Case Review Officer

Social Work England; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

A regulatory body for social work is seeking a professional to manage fitness to practise cases and support social workers. In this role, you will ensure cases are handled timely, assist stakeholders, and collect evidence while maintaining high standards of confidentiality. Excellent analytical and communication skills are essential. This fixed-term, full-time position offers a salary of £34,085, rising to £36,520 after probation. The role is based in Sheffield with a hybrid working option.

Benefits

Flexible working

Contributory pension

Life insurance

Benefits portal

Qualifications

• Experience in a regulatory or investigatory environment.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Excellent writing skills for drafting correspondence.
• Capacity to handle sensitive information discreetly.

Responsibilities

• Support social workers and manage cases effectively.
• Respond to enquiries from stakeholders.
• Collect evidence and initiate investigations.
• Review conditions of practice and assist teams.

Skills

Regulatory knowledge

Analytical skills

Effective communication

Organizational skills

IT skills (Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel)

Confidentiality

Attention to detail

Job description

The Role

At Social Work England, we are the specialist regulator for social work in England, committed to enabling positive change in the profession and improving lives across the country. Every day, social workers make a real difference, supporting millions of people to enhance their opportunities and wellbeing. We share a common goal with those we regulate – to protect the public, foster collaboration, and drive positive outcomes. You will ensure that fitness to practise cases subject to a reviewable sanction are handled appropriately and in a timely manner. You will offer guidance to social workers to successfully manage their professional practice and address any identified concerns whilst working within our legislative timescales. As part of the role you will provide administrative support to the wider team as part of a duty rota contributed to by the whole team.

What you will do

• Communicate regularly to support social workers to keep them up to date on their case, ensuring monitoring procedures are applied to provide the best evidence at review hearings and that our hearing process is efficient.
• Respond to enquiries from people raising concerns and from social workers involved in cases, including internal and external stakeholders and legal representatives.
• Provide guidance and assistance to social workers with conditions attached to their registration to monitor and review their progress.
• Collect evidence, including admissible witness statements when necessary, gathering information from a range of internal and external sources. Use this evidence to initiate breach investigations and enforcement action where appropriate.
• Review and provide guidance and assistance to decision makers on draft conditions of practice, highlighting best practice and any perceived issues with workability.
• Manage a caseload and escalates concerns as necessary.
• Identify serious and high‑risk cases within your caseload, ensuring that review hearings are scheduled efficiently and liaising with appropriate teams to prioritise hearings and address potential issues.
• Process cases where conditions have not been met, ensuring that social workers and their defence representatives are given the opportunity to address any issues. Assist the Legal team in preparing cases and provide evidence if required.
• File and maintain all documents appropriately on the case management system.
• Use electronic systems to ensure accurate and reliable record‑keeping, working within our data protection policy.
• Assist in the preparation, copying and distribution of case material and other relevant documentation.
• Accurately record and distribute all correspondence directed to the team and provide administrative support as needed.
• Deliver against agreed key performance measures according to legislative and statutory timescales.

Your Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Knowledge of regulatory or investigatory processes, ideally gained within a casework, regulatory or statutory framework.
• Ability to work to strict deadlines and deliver on time, even with competing priorities.
• Ability to use set objectives to assess the progress and compliance of social workers.
• Excellent analytical skills and an ability to understand legal and procedural issues.
• Ability to handle sensitive information discreetly and confidentially.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with a range of stakeholders, often addressing difficult and/or contentious issues.
• Excellent written communication skills with the ability to draft clear and comprehensive correspondence.
• Excellent organisational and time‑management skills.
• The ability to manage several tasks while maintaining a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation.
• Strong IT skills with a good working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel.
• A demonstrable commitment to inclusion and diversity.

Details

• Job type: Fixed‑term contract until 10th May 2027
• Working pattern: Full‑time. Flexible working subject to business need.
• Salary: £34,085 per year, rising to £36,520 per year after successful completion of a 6‑month probationary period.
• Location: Sheffield / Hybrid
• Benefits: Flexible working, contributory pension, life insurance and benefits portal.

Application

During the application process, you will be asked to provide answers to three questions drawn from the job description. These answers will be used to score your application; please respond in detail, using examples where possible.

Pre‑Employment Checks

If you are successful at interview, we will carry out routine pre‑employment checks, including verifying references, confirming your right to work in the UK, and completing a Basic DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. These checks are conducted in partnership with our third‑party provider, Amiqus.