Consultant Social Worker - Farnham

Ackerman Pierce; Farnham; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Ackerman Pierce is recruiting for 1 Consultant Social Worker position within the Safeguarding North Herts 1. Hybrid working arrangements apply, with duties spanning high-risk casework and professional leadership.

The successful candidate will provide expert social work practice, coaching, and support within frontline Children's Services, promoting child-centered outcomes and strong cross-agency collaboration.

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of statutory children's services, safeguarding and complex risk management.
• Professional registration required for the assignment.
• Excellent analytical, communication and report-writing skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead or support complex statutory assessments, planning and safeguarding interventions.
• Provide expert consultation, coaching and reflective challenge to social work colleagues.
• Promote strong analytical practice, purposeful direct work and clear evidence-based decision-making.
• Support quality assurance, professional development and continuous improvement across the service.
• Represent the service confidently in multi-agency meetings and complex professional discussions.
• Maintain oversight of risk, recording quality and the timely progression of work.

Skills

Social work

Coaching

Analytical reporting

Multi-agency collaboration

Risk management

Education

Social work degree

Professional registration

Job description

Ackerman Pierce is recruiting for 1 Consultant Social Worker position within the Safeguarding North Herts 1. This opportunity is suited to a committed professional who can combine advanced casework with visible professional leadership, helping the team deliver consistent, analytical and child-centred practice.

The successful candidate will join an established local-authority service and work with colleagues, individuals, families, carers and partner organisations as appropriate to the assignment. The emphasis will be on timely, well-reasoned practice, clear communication and achieving safe, person-centred outcomes.

Key responsibilities

• Lead or support complex statutory assessments, planning and safeguarding interventions.
• Provide expert consultation, coaching and reflective challenge to social work colleagues.
• Promote strong analytical practice, purposeful direct work and clear evidence-based decision-making.
• Support quality assurance, professional development and continuous improvement across the service.
• Represent the service confidently in multi-agency meetings and complex professional discussions.
• Maintain oversight of risk, recording quality and the timely progression of work.

Candidate profile

• A highly experienced, qualified Social Worker with the professional registration required for the assignment.
• Advanced knowledge of statutory children's services, safeguarding and complex risk management.
• A credible practice leader who can coach, influence and constructively challenge others.
• Excellent analytical, communication and report-writing skills.

Service information and working arrangements

Safeguarding North Herts 1

Hybrid

Hertfordshire Children's Services are seeking an experienced and highly skilled Consultant Social Worker (CSW) to provide expert social work practice, leadership, and support within frontline Children's Services. The role focuses on delivering outstanding outcomes for children and families while acting as a practice leader, mentor, and subject matter expert across safeguarding and child protection services.

The Consultant Social Worker plays a pivotal role in supporting team performance, driving high-quality practice, managing the most complex cases, and contributing to service development and continuous improvement.

-Hold and manage a small caseload of the most complex and high-risk cases.

-Undertake robust assessments, interventions, and reviews for children and families.

-Lead on cases

-Produce high-quality court reports, assessments, and evidence

-Coach and mentor practitioners at all levels.

-Support Newly Qualified Social Workers through their development journey.

-Facilitate reflective discussions and learning sessions.

-Deliver training and practice workshops where required.

-Provide expert advice and consultation to Social Workers, Senior Practitioners, and Team Managers.

-Model excellent social work practice through direct involvement in complex casework.

-Support decision-making and risk assessment across teams.

-Promote strengths-based, relationship-focused practice.