Social Worker

Suffolk County Council; Bury St Edmunds; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Suffolk County Council is seeking a dedicated Social Worker for the Short Term and Therapeutic Fostering Team. This role involves supporting foster carers and ensuring quality care for children in need. Join a recognized leader in social work, where you can make a real difference. You will enjoy flexible working options and a supportive environment while contributing positively to the community.

Benefits

Generous annual leave entitlement

Local Government Pension Scheme membership

Travel, lifestyle, health, and wellbeing benefits

Performance-related pay progression

Training and career development opportunities

Qualifications

• A relevant social work qualification and Social Work England registration is essential.

Responsibilities

• Working directly with foster carers to provide statutory supervision and support.
• Facilitating support groups and learning opportunities for foster carers.
• Collaborating with the Therapeutic team to promote trauma-informed care.

Skills

Collaboration

Empathy

Problem Solving

Education

Relevant social work qualification

Job description

• Suffolk County Council - West Suffolk House, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 3YU - Community based
• £36,124 - £39,513 per annum plus £4000 retention payment and 3 days extra annual leave per annum (pro rata for part time)
• 37 hours per week - flexible working options available
• Permanent

We're focused on making a meaningful difference to communities across Suffolk. How? By listening to our people learning from what they say and creating a culture of mutual respect, where everyone works together to achieve great things. As a Social Worker in the Short Term and Therapeutic Fostering Team you'll be as keen to collaborate and build a bright future as we are. So, to make a positive impact, connect with us and connect with a fantastic career.

Reimagine the possibilities.

Are you empowered by being able to see and feel positive change? We are looking for people like you, who share the same care, support, and dedication as we do.

Here in Suffolk, we are proud to have created an environment where social workers can achieve the outcomes, they came into the profession to do.

We were recognised as one of leading social work authorities in the UK, whose children's services are rated as Outstanding' by Ofsted, "Services for children are of an exceptionally high standard. They are child-focused and make a positive difference to children's lives." (Ofsted, 2019). We have a well embedded practice framework to enable meaningful family focused help. Signs of Safety' enables us to do this respectfully and in collaboration with all the families, colleagues, and organisations we are working with.

Your responsibilities:

• working directly with foster carers
• providing statutory supervision and support to foster carers to ensure they are able to provide good quality care which can meet the needs of our children in care
• working within the fostering standard regulations and support foster carers to demonstrate that they can meet all national minimum standards
• facilitating support groups and learning opportunities for foster carers. you'll have the opportunity to contribute creative and innovative ideas to improve practice in a well established and supportive team
• working closely with the Therapeutic team to promote trauma informed care alongside our Therapeutic Social Workers and our Clinicians.
• working in partnership with the Placements team to match and place children needing foster care and ensuring maximum use of in-house foster care placements.

Note: The post holder may need to provide occasional supervision visits to fostering households outside of usual office hours.

You will need

• A relevant social work qualification and Social Work England registration is essential.

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.

The team

• provides supervision to foster carers across the county as well as therapeutic support services to Suffolk foster carers
• we work in partnership with child in care Social Workers in care planning for children to achieve permanence, whether this be reunification, fostering, special guardianship or adoption.
• we offer a supportive and pioneering practice where you can make a real difference while enjoying the benefits of living in Suffolk.
• there are opportunities to grow professionally and further your career in social work through supportive career pathways if you wish to progress and develop in front line practice as well as specific interests.
• all new social workers moving to Suffolk have access to a relocation package of up to £8,000 and a car leasing scheme and a welcome loan of £2,000.

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 Cathy Biedul (she/her) for a casual conversation. You can reach her by calling 01473 265816.

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 asupporting statement indicating how you meet each of the criteria in the Person Profile' section of theJPP.

• You should use the Supporting Statement template .
• Please use Arial font size 11 and keep your statement to a maximum of two sides of A4.

Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.

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

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: 11.30pm, 18 June 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

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) .