Qualified Children's Social Worker

Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service); Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Cafcass is hiring a Social Worker (Family Court Adviser) in Manchester. You will complete child-focused assessments, engage with families and other professionals, and present findings to family court to safeguard the child’s welfare.

The role spans Private Law and Public Law contexts with flexible working across offices, home, and court settings. We seek practitioners who are curious, compassionate and committed to high-quality social work practice, with registration and the ability to work in

Qualifications

• Social Work qualification is essential.
• Right to work in the UK is required.
• Registered with Social Work England or eligibility to register quickly.

Responsibilities

• Complete high-quality assessments engaging with children to understand their wishes and represent them to the family court.
• Apply risk assessment, analysis and mediation to prioritise child safety and long-term interests.
• Collaborate with adults, local authorities and professionals to resolve complex cases and influence outcomes.

Skills

Right to work in UK

SW England registration

Experience with children and families

Family court experience (desirable)

Independent working

Education

Social Work qualification

Job description

Our Social Workers - professionally known as Family Court Advisers (FCAs) - play a vital role. You might work within Private Law team, where there is disagreement on the best arrangements for the welfare of the child(ren) involved), a Public Law team, where local authorities have raised serious welfare concerns, or a converged team covering both law types. Whatever the team you join, the underlying role is the same - to speak on behalf of children and young people to ensure their thoughts, wishes and feelings are not just understood but heard. As the only organisation that does this kind of work, FCAs can make recommendations leading to lasting change for children and families, which is why this it is responsibility we take seriously. And why we're committed to creating a safe, healthy and supportive environment for our colleagues to practice.

What You'll Be Doing

As a FCA at Cafcass, you will:

• Complete high-quality assessments, engaging directly with children to understand their experiences, wishes and feelings — and ensure these are clearly and powerfully represented to the family court.
• Apply your expertise in risk assessment, analysis and mediation, advocating for solutions that place the child's safety, wellbeing and long-term interests at the centre of decision-making.
• Work with adults, local authorities, and a wide range of professionals to help resolve complex issues and influence better outcomes for children.

Working in the Private Law Work to First Hearing team, Family Court Advisers are involved where families require the assistance of the court to agree on the best child arrangements for the child(ren) involved. Family Court Advisors review court applications, gather information from partner agencies, conduct telephone interviews with parents and carers and assess risk to children, making safeguarding referrals where required. The information is summarised within a Safeguarding Letter which provides the court with a child impact analysis and advice to support the Court's decision making in the early stages of proceedings. Family Court Advisors also attend First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment hearings to advise the Court further.

Who We're Looking For

We're looking for practitioners who are confident, curious, compassionate and committed to excellent social work practice.

To Join Us, You'll Need

• A Social Work qualification is essential.
• Have the right to work in the UK (we don't sponsor people to work in the UK).
• Registered with Social Work England (or likely to be able to register quickly if practising outside England).
• Recent, relevant experience of working directly with children and families.
• It's desirable you'll have experience in family court proceedings, or knowledge of Private and/or Public Law.
• For applicants with limited post-qualifying experience, relevant pre-qualifying experience supporting children and families may be beneficial.
• Strong organisational skills, professional resilience and the ability to work independently while effectively managing a varied caseload.

You can view the full job description in the vacancy documents.

Where you'll work

Our Social Workers work flexibly across multiple settings - including the office in Manchester, home, courts, schools and other appropriate, safe locations, and we ensure you have the technology to do this.

Shared learning is very important to us, and we bring our teams together regularly, both remotely and in-person, for team meetings and group supervision, which creates space to connect with peers and managers, reflect on practice, and feel supported.

You'll also have regular 1:1 time with your manager, especially during your induction, and again there will be a balance between doing this remotely and in-person, so you have opportunities to form in-person connections.

If shortlisted, the hiring manager will be able to give you more insight into what a typical week or month might look like should you join us.

How We Support You

As the largest employer of Children's Social Workers in England, we're uniquely placed to support your professional growth and wellbeing.

At Cafcass, You'll Benefit From

• High-quality equipment and technology to help you work efficiently and engage with families effectively.
• Access to specialist resources, guidance and training to strengthen your practice.
• A strong commitment to wellbeing, reflective supervision and healthy work-life balance.
• An inclusive environment that values diversity, encourages learning and constantly strives to improve outcomes for children, families and colleagues alike.

You can find more about how we support our practitioners on our website, and we'll share more during the selection process.

Next steps

Below we have set out an indicative timetable we are hoping to work towards, although dates are subject to change.

Closing Date

13th September 2026

Telephoneinterviews

We'll offer dates / times as close to when you apply as we can.

Final Interview

Once you've had your telephone interview, we'd hope to be able to offer dates / times quite quickly

If you have any questions about the role or recruitment process, please contact [e-mail].

Before applying, we encourage you to read about our offer and pre-employment checks. Any questions or concerns can be confidentially raised through your application.

Successful applicants will complete several pre-engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. If any criminal offences are disclosed, we will conduct an individual assessment in line with the DBS code of practice and the Cafcass DBS policy.

Where you'll work

In this role you will play a key role in supporting our teams and colleagues when they are in the office, like our Social Workers seeing children and families, or our teams being together for team meetings or supervision. Therefore, whilst you will benefit from working flexibly, including some remote working, you will also be required to be in the office on a regular basis.

If you join us you expect to have regular 1:1 time with your manager, especially during your induction, and again there will be a balance between doing this remotely and in-person, so you have both flexibility and opportunities to form connections.

If shortlisted, the hiring manager will be able to give you more insight into what a typical week or month might look like should you join us.

We look forward to receiving your application!