Social Worker - Out of Hours Service

Hampshire County Council; Fareham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in the UK is seeking dedicated Out of Hours Social Workers committed to improving the lives of children and families. This permanent role offers a salary range of £40,643 - £45,077 pro-rata, with additional allowances for out-of-hours work. Candidates should possess a degree in Social Work and be registered with Social Work England. Flexible hours are required, reflecting the needs of families, and professional development is actively supported.

Benefits

Hybrid tablet device

Access to shared pool cars

Relocation assistance up to £8,500

Qualifications

• Experience of working with children and families in a social work setting.
• Understanding of equalities issues and principles of safety.
• Willing to learn and develop in the role.

Responsibilities

• Gather information and make full assessments of individuals and families.
• Produce reports complying with statutory requirements.
• Monitor and review care packages against identified needs.

Skills

Concise verbal and written communication skills

Mediation and negotiation skills

Ability to assess risks and needs

Highly organised and able to manage time

Education

Degree or equivalent qualification in Social Work

Registration with Social Work England

Job description

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Social Worker - Out of Hours Service

Job Reference: HCC621990

Salary Range: £40,643 - £45,077 pro-rata, per annum, plus Enhancements for working outside of standard office hours, Bank Holidays, evenings, nights and weekends

Hours per week: 37, 18.5 or 13.32

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 31 August 2025

Be a Social Worker for Hampshire County Council and practice in an Outstanding Authority

The Children and Families teams are dedicated to making decisions for the right reasons – not to make headlines and improve our ratings, but to deliver even better services to children and families across the county.

This means that we can offer a refreshingly different working environment. We’ve made our teams smaller, so you’ll get greater support and closer supervision, and we put a real emphasis on user involvement and Partnership working.

The Role:

We are seeking experienced and passionate Out of Hours Social Workers who are committed to making a real difference to the lives of young people and their families. You will use your experience and apply your professional knowledge to transform outcomes for individuals, relatives and carers, whilst facilitating effective multi-agency solutions.

With your significant Social Work experience, you’ll have excellent communication skills and the ability to relate to all different kinds of people and the motivation to grow in your role through personal and professional development. You will be determined to make a difference for both the service and the children who need it. You will know what excellent practice looks like and will be able to improve outcomes for children and their families. Most importantly however, you will have a passion for supporting children and families to ensure that they thrive and flourish.

Flexibility in working hours is key to ensure services are delivered at optimal times of the day to reflect the needs of the family. Therefore, you will be required to work a rota which is outside of standard business hours including Bank Holidays, evenings, and weekends.

Please note that additional allowances will be paid for evenings, Sundays and bank holidays as per agreement with the service. The office base for this role is currently in Fareham but is due to be relocated to Havant, on a date yet to be confirmed.

What you’ll do:

• Use professional skills, knowledge, experience and interpersonal and specialist communication skills to gather information and make a full assessment of individuals and carers/families.
• Refer to other relevant agencies where appropriate to ensure all risks and needs are considered.
• Take appropriate action in conjunction with other agencies and within legal and statutory framework, to protect vulnerable people.
• Establish and maintain mutual trust with clients, carers and families.
• Devise individual care plans based on assessed needs and risks that take account of diversity. Care plans should promote dignity and empowerment and comply with legal and statutory requirements.
• Identify appropriate service provision which is within the Department’s resource framework and adhere to Best Value Principals. Ensure services provided meet identified needs.
• Enable individuals to achieve goals and maximise their strengths.
• Monitor, review and reassess care packages/services against identified risks, needs, and objectives to ensure the continued effectiveness in achieving required or wanted outcomes.
• Make appropriate use of paper and computerised case recording systems to and effectively contribute to professional case management and comply with current legislation and Departmental Policies and Procedures. Records should be accessible to individuals, colleagues and managers as appropriate.
• Produce reports as required which comply with statutory and Departmental procedures and capture and analyse information clearly and guide decision making and case management.
• Within the bounds of confidentiality and appropriate consent, communicate effectively with individuals and agencies to keep them appropriately informed and involved.
• Ensure knowledge of benefits, fees and allowances is current and advise individualshow to access them to achieve maximum independence and manage expectations and demands.
• Assist development of unqualified staff and students to achieve optimum outcomes for service users.
• Work co-operatively with other agencies and stakeholders and contribute to forums/projects to develop partnerships and services which are responsive to identified needs.
• Collate information to inform surveys and development initiatives.

What we’re looking for:

• A degree or equivalent qualification in Social Work.
• Registration with Social Work England.
• Experience of working with children and families in social work setting.
• Concise verbal and written communication skills.
• Mediation and negotiation skills.
• Experience of report writing and computer literate with basic numeracy skills.
• Ability to assess risks, needs, and to analyse information and recognise problems.
• Understand equalities issues in social work practice and principals of safety, dignity and empowerment.
• Understand philosophies, professional social work issues and legal frameworks.
• Understand data protection/confidentiality and need for accurate and timelyrecording.
• Highly organised and able to manage time and conflicting demands effectively.
• Willing to learn and develop in the role, with ongoing training and personaldevelopment.
• Able to be flexible with working arrangements to meet the operational requirements of the post.

We offer a flexible, motivating and inclusive workplace, where talent is truly recognised and developed. We have created an environment that you can look forward to being a part of and where you are empowered to be your best and believe in creating a workplace built on teamwork where people can grow and develop in their roles.

If you think you have what it takes to make a real difference in Hampshire, get in touch!

To find out more about what we can offer you in return, please see ourbenefits package .

What are we doing for our social workers?
Our Social Workers are an asset to us, and we encourage our workforce to be creative and autonomous, while enabling them to work flexibly. We are committed to providing regular, reflective, and effective supervision to support you, while ensuring you also have the working conditions you need for good practice to flourish.

We will:

• Provide you with a hybrid tablet device.
• Ensure you have ample progression opportunities.
• Provide you and the team access to 2 shared pool cars to use when visiting children and families although access to use of your own car will also be required.
• Assist with relocation by offering up to £8,500 for experienced social workers wanting to move to Hampshire (subject to management approval).
• These are just some of the benefits you will receive as a Hampshire County Council employee.
• We're committed to cutting down on paperwork, so you’ll get more time to concentrate on what’s important – achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

This post is subject to a Criminal Records Check. As such, please note that under safer recruitment requirements for Children’s Services, references will be requested prior to interview.

Contact Details for an Informal Discussion:

Hampshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.

In order to combat discrimination, no unnecessary conditions or requirements will be applied which could have a disproportionately adverse effect on any one group. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity, unless a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) applies.

We are a Disability Confident Employer - committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.