Senior Social Work Assistant

Somerset Council; Taunton; Hybrid; GBP 11,000 - 17,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

DBS check provided

Travel across Somerset

Job summary

Somerset Council is recruiting for a Kinship Post Support Team role. You will support kinship carers and families by undertaking observations, assessments of need and delivering targeted work on child development, substance misuse and healthy relationships.

A DBS check is required and travel across the county is expected. This part-time position (23.5 hours/week) offers flexible and hybrid working arrangements in Somerset.

Qualifications

• Ability to develop professional relationships with kinship carers, children and colleagues, based on mutual trust and respect.
• A demonstrable commitment to safeguarding children and young people and promoting their welfare, alongside showing empathy for kinship carers.
• Ability to process information quickly and accurately, applying quality standards to all tasks.
• Excellent organisational and assessment skills, with the ability to prioritise work and organise competing demands. Ability to speak fluent English as stated in Part 7 of the Equality Act (2016).

Responsibilities

• Complete home visits to kinship carers and their families.
• Share information with kinship carers assisting them with their learning and development.
• Work directly with allocated kinship carers and their families using a range of interventions and activities.
• Review and monitor kinship cases, sharing information with the wider fostering service as required.

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

Work Base: The work base will be the office nearest to your home address.

Role Purpose

You’ll be supporting kinship carers and working directly with parents, kinship carers and families undertaking observations and providing assessments of need and supporting with the identified need.

This will include undertaking targeted work with parents on topics such as child development, substance misuse and building healthy relationships. You will be required to make detailed recordings, arrange support and ensure safety standards are met.

Key responsibilities

• Complete home visits to kinship carers and their families
• S hare information with kinship carers assisting them with their learning and development.
• Work directly with allocated kinship carers and their families using a range of interventions and activities.
• Review and monitor kinship cases, sharing information with the wider fostering service as required.

What you’ll bring

• Ability to develop professional relationships with kinship carers, children and colleagues, based on mutual trust and respect.
• A demonstrable commitment to safeguarding children and young people and promoting their welfare, alongside showing empathy for kinship carers.
• Ability to process information quickly and accurately, applying quality standards to all tasks.
• Excellent organisational and assessment skills, with the ability to prioritise work and organise competing demands. Ability to speak fluent English as stated in Part 7 of the Equality Act (2016).

You do not require a social work qualification for this role, but a good knowledge of undertaking direct work with parents and kinship carers, and good transferable skills will be considered.

About the team

As a county wide service the Kinship Post Support Team supports all children living in kinship arrangements, regardless of their legal status. Kinship Carers play a crucial role in helping children who cannot live with their parents to stay within their known networks. As a senior social work assistant it is their role to signpost, share and deliver support, complete assessments and reviews as well as deliver training, make applications for ASGSF funding and financial assessments/reviews to assist in maintaining a child’s permanence within their family alongside our team of dedicated social workers.

Why Join Us?

At Somerset Council, we're a progressive organisation committed to improving lives and shaping better services for our communities. Based in one of England's most beautiful counties, it's a great place to build your career and enjoy an excellent quality of life.

• Generous annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to purchase additional leave.
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), one of the UK's most generous and secure pension schemes.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements to support work-life balance, where service needs allow.
• Health and wellbeing support, including access to confidential employee assistance services.
• Paid volunteering opportunities, helping you make a difference both inside and outside of work.

Find out more about working at Somerset Council:

• 25 days of annual leave (additional to bank holidays)
• This is a part-time position working 23.5 hours per week.
• The nature of the work will require the postholder to travel across the county to attend meetings. You must be able to travel around the area to meet the requirements of the post, including areas that are not currently serviced by public transport.
• This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check.
• Interview dates are planned for 2nd and 6th October 2026.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. We are only able to proceed with candidates who already have the right to work in the UK without the need for VISA sponsorship.

We believe diversity makes us stronger and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences, whose unique perspectives help us better serve the people of Somerset.