Advanced Social Worker – Family Help Lead Practitioner (Patchway / West Hub)

South Gloucestershire Council; Patchway; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Wellbeing support

Staff discounts

Training and development

Job summary

South Gloucestershire Council is seeking an Advanced Social Worker - Family Help Lead Practitioner to deliver skilled, relationship-based practice for children, young people and families across Child in Need, Child Protection and early Children in Care planning.

You will assess risk, strengthen safety and support families to achieve sustainable change, while mentoring colleagues and contributing to service development within the West Family Help Hub, Patchway.

Qualifications

• Recognised social work qualification and current registration with Social Work England.
• Significant post-qualification experience within a local authority children’s services setting.
• Detailed knowledge of children’s legislation and practice; strong assessment, care-planning and risk-management skills.
• Ability to mentor and support others and share professional knowledge.
• Effective communication and relationship-building with children, families and partner agencies.

Responsibilities

• Lead Practitioner for Family Help in a multi-disciplinary team, coordinating assessments and plans.
• Balance risk, safeguarding actions and safeguarding decisions for children at risk of significant harm or family breakdown.
• Facilitate family group decision‑making and coordinate multi‑agency plans and meetings.
• Provide mentoring, consultation and practice support to colleagues and students.
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to team learning and service development.

Skills

Social work qualification

Registration with Social Work England

Experience in children’s services

Children’s legislation knowledge

Mentoring and coaching

Communication and relationship skills

Job description

How you'll make a difference

Join a children’s social care service rated Good by Ofsted, where strong practice, supportive leadership and positive outcomes for children are recognised. As an Advanced Social Worker - Family Help Lead Practitioner, you will play an important role in delivering skilled, relationship-based social work practice, supporting children, young people and families across Child in Need, Child Protection and the early stages of Children in Care planning.

Managing complex and sensitive work, you will use sound professional judgement to assess risk, strengthen safety and support families to make sustainable change. Alongside your direct work, you will contribute to the development of practice across the team, providing mentoring, consultation and professional support to colleagues, students and newly qualified social workers.

What you will be doing

Working within a multi-disciplinary Family Help and Best Start Community Team, you will act as Family Help Lead Practitioner for children and families requiring statutory social work support. Children’s voices, family networks and relationship-based practice will remain central as you complete assessments, coordinate plans and work with partners to achieve positive outcomes.

• Managing complex Family Help work across Child in Need, Child Protection and early Children in Care, you will complete high-quality assessment, planning, intervention and review.
• Assessing and balancing risk, children’s needs and family rights, you will take the appropriate safeguarding action where there is risk of significant harm or family breakdown.
• It will be your responsibility to facilitate family group decision‑making, strengthen family networks and coordinate effective multi‑agency plans and meetings.
• You will provide mentoring, consultation and practice support to colleagues, students and newly qualified social workers under the guidance of senior practitioners.
• Holding responsibility for a specific area of practice or expertise, you will maintain accurate records and contribute to team learning and service development.

What we need from you

• It is essential that you hold a recognised social work qualification and current registration with Social Work England.
• You will have significant post‑qualification experience within a local authority children’s services setting, including evidence‑based work with vulnerable children and families.
• We are looking for someone who has detailed knowledge of children’s legislation and practice, with strong assessment, analytical, care‑planning and risk‑management skills.
• You must be able to mentor and support others, sharing professional knowledge and helping colleagues develop confident, consistent practice.
• As an effective communicator and relationship builder, you will be confident handling difficult and sensitive issues with children, families, colleagues and partner agencies.

What you need to know

• We are unable to accommodate applications from newly qualified social workers or candidates who require an Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE). Applicants must already have successfully completed their ASYE.
• This position is based in our West Family Help Hub, Patchway.
• Although this post is advertised as full time, we welcome applications from experienced social workers seeking part‑time, job‑share or flexible working arrangements.
• You will be expected to travel throughout the authority and surrounding area, so you must have a full, valid driving licence with regular access to a vehicle insured for business use or have an alternative suitable means of travel.
• An enhanced DBS check is required, and you will need to travel throughout the authority and surrounding area, with occasional work outside normal office hours.

Interviews are anticipated to be held on 18th November 2026, however alternate dates may be available and we may shortlist on a rolling basis.

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different

• As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities.
• We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.
• We invest in the careers of our people, and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps our people make the greatest long‑term difference in their work.
• What’s special here is the strength of the team ethos. We are a relatively small local authority, so managers know staff well. They can plan their services to ensure teams have manageable caseloads and have effective supervision so feel supported to make decisions which are right for the children and young people they work with.
• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.

These posts attract a gross lump sum £3,000 ‘recruitment payment’ pro rata offered to enable experienced Social Workers who have already successfully completed their ASYE to join our permanent workforce. This is payable upon successful completion of your probationary period (after approximately 3‑6 months) and is subject to eligibility criteria.

These posts are currently eligible for a market factor £3,000 ‘retention payment’ pro rata, payable in November annually to those with two years’ service with the council in Children’s Social Care In an eligible post, inclusive of any ASYE period.

Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.

• We’re building and shaping communities which people are proud of.
• We’re providing essential services across our communities to ensure they are safe and well maintained.

We’ve achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.

We’re making a difference, be part of it!