Qualified Children's Social Worker - Pathfinder

Cafcass; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Cafcass is seeking a Qualified Children's Social Worker for the Pathfinder project, focusing on improving family justice. Candidates should possess a relevant Social Work qualification and the capacity to work with children and families, contributing to safeguarding children's interests in family courts across Birmingham and surrounding areas.

Benefits

Wellbeing support for colleagues

Flexibility in work location

Resources and equipment provided

Qualifications

• Experience working with children and families in a social work capacity.
• Familiarity with child protection and assessment.
• Ability to work independently and manage workload effectively.

Responsibilities

• Advise family courts about what is safe for children.
• Represent and advocate for children in family court cases.
• Manage casework relating to children's welfare.

Skills

Organisational Skills

Resilience

Report Writing

Understanding Family Court

Education

Relevant Social Work Qualification

Social Work England Membership

Job description

Qualified Children's Social Worker - Pathfinder

If you would like to find out more about Pathfinder, we're hosting a webinar so you can find out more. If you know you're already interested in this role then you're encouraged to apply now but if you would like to join the event on 18th June to find out more first, register here.

At Cafcass, we are always keen to hear from qualified, Social Work England registered Children's Social Workers who share our ambitions for children - exceptional experiences, for every child, everywhere and every time - and we're recruiting for our teams that work across Birmingham, Solihull, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Stafford and Stoke

Have you heard about Pathfinder?

It's an innovative approach to improving family justice, supporting us to keep children at the heart of decisions.

At Cafcass, we're committed to creating an environment where social workers can achieve exceptional outcomes for children, giving you the chance of a more fulfilling and effective way of working, that enables you to do your best work for children and families.

Make sure you check the vacancy documents for more details about the Pathfinder model (fact sheet).

Who we're looking for

Candidates who possess the following qualifications and skills:

A relevant Social Work qualification is essential.
A valid Social Work England membership is required.
You should have a previous experience working with children and families in a social work capacity, ideally in child protection and assessment context.
Familiarity Family Court proceedings and an understanding of Private and/or Public Law would be advantageous.
You should be organised and resilient, with the ability to work independently while effectively managing your workload.
Strong report writing skills are essential.

Location

Our teams work flexibly, your proximity to the Birmingham office - from which these teams are technically based - doesn't always have to be a critical consideration. This hopefully will allow you to work in a way that suits you best.

We provide the resources, equipment, and support, so that individually and collectively, we can be the voice of children and young people when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures.

We deliver extensive wellbeing support for colleagues, as well as excellent benefits, all of which we hope encourages you to work within our dedicated team.

Next steps / Timelines

Below we have given you an indication of a timetable we are hoping to work towards, although dates are subject to change.

Closing date:

29th June 2025

Telephone interviews:

June/July 2025

Final Interview:

June/July 2025 TBC

Successful applicants will undergo various pre-engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). In line with the DBS code of practice and our policy, if a criminal offence is declared, an individual assessment will be conducted. For further details regarding this assessment, please refer to the Cafcass DBS policy.

We look forward to receiving your application!

We are Cafcass - the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service - and we represent children in family court cases in England.

Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests, we speak up for over 140,0000 children every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures, ensuring their needs, wishes and feelings are heard.

Watch our video to find out we don't just listen to children's voices but we can be their voice.