Assessment Social Worker

Nottingham City Council; Glenfield; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Enhanced DBS check

Job summary

Leicestershire County Council is seeking an experienced Social Worker to join as a Casual Non-Agency Adoption Social Worker. This flexible role lets you use your adoption knowledge while supporting children and families through life-changing decisions, with the aim of achieving permanence and security through adoption.

You will undertake robust non-agency adoption assessments, build trusted relationships, and ensure children's voices remain central.

Qualifications

• Formal Social Work Qualification and several years post-qualifying experience in Children’s Social Care.
• Experience of adoption services and/or adoption assessment, especially with non-agency adopters.
• Understanding of legislation, regulations and guidance for non-agency adoption; apply Adoption National Minimum Standards.
• Ability to undertake robust non-agency adoption assessments, written timely and to high professional standards; good diary management.
• Participation in supervision and ongoing professional development to maintain registration.
• Promote Leicestershire County Council’s values and deliver accessible services.
• Willingness to travel across the county and work outside normal hours when required.

Responsibilities

• Undertake robust, well-evidenced non-agency adoption assessments.
• Build meaningful relationships with children and families.
• Guide people through the adoption journey with children’s voices at heart.
• Apply Adoption National Minimum Standards in assessments.
• Be flexible to travel across the county and work outside regular hours when needed.

Skills

Relationship-based practice

Creative thinking

Child welfare focus

Adoption knowledge

Education

Formal Social Work Qualification

Post-qualifying experience

Job description

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall, Glenfield, LE3 8RA

Salary: £17.16 - £22.85

Working Hours:0

Contract Type: Casual

Closing Date: 26th October 2026

Interview Date(s): TBC

About the Role

We're currently looking for an experienced and passionate Social Worker to join our team as a Casual Non-Agency Adoption Social Worker.

This flexible opportunity is ideal for an experienced social worker looking to utilise their adoption knowledge, maintain specialist practice, or undertake rewarding work alongside other professional or personal commitments. You'll have the chance to support children and families through significant life events while enjoying the flexibility that casual work can offer.

This is a unique opportunity to support children and families through life-changing decisions, helping to achieve permanence, stability, and security through adoption. Much of our work involves step-parent adoptions, supporting children to gain legal permanence within families they already know and love, alongside a range of other non-agency adoption arrangements.

No two cases are the same. You'll build meaningful relationships with children and families, undertake assessments, and guide people through the adoption journey while ensuring children's voices remain at the heart of every decision. The outcome of this work being to help children feel secure, valued and part of a family for life.

We're looking for someone who:

• Enjoys relationship-based practice
• Thinks creatively and works collaboratively
• Is passionate about achieving the best outcomes for children
• Wants to develop specialist expertise in adoption work

What you can expect from us:

• Varied and rewarding work
• A supportive and experienced team
• Opportunities for professional development
• The chance to make a lasting difference to children's lives

An enhanced with barred list DBS check is required for this post.

For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement.

About You

To apply for this post, you must:

Please ensure that you cover all 7 points in your application and provide clear examples and evidence of how each point has been met

• Have a formal Social Work Qualification and several years post qualifying experience of working within Children’s Social Care Service settings.
• Have experience of the provision of adoption services and / or of adoption assessment (specifically with non-agency adoption applicants) or will be able to evidence an interest in adoption and a motivation to want to develop their learning and skills in this specialist area of work.
• Be able to evidence an understanding of relevant legislation, regulations and statutory guidance relating to non-agency adoption, including the application of Adoption National Minimum Standards principles in assessment practice.
• Be able to undertake robust and well evidenced non-agency adoption assessments of the applicants. These assessments should be written in a timely way, in line with deadlines provided on allocation, and be written to a high professional standard. Linked to this is the ability to be organised and manage one’s own diary effectively.
• Participate in supervision, learning and development as appropriate to maintain professional registration and to update skills.
• Be able to promote the Council's values and principles at all times and behave in a way which reflects the Leicestershire County Council’s core aims and purpose.
• Be able to travel to locations throughout the County and to work outside of normal office hours if and when required.

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Emily Moss - Team Manager Assessment

Email: [e-mail]