Specialist Adolescent Social Worker

Job introduction

We have a vacancy for a social worker in our adolescent pod, which is part of our multi-agency adolescent service. Social workers in the adolescent pod support a considered number of young people who are experiencing extra-familial harm, often in the form of exploitation and are at risk of coming into care or custody.

"The multi-agency adolescent service that works with children who are hard to engage and require intensive support is an example of good practice. Social workers are tenacious in seeking to build meaningful relationships with children, and this supports the reduction of risk effectively" (Ofsted)

Successful candidate(s) will be able to start on or after 1 April 2026 subject to pre-employment checks being completed

For more information about this role, please contact: Emily Batchelor (Adolescent Pod Team Manager) emily.batchelor@brighton-hove.gov.uk

About the role

We are looking to recruit a social worker for our adolescent social work team, which sits within out multidisciplinary specialist adolescent service. Based at our offices on Regency Road, in central Brighton.

Social workers in the Adolescent Social Work Team work with a considered case load of young people who are experiencing criminal, and/or sexual exploitation, persistently experiencing extra-familial harm, or have additional vulnerabilities such as acute mental health needs or acute substance use which is not being fully met via other services and is impacting their experiences of harm in the community.

In this role you will be supported to take a tenacious and assertive social work approach to build meaningful relationships with young people and their families who may have previously had difficult experiences with statutory organisations. You will work closely with multiagency partners where you will work creatively to engage young people, their families, and networks in the work. You will be given space to be curious and innovative in the development of the work to support our young people, the successful reduction of risk, and practice development of work with adolescents. You will be committed to working in an anti-racist, trauma informed, and LGBTQ+ inclusive way, that recognises and is supportive of young people’s developing identities.

Please read our Apply for a job at the council (brighton-hove.gov.uk) pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.

As part of your application, you will need to complete your education and work history and provide answers to some shortlisting questions. Your answers to the shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our guidance here (Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.

Additional information

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.

We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.

For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us (brighton-hove.gov.uk)

Company information

Encouraging a diverse workforce

Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.

Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).

Please note that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check.