Social Worker - Domestic Abuse

Reading Borough Council; Reading; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days

Flexible working opportunities

On-site day nursery

Season Ticket Loan

Lease car salary sacrifice

Job summary

Reading Borough Council is seeking an experienced Domestic Abuse Practitioner or Specialist Social Worker to join the CSPoA team. The post involves leading on safeguarding, guiding colleagues, and shaping the response to domestic abuse within a fast-paced front-door service.

You will analyse referrals, contribute to risk assessments, and ensure children and adult victims are safeguarded effectively while working with health, education, police, and voluntary sector partners.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication skills to engage a wide range of stakeholders
• Ability to analyse complex information and make sound, timely decisions
• Experience working in safeguarding or multi-agency settings recommended
• Skilled in building effective working relationships across teams and organisations

Responsibilities

• Assess contacts within safeguarding procedures to provide appropriate support
• Progress referrals quickly using a whole-family approach
• Gather and analyse information from multiple sources for evidence-based recommendations
• Engage in supervision and continuous professional development to enhance practice
• Represent the service at multi-agency forums and promote partnership working
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to high-quality decision making

Skills

Excellent communication

Analytical thinking

Risk assessment

Relationship building

Education

Domestic Abuse or Social Work qualification

Job description

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Job details

We are seeking a passionate, highly motivated, and experienced Domestic Abuse Practitioner or Specialist Social Worker – Domestic Abuse to join our Children’s Single Point of Access (CSPoA) service. This is a fast-paced, front-door service that plays a critical role in ensuring that children, young people, and families receive the right help at the right time.

As a Domestic Abuse Practitioner, you will provide expert leadership and guidance in all matters relating to domestic abuse, supporting the service to deliver safe, timely, and effective responses to referrals. Working closely with the Team Manager, you will be responsible for shaping the strategy, development, and continuous improvement of our response to domestic abuse within CSPoA, ensuring best practice and compliance with safeguarding frameworks.

You will act as a subject matter expert, offering consultation, advice, and support to colleagues and partner agencies on complex domestic abuse cases. A key part of your role will involve analysing referrals, contributing to risk assessments, and ensuring that children and adult victims are safeguarded effectively.

You will represent the service at multi‑agency forums, contributing to partnership working across health, education, police, and voluntary sector organisations. In addition, you will play a significant role in workforce development by designing and delivering training, sharing best practice, and promoting a culture of learning and professional curiosity.

The successful candidate will have substantial experience in domestic abuse within a social work setting and demonstrate specialist knowledge in safeguarding both children and adults. You will be confident in managing complex risk, making defensible decisions, and influencing practice across teams and partner agencies.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced practitioner who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and families, has strong leadership skills, and is committed to driving high-quality, trauma-informed practice within a dynamic front‑door service.

Working as part of a multi‑agency team, you’ll gather, review and evaluate information to make timely and informed decisions that safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This is a non‑case holding role, ideal for professionals who thrive in a dynamic environment and want to make an immediate impact.

You’ll be part of a service committed to early help, prevention and high‑quality safeguarding practice, helping children and families achieve safe, healthy and successful outcomes.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

About the role

In this role, you will combine analytical thinking with strong partnership working to ensure effective decision‑making at the point of referral.

• Work within safeguarding procedures to assess contacts and ensure children receive appropriate support and protection
• Progress referrals quickly and effectively, using a whole‑family approach while prioritising children’s safety and wellbeing
• Gather and analyse information from multiple sources to make evidence‑based recommendations
• Build strong relationships with professionals, partners and agencies to support joint working
• Respond to contacts from professionals and the public, including those in crisis situations
• Apply threshold guidance to ensure the right level of intervention at the earliest opportunity
• Maintain accurate, timely records and contribute to high quality decision making
• Engage in supervision, continuous learning and development to enhance your practice

About you

You’ll be a confident, resilient and analytical Practitioner who enjoys working in a fast‑moving environment and making impactful decisions.

• Relevant Qualifications in Domestic Abuse or Social Work
• Experience working with children, young people and families, ideally in safeguarding or multi‑agency settings
• Strong understanding of safeguarding, early help and relevant legislation
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders
• Ability to analyse complex information and make sound, timely decisions
• Comfortable working under pressure and managing competing priorities
• Skilled in building effective working relationships across teams and organisations
• Committed to equality, diversity and continuous professional development
• Able to maintain accurate records and use IT systems effectively

You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you’ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place. Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:

Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do

Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential

Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way

Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed

Our offer

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged, and you’ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 30 days after 5 years’ service and 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
• A wide range of flexible working opportunities
• Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading
• Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
• On‑site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted
• Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax

Closing Date: Sunday 11th October 2026
Interview Date: To be confirmed
Interview Process: To be confirmed