Social Worker

Lancashire County Council; Preston; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

30+ days annual leave

Pension with AVCs

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Lancashire County Council in Preston is recruiting a social worker for the Kinship Assessment Team on a permanent full-time basis. You will undertake viability assessments of Kinship foster carers and Special Guardians and contribute to reports for the fostering panel and the Court.

The role requires driving and willingness to travel; you will participate in a duty rota and ensure high standards of care in line with fostering regulations.

Responsibilities

• Undertaking viability assessments of proposed Kinship foster carers and Special Guardians
• Being part of a duty rota to undertake regulation 24 assessments
• Preparing and assessing prospective Kinship foster carers and Special Guardians, including reports for the fostering panel and the Court
• Supervising and supporting Regulation 24 foster carer arrangements
• Ensuring high-quality care meeting foster standards and regulations

Job description

Job Description

Salary £37,563-£42,123 Per annum | Permanent | Full Time - 37 hours per week

Please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

We have exciting opportunities in the Kinship Assessment Team for a permanent full-time social worker

Our Team is based in County Hall, Preston. The successful candidate will be expected to travel therefore you must drive and have access to a car.

As a social worker in our Team, you will be responsible for

• Undertaking viability assessments of proposed Kinship foster carers and Special Guardians


• Being part of a duty rota (alongside colleagues) in order to undertake regulation 24 assessments


• Preparing and assessing prospective Kinship person foster carers and Special Guardians, including compiling assessment reports to present to the fostering panel and the Court.

Supervising and supporting Regulation 24 foster carer arrangements.

• Ensuring high quality care is available that meets the specific needs of children looked after and that all the fostering standards and regulations are met

Passionate

We're searching for social workers motivated by their passion to help others as you'll be responsible for undertaking viability assessments of proposed Kinship foster carers and Special Guardians as well as preparing and assessing prospective Kinship foster cars and Special Guardians, including compiling assessment reports to present to the fostering panel and the Court.

Communication

We need social workers who are excellent communicators, with the interpersonal skills needed to collaborate well with others - you'll converse well with the team and have the people skills needed to adapt to each situation and respond in the manner needed - as an experienced social worker you'll be self-aware and use the appropriate language to both children, care givers and professionals whilst being reflective of your approach - this is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of others and assist in supporting vulnerable children within our community - this heart warming role really does assist in improving outcomes for children and families, so if you're ready to share your knowledge then we'd really love you to join us!

Reasons to join us...

Benefits: There's fabulous flexibility and the opportunity to create the work life balance you'll love with up to 32 days annual leave plus bank holidays, 2 additional days at Christmas- we also have a generous local authority pension with shared AVC's available, and a benefits package that will exceed your expectations, long service award Employee Assistance Programme, support groups, cycle to work schemes and 24/7 employee assistance plus much more! Development: you will get support and development along the journey - there will be time for supportive reflection and supervision for yourself, opportunities for personal growth and development, multidisciplinary initiatives, mentoring, apprenticeships, the opportunity to make a difference, feel valued and achieve the job satisfaction you've always wanted plus all the benefits of working with Lancashire County Council. We are also committed to developing the training and skills of our social workers, we embrace diversity and that includes around personal and family requirements, therefore we support an array of flexible working opportunities to attract diverse talent. We take inclusivity seriously and would like to improve the diversity within our teams to better reflect the people and communities we serve, so we are particularly keen to hear from you if you are a person of colour, from the LGBTQ+ community or have a disability.

Closing Date: 05/10/2026 Interviews: TBC

The post you are applying for is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). If successful you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a 'disclosure'. Further information can be found on the 'Our Recruitment Process' tab.

In return Lancashire County Council offers a range of benefits, which can be found on LCC Vacancies website.

We reserve the right to close down a vacancy early, before the closing date, if we receive sufficient applications.

Local Government Reorganisation

The Government has confirmed that local government across Lancashire will be reorganised, with the current 15 councils being replaced by four new unitary councils covering North, South, East and West Lancashire from April 2029. If you are successful in your application, you will initially join Lancashire County Council. However, as part of the planned transition, your employment will transfer to one of the new unitary councils from April 2029, subject to the implementation of the reorganisation and relevant employment legislation. Throughout this period, our focus remains on delivering excellent services to our communities. By joining us now, you'll play an important role in shaping the future of local government and helping to build a strong new organisation that will serve residents for years to come.