Children Services Experienced / Senior Social Worker - Level 3 (PO3)

Wax Recruitment Ltd; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

Wax Recruitment Ltd is seeking a Children Services Experienced / Senior Social Worker at Level 3 (PO3) in London. The post requires leading complex statutory cases, child protection work, and close collaboration with health and social care colleagues.

You will undertake initial and comprehensive assessments, develop plans, and support delivery with inter‑agency teams to safeguard children. A strong emphasis on professional judgment and continued professional development is expected.

Qualifications

• Must hold Social Work England registration.
• Qualified to lead complex statutory cases including child protection and care proceedings.
• DBS check enhanced level required.

Responsibilities

• Manage a complex caseload of children and families with multi‑agency input.
• Lead assessments, plan services, and review needs with managers and partners.
• Maintain accurate records and monitoring information for performance quality.
• Identify resource gaps and escalate to management as needed.
• Contribute to safeguarding processes and inter‑agency safeguarding work.

Skills

Social work

Assessment

Inter-agency collaboration

Safeguarding

Professional judgement

Education

Social Work degree

Social Work England registration

Job description

Children Services Experienced / Senior Social Worker - Level 3 (PO3)

Job title: Children Services Experienced / Senior Social Worker - Level 3 (PO3)

Job Category: Social Care Qualified

Location: 6 Brixton Hill, London, Lambeth, SW2 1RW, London Borough of Lambeth

Salary: £28.94 per hour

Min 2 days in the office, 3 days remote

5 days in the office on duty week every 5 weeks

Social Work England Registration and Enhanced DBS Required

CAT TEAM

Child Assessment Team

To start ASAP

Main Purpose of Post

Act in the role of the lead professional in complex, statutory cases that require a qualified children's social worker, particularly child protection, care proceedings and looked after children cases;

To promote positive change in children and families lives by using social work methods, models and tools, with the aims of helping them to be as independent as possible and to manage risks of abuse and neglect

To make professional judgements in the context of the relevant legal and policy frameworks

To undertake initial and comprehensive assessments of children in need using the assessment framework , to plan how those needs will be met, to support them with putting those plans in to action, and review those plans and reassess needs

Establish and develop collaborative working with allied health and social care practitioners from children's and adults' services; and promote and model effective inter-agency working arrangements to ensure children are protected from risk of significant harm

To carry out safeguarding enquiries, support the work of others involved in these enquiries, and to support people with care and support needs to develop and put in to action safeguarding plans appropriate to their wishes and circumstances.

Key responsibility areas:

• 1. To manage a complex and challenging caseload of children and families This will include carrying out effective work in cases with the following characteristics:
  • a. multi-agency input
  • b. complex family or organisational dynamics
  • c. serious hostility and conflicts of interest
  • d. multiple problems or disadvantages
  • e. multiple and significant risk factors
  • f. the need to take into account the public interest
• 11. To organize and plan work activities taking into account competing demands and priorities and to keep manager appraised of any difficulties.
• 12. To collect and provide managers with such information as may be required about assessment and casework activity, utilizing new technology where available.
• 13. To recognise and act on safeguarding concerns relating to children and to adults with care and support needs, and contribute to the response to such concerns.
• 14. To meet the organisation's requirements in regard to record keeping, including that required for the monitoring of performance and quality.
• 15. To identify where needs cannot be met due to unavailability of resources or because of inadequate financial provision, and to make your manager aware of this.
• 16. To be responsible for the collation of identified information required for the monitoring of performance and quality.
• 17. To contribute to the investigation and resolution of complaints, Member's Enquiries or Local Government Ombudsman enquiries, and play a part as needed in identifying and acting on the lessons learned from the
• 18. When serious occur, to take actions to address the immediate situation, if appropriate, and to make your manager aware.
• 19. To prepare and present reports and assessments to meetings of colleagues, reviews and panels, as well as legal proceedings.
• 20. To keep your skills and knowledge up-to-date, in order to be able to meet the requirements of your role and to maintain requirements of professional registration. This will include keeping up-to-date with relevant law, regulations and guidance, and acting in line with it.
• 21. Developing some specialist knowledge and skills in an area such as practice education or research methods and contributing to the development of services, policies, practice and research.
• 22. To work flexibly in undertaking the duties and responsibilities of this job, and participate as required in groups and task teams, some of which may involve working across disciplines, or with colleagues from across the Council and partner organisations.
• 23. To take responsibility, appropriate to the post for tacking racism and promoting good race, ethnic and community relations.
• 24. To carry out the duties and responsibilities of the post with full regard to the Council's Equal Opportunities Policy and any other council policies and good practice and guidelines, and for all work to be carried out in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty.
• 25. To undertake other duties within the post.