Casual Emergency Duty Team Officer

South Gloucestershire Council; Yate; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

South Gloucestershire Council is seeking an Emergency Duty Team Social Worker to provide out-of-hours support across four authorities. You will assess urgent social care needs, coordinate responses with police and health partners, and maintain thorough case records.

The role requires current Social Work England registration, post-qualifying mental health experience, and strong skills in risk assessment and written/verbal communication. A driving licence and DBS clearance are expected.

Qualifications

• Qualified social worker with current registration.
• Post-qualifying experience in mental health is essential.
• Ability to undertake complex risk assessments and communicate outcomes clearly.

Responsibilities

• Respond to a wide range of urgent social care matters out of hours.
• Maintain accurate, timely records and ensure information is shared with relevant teams.
• Work with police, health services, and other agencies to support timely decisions.

Skills

Social work registration

Risk assessment

Communication skills

Education

Social Work degree

Job description

How you'll make a difference

As an Emergency Duty Team Officer, you will provide an effective out-of-hours emergency social work service across four local authorities, making sound judgements and responding to a range of complex and challenging situations.

Working as part of a small team of social work practitioners, you will respond to contacts from members of the public, partner agencies and other professionals relating to urgent social care matters across Bristol, BANES, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

What you will be doing

• To respond effectively to a wide range of situations, you will demonstrate a sound knowledge of relevant legislation, including the Mental Health Act, Children's Act and Care Act, alongside an understanding of statutory duties.
• It will be your responsibility to keep up to date with developments in social work practice, legislation, policies and procedures, ensuring services are delivered in line with current best practice and organisational objectives.
• Working closely with a range of partner agencies, including the police, health services and other statutory organisations, you will build and maintain effective professional relationships to support timely decision-making and coordinated responses.
• You will maintain accurate and timely records, including completing all required documentation, recording contacts received and actions taken, and ensuring relevant information is communicated to the appropriate teams for follow-up.

What we need from you

• We require you to be a qualified social worker and hold current registration with Social Work England.
• It is essential that you have relevant post-qualifying experience in mental health, along with extensive knowledge of managing complex cases and making decisions in challenging situations.
• You will be skilled in undertaking complex risk assessments and be able to communicate outcomes effectively, both verbally and in writing.

What you need to know

• Your shift rota will comprise of the below:
  • Early shift 08.45 - 17.15 (Saturday/Sunday/bank holidays)
  • Late shift 14.00 - 22.30 (Saturdays)
  • Late Shift 12.00 - 20.30 (Sundays and bank holidays)
• You will be expected to be available for a minimum of one shift per month, depending on where the need is required early/late shifts.There will be opportunities to pick up alternative shifts once experienced in EDT work.
• It is expected that you will be available for one bank holiday shift per year as required.
• Please note that due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check covering both Child and Adult Workforce is obtained.
• 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 or have an alternative means of travel.
• Our full-time equivalent pay for these casual roles are:
  • EDT Social Worker: £42,123 plus 26%
  • Out of Hours Shift Allowance:£21.83 per hour plus 26%

Interviews will be held on 7th October 2026.

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different

• 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.

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 working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life.
• We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential.

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!

To view the full job description, please click this link: Emergency Duty Team Social Workers Job description