Social Worker - Private Law and Private Fostering Practitioner

Together for Children Sunderland; Sunderland; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

A local children's services organization seeks a Social Worker/Senior Social Worker to manage private law matters and work with families and children in Sunderland. This full-time permanent role offers a competitive salary, a supportive environment, and professional development opportunities. The ideal candidate will have experience in court work and a relevant social work qualification.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Agile working arrangements

Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme

Flexi-time scheme

Comprehensive health and wellbeing program

Qualifications

• Must have experience managing private law matters.
• Ability to complete S.7 and S.37 reports.
• Experience in teamwork with parents and agencies.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of private law matters.
• Complete court-directed reports.
• Work with vulnerable children and families.

Skills

Experience with Court work

Understanding of child’s wishes

Advising family courts

Education

Relevant social work qualification

Job description

Overview

Social Worker/Senior Social Worker - Private Law and Private Fostering Practitioner

Salary Grade 7/8 (SCP 26-36) £37,280 - £47,181 per annum, plus an Essential Car User Allowance: £1239 per annum and 2% Recruitment and Retention Allowance paid monthly

Full Time/Permanent

This is your opportunity to join our ‘Outstanding’ Company and make a difference! Together for Children Sunderland is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2021 and 2025. Join us and help us continue our outstanding journey.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of private law matters.
• Complete S.7 and S.37 reports as directed by the Private Family Law Court.
• Work directly with vulnerable children and families to advise the family courts on the best course of action.
• Provide case analysis and recommendations to the Court.
• Collaborate with parents, family networks, partner Agencies, and the Court.
• Demonstrate an understanding of a child’s wishes and feelings through direct work. You will be supported by a Team Manager and Assistant Team Manager and must have experience with Court work and meeting deadlines.

Why Join Us?

• Supportive Environment: Join a small, supportive social work team with guidance from experienced managers.
• Innovative Practice: We use the Signs of Safety model, embedded across our service. Extensive training and support are available, regardless of your prior experience with this model.
• Professional Development: We invest in our workforce with specialist training programs, including Trauma Informed Practice and Safe & Together training. Our multi-agency edge of care team, ‘Wear Together,’ is just one example of our innovative initiatives.

Interested?

If you are passionate about working with young people and possess the necessary skills, we want to hear from you. For an informal discussion, please contact Emma Gibson, Team Manager. [e-mail]

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Agile working arrangements
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Flexi-time scheme
• Comprehensive health and wellbeing program

Join us at Together for Children and be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of children and families in Sunderland.

Visa sponsorship: We welcome applications from all nationalities; however, successful candidates must, by the commencement of employment, have the right to work in the UK.

Together for Children is committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse local communities that we support across Sunderland. We’re striving to build an inclusive workplace culture where all employees feel valued and diversity is celebrated by everyone.

As part of this commitment, we work collaboratively with our established employee networks:

• Menopause Network
• Accessibility Network
• LGBTQ+ Network
• Racial Equality Network
• Armed Forces Network

We welcome and encourage job applications from candidates regardless of their age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, belief or race, and background.

If you have a disability please do reach out to our Accessibility Network Chair to hear how we can support you during the recruitment process and if you are successful, in the workplace [e-mail]

For further information on Together for Children, please take a look at our website: https://www.togetherforchildren.org.uk

Nearly 40 per cent of foster carers combine fostering with other work. Those who do say that a supportive employer can make all the difference, enabling them to balance employment with caring for children.

Together for Children have a fostering friendly People policy for all foster carers in their employment (regardless of their fostering service). This includes offering foster carers flexible working and paid time off for training and settling a new child into their home.

As a Fostering Friendly employer, Together for Children also help promote Foster Care Fortnight, our annual campaign to raise the profile of fostering and encourage people to consider becoming foster carers and offer children the care they need - Foster with North East - Foster with North East