Court Team Senior Social Worker

Cheshire East Partnership; England; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local government pension

Hybrid & flexible working

Management support & supervision

Professional development

Learning and development programme

Collaborative team culture

Job summary

Cheshire East Partnership is seeking an experienced Senior Social Worker to join the Court Team. You will lead complex court work, assess risk, and produce high-quality evidence to support care proceedings and permanence planning for children.

You’ll collaborate with families, legal professionals, guardians and partner agencies, delivering timely decisions while mentoring colleagues and contributing to service improvement within Children's Services.

Qualifications

• Experience in statutory children's social work with court proceedings.
• Excellent assessment and analytical skills.
• Ability to present evidence effectively within court proceedings.
• Passionate about achieving positive change for children and families.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of complex court work and advance care proceedings.
• Collaborate with families, legal professionals, guardians and partner agencies.
• Ensure timely decision-making and permanence planning for children.

Skills

Experience mentoring

Written and verbal communication

Time management

Autonomous casework

Data protection & FOI awareness

Legal framework knowledge (Children’s)

Assessment and analytical skills

Ability to present evidence in court

Ability to cope with change

Education

CQSW/DipSW or equivalent PQ Child Care Award/BAAF Award or equivalent Social Work England

Job description

We're looking for an experienced Social Worker to join our Court Team as a Senior Social Worker, helping children and families through some of the most complex and significant stages of their journey.

At Cheshire East, we are committed to providing children with the right support at the right time, ensuring their safety, wellbeing and long-term outcomes remain at the centre of everything we do. As a Senior Social Worker within our Court Team, you will play a pivotal role in progressing care proceedings, assessing risk, producing high-quality evidence and working with families to achieve the best possible outcomes for children.

You’ll manage a varied caseload of complex court work, build strong relationships with children and families, and work alongside legal professionals, guardians, partner agencies and colleagues across Children's Services. Your expertise will help ensure timely decision-making and permanence planning for children who need it most.

We are looking for a confident practitioner who has experience of statutory children’s social work, excellent assessment and analytical skills, and the ability to present evidence effectively within court proceedings. You will be passionate about achieving positive change for children and families while supporting and sharing your knowledge with colleagues across the service.

The successful candidate will bring

• CQSW/DipSW or equivalent PQ Child Care Award/BAAF Award of equivalent Social Work England
• Working experience in the field of child care, particularly within children subject to court proceedings
• Experience of mentoring
• Legal framework - themes and concepts of the Childrens Acts, Fostering Service Regulations and National Minimum Standards for Foster Care
• Knowledge of Care Planning processes
• Valuing Diversity
• Understanding of data protection, freedom of information and confidentiality requirements
• Good communication skills, written and verbal
• Ability to cope positively in a time of major change in social work
• Ability to manage time and work effectively with service users
• Able to take initiative and plan and manage casework and work autonomously

Why Join Cheshire East?

• Competitive salary and excellent local government pension scheme
• Hybrid and flexible working opportunities
• Strong management support and regular reflective supervision
• Opportunities for professional development and career progression
• Access to a comprehensive learning and development programme
• A positive and collaborative team culture focused on achieving the best outcomes for children

At Cheshire East, we have continued to strengthen our services and invest in our workforce. You'll be joining a council that is ambitious for children, committed to improvement and focused on creating lasting positive change across our communities.