Senior Practitioners - Assessment Team

Cambridgeshire County Council; Cambourne; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellbeing package

Protected CPD time

Relocation package

Retention payments up to £9,118 over 3

Refer a Friend scheme

Cambridgeshire Academy CARE

Job summary

Cambridgeshire County Council’s South Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Assessment Teams are seeking an experienced Senior Social Worker to put the child’s voice at the heart of every decision. You will manage a complex caseload, lead statutory assessments and contribute to court reports under Sections 7, 37 and 31, while mentoring less experienced colleagues.

This role offers a supportive, high-performing team, reflective supervision, a hybrid working model with office bases in Cambridge or

Qualifications

• Be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.
• Significant experience in statutory children’s services.
• Experience of court work (Sections 37 and 31 reports).
• Familiar with SWET and its application in care proceedings.
• Strong written and verbal communication with a child-centred approach to assessment and planning.
• Be able to travel across the county independently as required.

Responsibilities

• Manage a complex, varied caseload and mentor less experienced colleagues.
• Lead statutory assessments, strategy discussions, Section 47 enquiries.
• Produce high-quality reports for court under Sections 7, 37 and 31.
• Complete SWET assessments and care plans where needed.
• Support the Team Manager with planning, allocation and induction of new staff.

Skills

Analysis & decision-making

Written & verbal communication

Child-centred assessment

Independent & collaborative work

Travel across county

Education

Qualified Social Worker (SWE registration)

Tools

SWET

Job description

Job responsibilities

We are looking for an experienced, passionate and enthusiastic Senior Practitioner who has the childs voice at the heart of everything they do to join us in both our South Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Assessment Teams!

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

• Dedicated administrative support from Childrens 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 (Fawcett House in Cambridge or Scott House in Huntingdon), visits and remote working. However, please note that as part of the Councils ongoing Asset Review, the Fawcett House office base may change during 2026. Teams currently located at Fawcett House may be relocated to an alternative site within the County, which in most cases will be in close proximity to the current location.
• Opportunities for progression through our career development pathways

Closing Date Sunday 23rd August. Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Our benefits

• 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 in maintaining your Continuous Professional Development
• A relocation package (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 where if you refer another Social Worker to us who is subsequently employed by us as a result of that introduction, we will pay you an introduction fee of £350
• Access to our Cambridgeshire Academy for Reaching Excellence (CARE) who will support your development, enabling you to become the best practitioner you can be

For more information and to see our other benefits, take a look at the benefits brochure attached to this advert.

What will you be doing?

As a Senior Social Worker, you will manage a complex and varied caseload and support less experienced colleagues through mentoring and modelling best practice.

You will lead statutory assessments, strategy discussions, Section 47 enquiries, and produce high-quality reports for court under Sections 7, 37 and 31.

Youll 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 the planning, allocation and review children, alongside supporting withthe recruitment and induction of new staff.

About you

Were looking for a motivated and confident individual who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and families. Youll be confident in analysis and decision-making, emotionally resilient, and able to manage competing priorities while maintaining high standards.

You will:

• Be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England
• Have significant experience in statutory childrens 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.

For a full list of the requirements of the role, please check out the Job Description & Person Specification.

Person Specification

General Requirements

Essential

• Please refer to job description above
• Please refer to job description above

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We fully support providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, as well as when you join us, and we encourage candidates to contact the Hiring Manager, whose details can be found in the advert, to discuss any adjustment needs. Through a Guaranteed Interview Scheme, we will offer an interview to all applicants who disclose a disability and meet the essential criteria for a job vacancy. On your application form you can indicate you are disabled. Some examples of reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process could include additional time to complete an assessment or printing a document on pastel coloured paper with larger font size and line spacing. We would value talking about what might be possible to enable you to join us and thrive, so if there is something that would help you to do your best during your journey with us, please get in touch.

Visit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion.

http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/council/jobs-and-career

Senior Practitioners - Assessment Team • Cambridge, United Kingdom