Practitioner - Assessment Team

Cambridgeshire County Council; Ely; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Ely is seeking a passionate Senior Practitioner to join their East Cambridgeshire Assessment Team. You will lead statutory assessments and support new staff while working in a dynamic environment. This position offers a hybrid work model and excellent benefits including a relocation package and ongoing professional development opportunities. Candidates should be qualified social workers with experience in statutory services and strong communication skills.

Benefits

Relocation package up to £8,000

Retainer payments up to £9,118 over 3 years

Monthly reflective supervision

Dedicated administrative support

Comprehensive wellbeing package

Qualifications

• Significant experience in statutory children’s services, including Section 17 and 47 assessments.
• Experience with court work including Section 37 and 31 reports.
• Familiarity with SWET and its application in care proceedings.

Responsibilities

• Lead statutory assessments and produce high-quality reports for court.
• Support the Team Manager with case planning and recruitment.
• Complete SWET assessments and care plans as necessary.

Skills

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Child-centred approach

Complex case management

Ability to work independently and collaboratively

Emotional resilience

Education

Qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England

Job description

We are looking for an experienced, passionate and enthusiastic Senior Practitioner who has the child's voice at the heart of everything they do to join us in our East Cambridgeshire Assessment Team! This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a high‑performing and supportive team, where your leadership, experience and professional judgement will be highly valued. The Assessment Team is the first point of contact for statutory intervention. Our work is dynamic, fast‑paced and focused on delivering timely, proportionate responses to children and families at levels 3 and 4 of the Cambridgeshire Levels of Need framework. We work closely with our Targeted Support Services to ensure that families can be stepped down to early help when appropriate, helping to strengthen relationships and prevent escalation.

What We Offer

• A stable and supportive leadership team, including a permanent Team Manager
• Dedicated administrative support from Children’s Information and Advice Officers (CIAOs) to reduce paperwork and free up time for direct work
• Monthly reflective supervision and team learning sessions
• A creative and collaborative team environment, where your ideas and professional voice are heard
• A hybrid working model with a mix of office‑based (Noble House in Ely) and remote working
• Opportunities for progression through our career development pathways; as a Senior Social Worker you will manage a complex and varied caseload and support less experienced colleagues through mentoring and modelling best practice
• A comprehensive wellbeing package to cover all aspects of wellbeing, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family
• 6 days of protected time each year to support your continuous professional development
• A relocation package of up to £8,000 (eligibility applies)
• Scalable retention payments of up to £9,118 over a 3‑year period, starting after your first full year of employment
• A Refer a Friend Scheme: if you refer another Social Worker who is subsequently employed by us, we’ll pay you an introduction fee of £350
• Access to our Cambridgeshire Academy for Reaching Excellence (CARE) to support your development, and our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, employee network ‘IDEAL’ and self‑organised peer support groups to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected and empowered. We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action

Responsibilities

• You will lead statutory assessments, strategy discussions, Section 47 enquiries and produce high‑quality reports for court under Sections 7, 37 and 31
• You’ll also be expected to complete SWET assessments and care plans where needed, contributing to positive and sustainable outcomes for children
• You will support the Team Manager where required, including planning, allocation and review of cases, and supporting recruitment and induction of new staff
• We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits in addition to the basics like annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage

Qualifications and Experience

• Be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England
• Have significant experience in statutory children’s services, ideally including Section 17 and 47 assessments and experience of court work (Section 37 and 31 reports)
• Be familiar with SWET and its application in care proceedings
• Have strong written and verbal communication skills, with a child‑centred approach to assessment and planning
• Be confident working both independently and collaboratively
• Be able to travel across the county independently as required
• This is a Senior Social Worker post; you must be able to demonstrate experience in complex case management, court proceedings, and providing informal support or supervision to others

About the Team

We're looking for a motivated and confident individual who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and families. You'll be confident in analysis and decision‑making, emotionally resilient, and able to manage competing priorities while maintaining high standards.

Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.