Senior Social Worker - Assessment Team (plus Welcome Payment of £7,000)

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• Candidate_Pack_-_People_Directorate_-_Sept_2025
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Please apply online via the link provided.

Please include a personal statement with your CV specifying why you are applying for this vacancy.

We are looking for a Senior Social Worker to join our Assessment Team on a full-time, permanent basis.

Bracknell Forest's Children’s Social Care team are proud to have achieved an Outstanding in all areas grading in December 2025. Not only did we maintain our Outstanding judgement but inspectors also recognised that “since the last inspection in 2022, Bracknell Forest has sustained and strengthened exceptional services for children and families”.

Ofsted described practitioners as “effusive about working in Bracknell' who value our strong child‑focused ethos, relational practice model, manageable workloads and high‑quality training and supervision.

Staff shared with inspectors that they appreciate leaders’ visibility, approachability and unwavering commitment to children, all factors that underpin their decision to continue their careers in Bracknell Forest.

“Leaders have established a highly effective Social Work Academy that provides tailored support to practitioners at every stage of their career”. This commitment to development and learning has contributed to Bracknell Forest’s secure reputation as an ‘employer of choice’ for social workers.

To learn more about what it is like to work with us, take a look at our team's video.

Read more about our culture and what our staff say Children's social care culture | Bracknell Forest Council.

About you…

You will need to be registered with Social Work England and have at least three years’ post‑qualifying experience in Children’s Social Care, including child protection work.

You will have solid experience in completing comprehensive assessments of children's needs which are timely and detailed and take account of children’s unique characteristics, including their culture, ethnicity, religion and any disabilities.

You will be passionate about relational social work and committed in joining our embedded culture and ethos of bettering vulnerable children’s lives.

To thrive in this role, you will bring a solid understanding of the key legislation, guidance, local policies and thresholds. You will be comfortable working closely with a range of partners and confident in your ability to assess situations, analyse information and record your work clearly. This is a fast‑paced role, so being able to stay calm, organised and proactive, especially when leading on complex situations, will really help you succeed.

As a Senior Social Worker, you will role‑model and champion high‑quality practice. You will demonstrate a strong commitment to your own continued professional development and use your knowledge and experience to support colleagues, helping to foster our inclusive and collaborative culture.

If you would like an informal chat or a tour of the office prior to submitting your application, please contact helen.gore@bracknell-forest.gov.uk to arrange a suitable time.

About the team…

In December 2025, Ofsted concluded that “since the last inspection, leaders, managers and practitioners have not only sustained outstanding services but have raised the bar even higher".

The Assessment Team is the front door to Children’s Social Care and carries out short‑term, meaningful work directly with children, young people and their families. You will be part of a busy, supportive service that makes a real difference from the very first point of contact.

We work closely with our partners in MASH, where inspectors recognised that “the multi‑agency safeguarding hub (MASH) delivers a prompt, thorough response and receives good‑quality multi‑agency referral information”. This strong partnership working ensures children receive timely and well‑informed interventions.

Our managers are highly committed to supporting the work of all social workers. Ofsted highlighted that managers provide “timely and consistent oversight” and offer the right guidance so staff clearly understand next steps. They were described as “confident and proficient” and noted to “understand risk exceptionally well”.

This means you will be part of a team that is “responsive to children’s experiences and prioritises safety planning”. Child protection strategy meetings are convened quickly, with strong multi‑agency attendance and effective information‑sharing, helping you and your colleagues to mitigate risks and improve the lives of vulnerable children.

We are a small, welcoming and friendly local authority where you will have the opportunity to build strong, positive and supportive working relationships with colleagues and peers. You will be a valued member of the team, where you will feel connected, appreciated, heard, accepted, included and supported.

Key responsibilities…

• To carry out needs-led child focused assessments which include outcome focused plans.
• To work alongside other professionals and partner agencies in assessing children in need and undertake child protection enquiries.
• To be the allocated Social Worker for a duty caseload of single assessments under S17 and S47 investigations, with some short-term work.
• To take part in the duty system responding to child protection concerns.
• To develop and maintain accurate case records and comply with the department's policies, procedures and guidelines, including data protection and GDPR.
• To participate in regular reflective supervision and be able to set clear goals and intervention strategies.
• To support and mentor less experienced colleagues including newly qualified Social Workers, Family workers and Social Work Students.

We use the Family Safeguarding Model in our approach to collaborate with families to keep them together, where it is safe to do so, supported by Motivational Interviewing (MI). In December 2025, Ofsted recognised our model “operates consistently and effectively” and “embraces a relational approach, with explicit commitment to understanding the culture and diverse needs of families”.

Our benefits…

• 28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
• Paid employee volunteering scheme.
• Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
• Reimbursement of Social Work England registration.
• Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply).
• Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing.
• Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.

Salary: In addition to the salary quoted, this role attracts a one-off Welcome Payment of £7,000 and an annual Retention Payment of 4% of annual salary after 2 years, subject to terms and conditions. Please see the attached T&Cs for details.

Find out more about all our benefits or see the candidate pack.

Our values...

At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you.

Reasonable adjustments...

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting recruitment@bracknell-forest.gov.uk. We will work with you to support you throughout the process. Find out more about reasonable adjustments.

Interview date

Shortlisting will take place on a weekly basis, and candidates who are successfully shortlisted will be offered an interview at least seven days later. Interviews will be held in person, giving you the opportunity to meet the team and get a real feel for our working environment.

We will be reviewing applications regularly and may close the advert early if we identify suitable candidates. To avoid disappointment, we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.

Want to ask us a question?

For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:

Donna Barber, Team Manager, Donna.barber@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

or Helen Gore, Principal Social Worker, Helen.gore@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of working within the current Social Care System and Framework.

We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.

Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.

No agencies please.