Social Worker - Children in Care Court

Northamptonshire Children's Trust; England; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

SWE Registration paid yearly (social c

Welcome Bonus of £6,000

Relocation costs up to £8,000

28 days annual leave (plus 8 bank hols

LG Pension Scheme + life cover

Employee Assistance Programme

Employee discounts

Flexible and family working

Career development opportunities

Subsidised town centre car parking

Job summary

Northamptonshire Children’s Trust is seeking an experienced Social Worker for its Children in Care Team. You will oversee care for children, including those involved in legal proceedings, focusing on building meaningful relationships with young people, families and carers to ensure effective planning for every child.

You will conduct thorough assessments, coordinate with multi‑agency partners, and collaborate with Leaving Care services to deliver positive outcomes in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Qualified, registered social worker with ASYE completed.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to build positive relationships with diverse groups.

Responsibilities

• Provide oversight for all children in care in Northamptonshire, including those subject to legal proceedings.
• Build meaningful relationships with young people, families and carers to plan effectively for every child.
• Conduct clear, accurate assessments and coordinate multi-agency approaches.
• Attend court on your own when necessary.

Job description

“I love working in the court team because it places the emphasis on thorough assessment and robust social work analysis. The pastoral/management care is the best I have ever experienced and the opportunities to do real social work and make a real difference to children’s lives at such a crucial and pivotal time is amazing. We are given the trust and resources to act in the best interests of the children, even if that means innovation or thinking outside the box.”

As a Children’s Social Worker at Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, you’ll join a supportive learning culture, be able to influence change, challenge others and share your expertise.

Our Children in Care Team provides oversight for all the children in care in Northamptonshire. This includes children subject to legal proceedings as well as children with a plan to remain long term in our care. We focus on building meaningful relationships with young people, their families and their carers to ensure that we plan effectively for the future of every child. You’ll be conducting clear, accurate assessments, coordinating multi‑agency approaches, and building positive relationships.

This is a very fast paced and busy role that strives to deliver positive outcomes for our children and families in collaboration with our colleagues in the Leaving Care Service and our external partners.

Interviews will take place in person.

What will you be doing?

Our children in care service provides oversight for all the children in care in Northamptonshire. This includes children subject to legal proceedings as well as children with a plan to remain long term in our care.

We focus on building meaningful relationships with young people, their families and their carers to ensure that we plan effectively for the future of every child.

The service has 11 teams that work across the county and focus on particular cohorts of children.

You will need to be experienced at court work and will be confident and capable enough to attend court on your own if necessary.

About you

You will be an experienced qualified, registered social worker, who has completed your ASYE and have the commitment and passion to be at the forefront of delivering best practice and support to children, young people and families.

As an effective communicator you will be able to build positive, strength-based relationships with a diverse range of children, young people and families.

As a Social Worker you will be confident in your analysis and decision making to deliver purposeful and effective social care supported by experienced colleagues and managers.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Barred List check.

We are committed to continuous improvement, building a skilled, knowledgeable, and flexible workforce alongside promoting innovation and creativity whilst keeping children, young people and families at the heart of all we do.

We really value our workforce and offer you a great benefits package including:

• SWE Registration paid yearly (social care colleagues)
• Recruitment Welcome Bonus of £6,000
• Relocation costs of up to £8,000
• 28 days annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time) and an additional 5 days, after 5 years
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health pension protection.
• Opportunity to purchase up to 25 days annual leave
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Flexible and family working arrangements including enhanced maternity benefits
• A permanent, supportive and inclusive management team where you will be empowered to make good professional decisions
• Extensive Learning & Development and career development opportunities
• Subsidised town centre car parking scheme

About us

At Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, children, young people and families are at the heart of everything we do. Every decision we make and every action we take is guided by our commitment to delivering high‑quality services that make a lasting difference to the lives of children, young people and families across Northamptonshire.

We know that our people are our greatest strength. Our workforce is at the centre of our success, and we are committed to creating an environment where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to do the best job of their lives every day. We foster a culture built on kindness, collaboration and trust, where achievements are recognised, ideas are welcomed and innovation is encouraged.

We are proud of the positive impact we make together and delighted that our work has been recognised by Ofsted, with an Outstanding rating for Leadership and Management and Good ratings across Help and Protection, Children in Care and Care Leavers.

At NCT equality, diversity and inclusion are part of us and in everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and thrive in our organisation. We are a Disability Confident employer and have a commitment to care leavers, who we guarantee an interview if they meet the essential criteria.

If you are passionate about making a difference and want to be part of an ambitious, supportive and forward‑thinking organisation, Northamptonshire Children’s Trust could be the place for you.