Social Worker - Family Help

Herefordshire Council; Hereford; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range £37,563-£42,123 per annum

Market rate supplement £5,000 per year

Relocation up to £10,000

Retention payment £2,000-£4,000

Job summary

Herefordshire Council is seeking a qualified Social Worker to join Family Help locality teams. You will lead a complex caseload, assess needs, and develop tailored Family Help Plans in collaboration with partner agencies.

The role includes chairing key meetings, undertaking risk assessments, and safeguarding work to ensure positive outcomes for children and families. You are a registered Social Worker with a strong commitment to ongoing professional development and the ability to build

Qualifications

• Qualified Social Worker with Social Work England registration.
• Experience in safeguarding and child protection within statutory social care.
• Ability to assess risk, analyse family dynamics and deliver effective interventions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a complex Family Help caseload as Lead Practitioner.
• Develop and implement Family Help Plans with partner agencies.
• Chair and contribute to core meetings (Child in Need, core group, strategy).
• Produce high-quality records and reports, including court reports.

Skills

Social work

Communication

Risk assessment

Education

Social Work Degree

DipSW

CQSW

Job description

Salary: HC8 £37,563 - £42,123 (in line with our Career Progression Pathway £42,123 - £46,579 for Senior Practitioner roles) plus £5,000 market rate supplement per year for both roles.

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 37

Location: Leominster (North), Hereford (Central), Ross on Wye (South)

Relocation package of up to £10,000 available

“Delivering Good quality services through Outstanding Leadership” – Ofsted

Introduction

We are seeking passionate and dedicated qualified Social Workers to join our Family Help locality teams. In this role, you will work closely with children, their families, colleagues across the Directorate, and partner agencies to deliver a range of support and intervention services aimed at promoting the wellbeing, safety, and positive outcomes of children with a Family Help plan.

You will play a key role in safeguarding children, working in partnership with the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT) where concerns arise, and contributing to timely and effective protective interventions. The role requires a strong commitment to high-quality practice within the statutory framework, including the Children Act 1989, the Children Act 2004, and Working Together 2026, supporting the principles of the Families First Programme.

We are proud of our restorative approach to social work - a way of working that is firmly embedded in our team culture and management style. Collaboration and reflection are at the heart of how we practice: senior managers are always available for guidance and support, especially when navigating complex cases.

Curious about what it’s really like to be a Social Worker with us?

Want to know what it really feels like to work with our passionate and dedicated Social Work teams? This short video gives you a glimpse into the heart of our service and shows why Herefordshire Council could be the perfect place for your next career move.

https://youtu.be/FSjU-FV5uic

The Role

As a Social Worker within the Family Help team, you will play a vital role in supporting children, young people, and their families to achieve positive and sustainable outcomes. Working within a locality-based team, you will lead and manage a complex caseload, acting as the Family Help Lead Practitioner to deliver effective help, protection, and intervention.

You’ll assess needs, identify risks, and develop tailored Family Help Plans, working closely with partner agencies to ensure coordinated and multi-agency support. The role includes chairing and contributing to key meetings such as Child in Need, core group, and strategy discussions, as well as undertaking risk assessments and safeguarding work when concerns arise.

You will build strong, restorative relationships with families and professionals, enabling meaningful change while promoting the safety and welfare of children, including those in the looked-after system. Accurate recording, report writing (including court work), and contributing to decision-making are key aspects of the role.

About You

You are a qualified Social Worker (Social Work Degree, DipSW, CQSW or equivalent) with current Social Work England registration and a strong commitment to ongoing professional development.

You bring experience of working with children and families in a statutory social care setting, with a solid understanding of safeguarding, child protection, and relevant legislation and guidance. You are confident in assessing risk, analysing complex family dynamics, and delivering effective interventions that support children to remain safely within their families wherever possible.

You are a skilled communicator, able to build trusted relationships with children, families, and multi‑agency professionals. Your ability to listen, observe, and engage with empathy enables you to work restoratively and make a meaningful difference.

Organised and resilient, you can manage a demanding workload, maintain accurate records, and produce clear and high-quality reports. You are confident using IT systems and committed to delivering high standards of practice.

Above all, you share a strong commitment to improving outcomes for children and families while working collaboratively and upholding values of trust, honesty, responsibility, inclusivity, and empathy.

To arrange an informal discussion, or ask any questions about the role, please contact

[e-mail]

We Offer

A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:

• Salary range of £37,563 - £42,123 per annum (in line with our Career Progression Pathway £42,123 - £46,579 for Senior Practitioner roles)
• Market rate supplement: £5,000 per annum
• Retention payment: £2,000 - £4,000 depending on team.
• Relocation packages: support of up to £10,000
• Professional development: protected time and budget to develop yourself and your career
• Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Career progression: clear pathways to progress
• Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum during the request period
• Flexible working: including the potential for job‑sharing, part‑time hours and agile working.
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
• Payment of professional membership fees (based on role requirements)
• Pick your perks - our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.

Why Choose Us?

We're proud and excited to unveil our new recruitment video, a celebration of Herefordshire's people, places, and purpose. Set in the heart of England and filled with pride, compassion and possibility, the video brings to life what it means to work somewhere you truly belong.

At Herefordshire Council, every role matters and every person makes a real difference for our communities. We’re a team where people feel valued, supported and empowered to grow together.

Herefordshire is a beautiful, historic county on the Welsh border, one of England’s most rural and unspoilt areas, with vibrant market towns and a strong sense of community.

Our priority is clear: to keep children safe and give them the best start in life. We do this through passionate, dedicated professionals who build strong relationships with children, families, and partners to make a lasting difference.

It’s an exciting time to join us. We’re investing in our people and our relational practice approach, working alongside our improvement partner, Leeds City Council. You’ll be supported by experienced managers, continuous professional development, and a genuine team ethos that values collaboration and care.

If you’re committed to helping children and young people thrive, come and join the journey in Herefordshire - where your work truly matters.

The Council plan sets out how we will make our contribution to achieving a better and more successful Herefordshire, please see the link below to find out more:

Reasonable Adjustments

Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: [e-mail].

If you’re shortlisted for interview and require any reasonable adjustments, our Children & Young People Recruitment Team will be happy to support you.

Creating an inclusive workplace

We encourage our employees to feel empowered and to use their voices to help embrace diversity, promote inclusivity and shape our organisation. We have eight employee network groups, collectives of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and offer support and community. They also play an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.

For more information on our Employee Network Groups please view our dedicated recruitment website: www.spiritofherefordshire.com.

Commitments, Covenants and Statutory Obligations

The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:

• Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.

We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check and further pre-employment checks.