Senior Social Worker

Suffolk County Council; Eye; Hybrid; GBP 41,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in England is seeking a dedicated Senior Social Worker to enhance adult social care services. Candidates must possess a registered social worker qualification and have experience in mentoring and decision-making in complex situations. This permanent role offers a salary of £41,502 per annum with additional retention payments and flexible working options. Embrace the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of vulnerable adults in the community, all while working within a supportive team environment.

Benefits

Up to 29 days annual leave

Local Government Pension Scheme membership

Health and wellbeing benefits

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Significant experience of social work and good practice.
• Ability to mentor team members.
• In-depth understanding of financial implications of care packages.

Responsibilities

• Manage a complex caseload and support colleagues.
• Contribute to the development of practice standards.
• Provide specialist advice and mitigate risks.

Skills

Mentoring

Decision making

Risk assessment

Education

Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE)

Registered Social Worker

Job description

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Job Description

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Hartismere Hospital, Eye, IP23 7BH - Hybrid
• Salary: £41,502 per annum (pro rata for part time) Plus retention payments for 2, 3 and 5 years service of £1,000, £1,500 and £2,000
• Hours: 37 hours per week, flexible working options available
• Contract: Permanent

We are currently recruiting for a Senior Social Worker in Adult Social Care.

With Suffolk, you can enjoy a great career for yourself and support vulnerable adults. We’re always looking for new ways to deliver even better services. Social Workers working with Suffolk County Council play an integral role in our preventative approach to Social Care. We encourage our multi-disciplinary teams to share their ideas and experience. We work together to get things done. Bring your positive, proactive attitude and we’ll empower you to make the most of your experience.

Reimagine the possibilities.

Senior Social Workers are passionate in demonstrating expert and effective practice in complex situations. Managing your own complex caseload, as well as supporting your colleagues with theirs, you’ll be a source of specialist advice and enable the mitigation of high levels of risk. You’ll also bring professional expertise to contribute to the development of practice standards. You will have experience in developing strong working relationships with partners, other agencies, and the voluntary sector to deliver improved outcomes.

What you will need

You’ll bring significant experience of social work, modelling good practice and providing advice and guidance in complex situations. We’re also looking for your ability to mentor both newly qualified and experienced team members. As, a subject matter expert in relevant professional practice, you should have a comprehensive understanding of current legislation, regulations, and guidance.

You’ll also need:

• to be a qualified, registered social worker and have completed your Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE)
• evidence of 2 years’ continued professional development and capability of practice in accordance with current professional standards
• an in-depth understanding of the financial implications of commissioned care packages
• the ability to make clear decisions, to highlight and limit potential risks associated with intervention.
• valid driving licence and access to personal transport.

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (docx), if you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don’t meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

About us

Our staff are our greatest asset and with you in our team, we can achieve the authority’s priorities of enabling everyone to live long, healthy, fulfilling lives whilst safeguarding the most vulnerable people in Suffolk. All our staff are provided with Information Technology and devices to allow more flexibility in the role and access to systems like the LAS (LiquidLogic Adults' System) when working with clients.

We work to a strength‑based practice model and would encourage you to apply for our roles if you think you have the same values so we can continue with this approach to help empower Suffolk residents.

In Suffolk, we’re transforming how we deliver Adult Social Care through our "People at the Heart of Care" programme. This puts people at the centre of their own care choices and decisions, from initial advice to assessments and self‑commissioning. Find out about our plans to transform Adult Social Care, by putting people at the heart of care (suffolk.gov.uk).

The team

We are a dedicated, collaborative, and supportive team, committed to delivering high‑quality services for the adults we work with. Co‑located with health colleagues, we work in close partnership to provide a holistic and integrated approach to supporting adults within our area.

Signs of Safety

It is an exciting time to join Adult Social Care in Suffolk, with our ambition titled People at the heart of Care, setting out how we will work to support people to live fulfilling and independent lives in Suffolk. Using our Signs of Safety model as a foundation throughout our service–working with people and their networks using a safety, solution building and trauma responsive approach.

This is your chance to become one of the select few Social Workers worldwide that are trained practicing professionals in Signs of Safety; this will see you stand out from other Social Workers and enable you to develop and progress in your career.

Career development

Having developed and established an excellent career development pathway we will support you in your career development and choices. To ensure we offer our staff the best opportunities to progress we offer a minimum of six protected days for Social Workers to undertake continuous professional development; ensuring that you are given sufficient time and support to maintain registration with Social Work England.

Empowering Everyone

We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report (suffolk.gov.uk).

For more information

Please contact Rebecca Bailey for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling 01449778302 or emailing [e-mail]

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (docx).

Step 2 - Click 'Apply Now' to start your online application.

Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement answering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the Supporting Statement Template.

1. Give an example of how you have worked collaboratively with statutory, private, or voluntary agencies to deliver an effective joint response to health and social care needs. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
2. Describe how you have applied national eligibility criteria and local procedures to maximise resources and deliver cost‑effective solutions for adults with care and support needs.
3. Can you share an experience where you demonstrated expert and effective practice in a complex situation, assessing and managing higher levels of risk while promoting enablement and self‑determination?
4. How have you integrated professional knowledge, the views of people using services, and research/evaluation evidence in your practice? Can you provide a specific example?

We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences. Applications suspected of being generated by AI may be rejected. We ask you to present your own work and ideas throughout the application process.

Please note:

Without a supporting statement your interest will not be progressed. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the application process before the next selection stage, please contact our Recruitment Team by emailing [e-mail] or calling 03456 014412. If you are invited to the next stage of selection, you will have another opportunity to request adjustments for the next stages of the process.

Closing date: 11.30 pm, 28 December 2025.

Interview: 7 January 2025

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid

About Us

As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We’re driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.

In return, you’ll enjoy:

• up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days
• membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
• performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost‑of‑living pay increase
• training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
• a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
• diverse and active staff networks
• flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day

Plus lots more!

If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk).