Social Worker, Specialist Assessment Team
Are you an experienced social worker ready to specialise in complex assessment work
Are you confident producing robust, evidence-informed assessments for care proceedings?
Are you skilled in working with families affected by adult substance use, trauma, mental health difficulties or learning needs?
We are seeking an experienced, full-time Social Worker to join Southampton City Council’s Specialist Assessment and Family Drug and Alcohol Court Team.
About the team:
The Specialist Assessment and Family Drug and Alcohol Court Team is a highly skilled multidisciplinary team comprising of experienced social workers and family practitioners. We complete specialist assessments and deliver targeted interventions across Children’s Services, alongside leading Southampton’s Family Drug and Alcohol Court service.
Our practice is trauma-informed, relationship-based and systemic, enabling us to understand complex family histories, patterns of risk and the impact of adversity while identifying strengths, capacity for change and opportunities for safe, family-led solutions.
The team undertakes some of the service’s most complex assessment work, including assessments within care proceedings and the Public Law Outline process, including ParentAssess and adult sexual risk assessments. We work with families where substance use, learning needs, mental health difficulties and trauma are significant factors. Our analytical and evidence-informed assessments place children’s lived experiences at the centre and support timely, robust care planning.
About the role:
As a Social Worker in the Specialist Assessment & FDAC Team, you will have at least two years’ post-qualifying experience, strong assessment skills and a proven background in court work. You will complete high-quality specialist assessments and contribute to care planning for children and families where needs and risks are complex. This will include work within Care Proceedings and the Public Law Outline process, and assessments involving substance or alcohol use, learning needs, mental health difficulties, trauma or sexual risk.
You will work closely with skilled family practitioners who deliver targeted interventions alongside the assessment process, providing families with practical opportunities to learn, develop and demonstrate change. The team’s intervention offer includes the Resolutions Approach, pre-birth and post-birth support, Non-Violent Resistance and emotional coping skills interventions.
Southampton’s Family Drug and Alcohol Court service is also based within the team. It provides an intensive, problem-solving approach for families where substance use is a central factor in care proceedings. The service supports parents to address substance use, improve family functioning and work towards safe reunification where this is achievable. We are therefore looking for a Social Worker who is also confident and skilled in direct work with adults affected by substance use difficulties.
For further information about this role, please view the job description.
About you:
- Qualified and registered Social Worker with a minimum of two years post-qualifying experience in children and families social work
- Strong specialist assessment skills, with formal training and proven experience in one or more areas such as ParentAssess, substance and alcohol misuse, sexual risk assessment or complex parenting capacity assessments
- A proven track record of work within care proceedings or complex Public Law Outline processes – including both written work and in providing oral evidence
- Confidence in producing analytical, evidence-informed assessments that are proportionate to risk and support timely care planning
- Additional skills in systemic practice, trauma-informed intervention, motivational interviewing, the Resolutions Approach, AIM3 or Family Drug and Alcohol Court practice would be highly desirable
- Experience working in a UK based statutory social work setting
If you feel you have the necessary background, experience, and skills to undertake this role we would like to hear from you.
What we can offer you:
Salary: The salary band for this role is Grade 9 £43,150 - £47,664.
The starting salary is £43,150with annual progression through the salary bands.
Here at SCC we have a range of different perks and benefits, a few examples can be found below.
- Excellent local government pension with 16.8% employer contribution
- Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution)
- Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service
- Flexible working options (role-dependent)
- Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
- Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
- Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks
- Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant
- Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform
- Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres
- Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans
- Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer
For further information on our benefits package please visit: Employee benefits (southampton.gov.uk)
Contact details for informal discussion:
For further information and details regarding the Social Work Post in the Specialist Assessment & FDAC Team please contact Alison Street, Team Manager on 07796479855 Alison.Street@southampton.gov.uk
Interview Information:
Please note that interviews are scheduled for: 10/12/2026
Recruitment contact details:
Email: recruitment@southampton.gov.uk
Tel: 023 8083 4033
For more information about SCC please visit Southampton City Council
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Salary range
- £43,150 - £47,664 per year