Children in Care Senior Social Worker/ Social Worker

Gloucestershire County Council; Cheltenham; Hybrid; GBP 39,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the UK is looking for a Social Worker/Senior Social Worker in Cheltenham to join their Children in Care team. This role involves managing a case load of children and empowering them through advocacy. Requirements include a Social Work qualification and registration, as well as frontline experience. The Council offers flexible working and a supportive team culture, ensuring the best outcomes for children and young people in Gloucestershire.

Benefits

Annual retention payment of £2,000

Welcome payment of £4,000

Up to £8,000 relocation package

Flexible and agile working opportunities

25.5 days annual leave

Access to Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Career development opportunities

Qualifications

• You must have a full driving licence and willingness to drive.
• Social Work registration with Social Work England is required.
• DBS clearance should be in place prior to starting the role.

Responsibilities

• Manage a case load of children with plans for adoption or fostering.
• Empower children by ensuring their voices are heard.
• Build positive relationships with colleagues and partner agencies.

Skills

Frontline social work experience

Positive relationship building

Empowering children

DBS clearance

Education

Recognised qualification in Social Work

Social Work England registration

Passed ASYE if qualified after 2012

Job description

Children in Care Senior Social Worker/ Social Worker

Job Location:Gloucestershire

This is a Gloucestershire County Council job.

• Salary:£39,152 - £47,181 per annum

• Hours per Week: 37

• Job Re Number:10000

• This post is open to job share

We are currently recruiting for a Social Worker/Senior Social Worker in our Children in Care team based in Cheltenham.

About us

• between £39,152 - £40,777 per annum for a Social Worker or between £41,771 - £47,181 per annum for a Senior Social Worker subject to experience

• annual retention payment of £2,000*

• welcome payment of £4,000*

• up to £8,000 relocation package*

• flexible and agile working opportunities

• 25.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5 days after 5 years continuous service

• an option to purchase 10 days of additional leave per year (pro rata for part-time staff)

• family friendly policies and benefits to help support you and your family

• supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision

• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)

• access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential, counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone.

• an in-house Occupational Health service

• employee discount scheme

• cycle to Work scheme

• links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) and the Young Employees Network

• career development and qualification opportunities

• access to our Social Work Academy

• paid SWE registration renewal

Right child, right support, right time, every time

In our recent inspection in June 2025, our Children’s Services have been officially judged as ‘Good’ with ‘Outstanding’ elements. Ofsted also said ‘Leaders have set out a clear vision for delivering success for children, by modelling values and creating a culture where the workforce, children and families feel valued and heard; risk is managed confidently with bottom lines clearly set out.’

This marks an important step in our journey to improve outcomes for our children and young people, and we remain focused on our mission: to continue building on this success and ensure that every child and young person in our county has the opportunity to thrive.

As a Social Worker in a Children in Care team you will have a case load of children who may have a plan for adoption, special guardianship, long term fostering or returning home to family. As one of our Social Workers we want you to focus on empowering children by making sure their voices are heard and their life history is considered. We aim to ensure all children in our care have the same opportunities as our own children and are passionate corporate parents to them all.

About you

As a Social Worker within our Children in Care teams, you will be instrumental in delivering a first-class service to ensure the best outcomes for the children and young people of Gloucestershire. Through building positive relationships with colleagues within the service and partner agencies you will ensure we are able to provide support and protection for children and young people in need and at risk.

As well as your experience as a frontline social worker,there are some things we require of you to be successfully appointed to this post:

• Social Work England registration

• a recognised qualification in Social Work

• to have passed your Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) if qualified after 2012

• a full driving licence and willingness to drive

• DBS clearance

How to apply

For an informal chat about this role, please email [e-mail] with your name, number and what you wish to discuss and a member of the team will give you a call within 48 hours.

*Please note, all our welcome and retention payments are non-contractual, pro rata for part-time staff and subject to National Insurance and tax deductions.

We reserve the right to close an advertisement earlier than the stated closing date if we receive a suitable amount of applications or fill the vacancy/vacancies.

The council will consider sponsorship for this role, in line with Home Office regulations and subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks.

Additional Information

To access the Job Profile for this role, please follow the link below:-

Social Worker Role Profile

Senior Social Worker Role Profile

This position is subject to a DBS check.

Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire’s diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.

It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a ‘customer facing role’ must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.

Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.