Children in Care Senior Social Worker/ Social Worker

Gloucestershire County Council; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in England is seeking a dedicated Social Worker/Senior Social Worker in the Children in Care team. The role involves supporting and advocating for children, ensuring their voices are heard. Candidates must be registered with Social Work England and have relevant experience. This position offers competitive salary, flexible working, and excellent professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Annual retention payment of £2,000

Welcome payment of £4,000

Up to £8,000 relocation package

25.5 days annual leave

Flexible working opportunities

Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)

Qualifications

• Social Work England registration is mandatory.
• Experience as a frontline social worker is essential.
• Full driving license and willingness to drive are required.

Responsibilities

• Act as a corporate parent for children in care.
• Support and guide children as they grow.
• Advocate for children and their families.

Skills

Social Work England registration

Frontline social work experience

Relationship building

DBS clearance

Education

Recognised qualification in Social Work

Passed ASYE if qualified after 2012

Job description

Children in Care Senior Social Worker/ Social Worker

This is a Gloucestershire County Council job.

• Salary: £39,152 - £47,181 per annum
• Hours per Week: 37
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Closing Date: 16/11/2025
• Job Requisition 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 Gloucester.

About us

For all your hard work. You will receive the following;

• 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.

Gloucestershire offers a range of opportunities to develop your career, supported by a phenomenal Social Work Academy offer, a developing systemic practice methodology, an ambitious leadership team and an award-winning workforce.

We are a local authority adopting, and training all colleagues in, systemic social work practice. If you would like to be part of an authority that takes a relational approach to working with families and focuses on what needs to change in the system around a child and family to enable children to thrive, then consider a role with GCC.

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.

Your role is essential for these children/young people, you support, guide and advise them as they grow into young people ready to face the world as adults. You will be required to act as the corporate parent for each child you work with, undertaking direct work, getting to know them and their family whilst ensuring they have access to excellent health, education, activities, hobbies and a stable home built on love. You will be an advocate for them, support them and those around them including the foster carers (or residential provider) and family which will ultimately benefit the young person and lead to better life long outcomes.

Our team structures are designed to ensure there is the right level of support available to staff and that caseloads are kept at a manageable level with a Team Manager, Advanced Practitioner, 5 Social Workers this may include an ASYE and international socials workers. We need resilient, driven individuals who will play their part in making our vision for Children's Services a success. You will be joining an authority with a strong set of values that underpin the work we do Accountability, Empowerment, Excellence, Integrity, and Respect.

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 with your name, number and what you wish to discuss and a member of the team will give you a call within 48 hours.