Social Worker (Child Protection & Court Work)

Borough of Brent; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in the UK is seeking dedicated social workers to join their Child Protection and Court Work teams. In this role, you will work directly with children and families, ensuring their safety and well-being, while promoting systemic practices. The ideal candidates will have experience in children's social care and possess strong communication and analytical skills. This position offers a competitive salary, generous benefits including a 'Golden Hello', and ample professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Golden Hello payment

Annual retention payment

Generous annual leave

Flexible working hours

Employee Assistance programme

Qualifications

• Adequate post-qualifying experience in children’s social care, including child protection and court work.
• Possess excellent communication, assessment, and analytical skills.
• Are confident in applying legislation and statutory guidance in practice.
• Embrace change, are IT-savvy, and work well under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Work with Support children, young people, and families on child protection plans.
• Empower families to create sustainable safety within their own networks.
• Support Work with families through pre-proceedings and care proceedings.
• Undertake parenting assessments and prepare reports for court.
• Collaborate with professionals across agencies to drive positive change.

Skills

Communication skills

Assessment skills

Analytical skills

Education

Post-qualifying experience in children’s social care

Job description

Salary range: £44,685 - £48,003 (PO2)/ £48,003 - £51,138 (PO3) DOE (plus Golden Hello, Retention Payment and fantastic benefits)
Contract: Permanent
Hours of work: 36 hours per week
Location: Civic Centre and other locations from time to time

Looking to make a real difference?

Join Brent’s Child Protection and Court Work teams and be the voice that protects, empowers, and transforms lives.

Brent is a tremendously vibrant London borough where the iconic arch of Wembley Stadium dominates the skyline. Spanning both inner and outer London, it is a borough of huge contrasts in terms of its economic, environmental, ethnic and social make up.

Brent’s diversity is evident to all who visit our borough, and our long history of ethnic and cultural diversity has created a place that is truly unique and valued by those who live and work here.
The council is pursuing a far‑reaching transformation agenda that better meets the needs of our community, so it is an exciting time to join us!

Why This Role Matters

Our Child Protection and Court Work teams are at the frontline of safeguarding children and young people. These teams carry out vital statutory work, from Section 47 investigations through to Care Proceedings.

This is a role that truly makes a difference—working directly with families to reduce risk, strengthen support networks, and ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive in a safe and nurturing environment.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Work with Support children, young people, and families on child protection plans.
• Empower families to create sustainable safety within their own networks.
• Support Work with families through pre‑proceedings and, where necessary, care proceedings.
• Undertake parenting assessments and prepare Section 7 and Section 37 reports for court.
• Collaborate with professionals across agencies, sharing expertise and driving positive change.

Our approach is relationship‑based and rooted in systemic practice. We believe in working with families, not doing things to them.

Who We’re Looking For

We want enthusiastic, committed, and resilient social workers who:

• Adequate post‑qualifying experience in children’s social care, including child protection and court work.
• Possess excellent communication, assessment, and analytical skills.
• Are confident in applying legislation and statutory guidance in practice.
• Embrace change, are IT‑savvy, and work well under pressure.

What We Offer You

Your growth and wellbeing are just as important to us as the families you will support. That’s why Brent offers a generous and forward‑thinking benefits package, including:

• A £5,000 ‘Golden Hello’ welcome payment.
• Annual retention payment of £4,500 to reward your continued commitment.
• A minimum of 10 days of training per year, focused on direct practice and our “This is Brent, this is how we Grow” framework, which draws from systemic approaches like Signs of Safety.
• A clear and supportive career progression pathway – from ASYE to Team Manager and beyond.
• Access to high‑quality reflective supervision and a professional learning culture.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays, increasing to 31 days plus 8 bank holidays after 5 years continuous service.
• Very generous employer pension contribution.
• Flexible working hours and the opportunity to work from home 2 days per week (laptop provided).
• A wide range of family friendly policies such as parental leave.
• Access to affordable parking nearby.
• Access to our Zipcar scheme.
• Access to our Employee Assistance programme for free confidential counselling.
• Season ticket loan for public transport.
• Cycle to work scheme and good onsite facilities.
• Access to My Brent Rewards for big brand discounts, local offers and money off for travel, cinema and shopping vouchers.

Application Process

If you are interested in applying for this job, please start by clicking the "Apply Now" button below.

You must provide a supporting statement as part of your application that clearly shows how you meet the criteria outlined on the Person Specification.

We will accept a CV in support of your application, however, you should still provide a supporting statement.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested in this role, we advise that you apply as soon as possible.

Closing Date: This is a rolling campaign. Applications are reviewed regularly and interviews take place approximately every fortnight, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Interviews begin: Week Commencing 27th October and will take place every fortnight thereafter.

Additional Information

Brent Council values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this and therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community. We positively encourage all applicants to self‑identify their characteristics in the diversity survey section in the application.

We are committed to safer recruitment and safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants should be aware that posts working with children, young people and vulnerable adults are subject to an Enhanced DBS check as well as other employment clearances.

The information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas and your data protection rights, can be found here.

Brent has a positive approach to flexible working.

As a disability confident employer Brent welcomes applications from people with all disabilities, including hidden disabilities and mental health conditions. We will interview any disabled applicant who meets the essential criteria. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to any part of the recruitment process due to your disability, please contact us on [e-mail].