and stability
- Support children through key transitions including placement moves and pathway planning
- Prepare high-quality reports for reviews and court proceedings where required
- Work closely with foster carers, residential providers, and adopters
- Engage effectively with children and young people to ensure their views are heard and acted upon
- Collaborate with partner agencies including education, health, and early help services
- Maintain accurate and timely case recording in line with local authority standards
Benefits
- Competitive rate of £36 per hour
- Stable and supportive Children in Care service
- Opportunity to work within a well-structured local authority team
- Hybrid working arrangements available where appropriate
- Manageable caseloads with a focus on quality practice
- Strong management support and regular supervision
- Opportunity to develop and maintain court and permanence planning experience
Requirements
- Social Work qualification (Degree/DipSW/CQSW)
- Registered with Social Work England
- Post-qualified experience within Children’s Services
- Experience working within Children in Care or Looked After Children teams
- Strong understanding of the Children Act 1989 and care planning frameworks
- Experience of multi-agency working and child-focused practice
- Confident in report writing and, where applicable, court work
- Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for children and young people
Interested?
If you are an experienced Children’s Social Worker looking for your next locum opportunity, we would love to hear from you.
Please contact Emily Cooper on 07745 200325 or email ecooper@sheldon-phillips.com for more information or to apply.