Qualified Children's Social Worker - Child focused courts

Cafcass; Sandwell; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Joining incentive

Local Government pension

Generous annual leave

Job summary

Cafcass is seeking social workers to engage directly with children and families within Birmingham, Black Country and Staffordshire, with a contract base in Birmingham. The role supports the national Child Focused Courts initiative, emphasizing children’s voices in family court decision-making and preparing Child Impact Reports.

We offer a competitive salary (£45,749 - £49,886) plus a £4,000 joining incentive, generous leave and the Local Government pension, along with strong supervision and

Qualifications

• A recognised Social Work qualification.
• To be registered with Social Work England.
• An understanding of family court processes and private and/or public law.
• Strong analytical, organisational and communication skills.
• Resilience, professional curiosity and confidence in working independently.

Responsibilities

• Conduct high-quality assessments focusing on children's lived experience, safety and wellbeing.
• Engage directly with children, ensuring their views, wishes and feelings are understood and represented.
• Prepare clear, analytical reports for the family court, including contributions to Child Impact Reports.
• Apply robust risk assessment and mediation skills to support child-focused decision-making.
• Work effectively across private law proceedings, with a strong understanding of public law.
• Manage your caseload independently while contributing to a supportive, learning-focused team environment.

Skills

Analytical skills

Organisational skills

Communication skills

Resilience

Professional curiosity

Independent working

Education

Social work qualification

Job description

and families involved in family court proceedings Ensure children's voices are heard clearly and influence judicial decision-making Collaborate closely with judges, legal professionals and partner agencies Practise social work that is purposeful, evidence-informed and values-led Many practitioners involved in early Child Focused Court pilots describe this way of working as professionally rewarding, aligned with core social work values, and genuinely impactful for children.

Work effectively across private law proceedings, with a strong understanding of public law. Manage your caseload independently while contributing to a supportive, learning-focused team environment.

What You Will Do

• Conduct high-quality assessments that focus on Children's lived experience, safety and wellbeing
• Engage directly with children, ensuring their views, wishes and feelings are understood and represented
• Prepare clear, analytical reports for the family court, including contributions to Child Impact Reports
• Apply robust risk assessment and mediation skills to support child-focused decision‑making
• Work effectively across private law proceedings, with a strong understanding of public law
• Manage your caseload independently while contributing to a supportive, learning-focused team environment

Who We Are Looking For

• A recognised Social Work qualification
• To be registered with Social Work England
• An understanding of family court processes and private and/or public law
• Strong analytical, organisational and communication skills
• Resilience, professional curiosity and confidence in working independently

We recognise that social workers bring experience from a wide range of settings, including local authority, court, voluntary, safeguarding and therapeutic roles.

In addition to the job description, we've created a factsheet providing some extra information on Child Focused Courts. Both documents and any others we think you may want to view are a 'vacancy'.

Location: Engaging directly with children and families in Birmingham, Black Country and Staffordshire with a contractual base in Birmingham.

Salary: £45,749 - £49,886 + £4,000 joining incentive (see wider benefits below) A once-in-a-generation opportunity to practice social work differently

Family justice is changing, and Cafcass is at the heart of that change. With the national rollout of Child Focused Courts, we are leading a transformation in how children's voices are heard and how decisions are made in family proceedings. Child Focused Courts place children's safety, wellbeing and lived experience at the centre of decision‑making from the very start of proceedings. This problem‑solving, less adversarial approach allows decisions to be informed earlier by a clear understanding of children's experiences, including through the preparation of Child Impact Reports.

The role at a glance

• Undertake direct work with children

document' you can access when you are on our recruitment system and available to you before you start to apply.

Why work for Cafcass?

At Cafcass, you will be supported to do your best work for children.

• Opportunities to contribute to nationally significant reform in family justice
• Strong professional supervision and reflective practice
• Access to learning from ongoing Child Focused Court pilots and national rollout activity
• A competitive salary and Local Government pension
• Generous annual leave and wellbeing support
• The resources, equipment and flexibility needed to work effectively, connect with children and your colleagues

Together, we work to ensure that children and young people are heard when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures.

Inclusion and belonging

Cafcass is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the children and families we serve.

We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds and value professional diversity, lived experience and different career pathways. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and in the workplace. If you need support at any stage, we encourage you to tell us.

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.