Permanent - Duty & Assessment / Senior Practitioner - Up to £53,600

Tripod Partners; Dorney; Hybrid; GBP 54,000; Full time

Job summary

A children's services consultancy is seeking a Senior Practitioner for their Referral and Assessment Team in Dorney, England. In this full-time role, you'll manage complex cases, provide direct social work intervention, and collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to ensure children's safety and well-being. You'll maintain accurate records and prepare detailed reports to support care planning. The consultancy offers hybrid working arrangements, allowing for flexibility in your work environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in children's social care.
• Strong knowledge of statutory child protection frameworks.
• Ability to manage complex cases with high-risk factors.

Responsibilities

• Carry an allocated caseload of children and families.
• Provide direct social work intervention and support.
• Prepare written reports for child protection events.
• Collaborate with multi-agency partners for effective interventions.
• Maintain accurate case records for accountability.

Skills

Child safeguarding

Case management

Assessment skills

Communication

Collaboration

Education

Relevant social work qualification

Job description

Windsor & Maidenhead are recruiting for a Senior Practitioner for their Referral and Assessment Team

Salary up to : £53,600

What the role involves — Job Description (Duty & Assessment / Senior Practitioner)

Organisation Context

Achieving for Children delivers children’s social care, early-help, safeguarding, SEND, fostering / adoption etc for the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead. The Duty & Assessment (D&A) team is the first point of contact for new referrals into children’s social care core purpose / responsibilities

Core Purpose / Responsibilities

As a Senior Practitioner / Senior Social Worker in Duty & Assessment (or Support & Safeguarding) you will typically :

• Carry an allocated caseload of children and young people, often those referred via Duty & Assessment. Undertake initial and ongoing assessments of children and families, evaluating risk and protective factors, needs, and decide the most appropriate response or next step.
• Safeguard and promote the welfare of children, working within statutory frameworks (e.g. relevant Children Acts, statutory child-protection guidance) and organisational policy.
• Provide direct social work intervention, planning, support, working with families to address needs and support children’s safety and wellbeing. Prepare high-quality written reports for child protection conferences, reviews, care planning meetings, and where needed, for court / legal processes.
• Reports must clearly document risk assessments, child’s voice, case history, professional assessment and plan. Work collaboratively with multi-agency partners (health, education, other social care professionals, family support, third sector) to plan and deliver effective support and interventions.
• Manage complex cases in accordance with statutory requirements, balancing safeguarding obligations, family support, and planning for children’s long-term welfare. Use a strength-based, child-centred approach: building effective, enabling relationships with children, young people and their families; advocating for children’s needs and rights.
• Maintain accurate, timely case records, using standard systems (e.g. local casework databases) — demonstrating accountability, transparency and professional standards.

What Makes This Role Different / Senior-Level

As a Senior Practitioner, the role often involves :

Handling the most complex and high-risk cases – requiring experience, judgement and confidence. Possibly providing supervision or guidance to more junior workers or working alongside multi-disciplinary teams to coordinate care plans and interventions. Taking decisions that shape outcomes (e.g. care planning, child protection, support packages) – being a key decision-maker for children’s welfare.

Hybrid working available

Position is Full Time