Social Worker (Progressed)

Cheshire East Council; Macclesfield; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 43,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

34 days annual leave

Flexible working pattern

Green car salary sacrifice

White goods salary sacrifice

Enhanced pension

Cycle to work

Employee assistance programme

Gym discount

Job summary

Cheshire East Council is recruiting an Advanced Practitioner in Children's Social Care. You will manage complex and high‑risk cases across child protection, children in need, and cared for children, leading safeguarding interventions and multi‑agency planning.

The role includes strategy meetings, case conferences and court proceedings, with a strong emphasis on high‑quality assessments and reflective practice.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years post-qualifying experience in Children's Social Work.
• Experience in statutory children's social work with complex cases.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills grounded in evidence-based practice.
• Effective communication with children, families and professionals.
• Commitment to safeguarding and improving outcomes for vulnerable children.
• Value collaboration, professional development and positive team culture.
• Practice Educator either attained or willing to complete within one year.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex and high-risk cases across child protection, children in need, and cared for children.
• Lead safeguarding interventions and contribute to multi-agency planning and decision-making.
• Attend strategy meetings, case conferences and court proceedings.
• Deliver high-quality assessments and care planning.
• Mentor less experienced colleagues and contribute to service development.
• Work within a supportive team environment prioritising reflective practice and supervision.
• Join multiple teams (Child in Need/Child Protection, Children with Disabilities, Cared for Children) delivering real impact.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Decision making

Collaboration

Professional development

Safeguarding focus

Education

Social Worker registration with Social Work England

Practice Educator (within 1 year)

Job description

Ready to take the next step in your social work career?

This opportunity is designed for experienced professionals who are confident in managing complex cases and passionate about driving positive change for children and families. Bring your knowledge, leadership, and commitment to high-quality practice into a role where your expertise will be valued, your voice heard, and your impact felt. Join a team that supports innovation, collaboration, and continuous development, where your experience truly makes a difference.

About us

At Cheshire East Council, we are resident, and partner focused with a vision to enable prosperity and wellbeing for all. People really are at the heart of everything we do and that starts with our incredible workforce. We promote a culture of high performance where people can aspire, thrive and flourish, where we strive to deliver best value in everything we do.

For us, success isn't just about what we achieve, but how we achieve it together. We promote curiosity, excellence, innovation and continuous improvement.

We are values led and committed to wellbeing and inclusion for all, where our employees co-created our values of drive, integrity, respect and collaboration which inform all that we do.

We are proud to work for Cheshire East Council and believe you would be too!

Join us on a meaningful journey in Children's Social Care at Cheshire East Council

We're on a meaningful journey in Children's Social Care and we'd love for you to be part of it. Joining us means becoming part of a supportive, forward-thinking team that's passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and young people. Everything we do is about putting them first, helping them grow, thrive and reach their full potential so they can build brighter futures.

If this sounds like the kind of impact you want to make, we'd be delighted to hear from you. Come and join us in shaping positive change for our young people.

About the Role:

• This is an Advanced Practitioner role and therefore the complexity of the work reflects that.
• Involves managing complex and high-risk cases across child protection, children in need, and cared for children.
• Requires leading safeguarding interventions and contributing to multi-agency planning and decision-making.
• Includes attending strategy meetings, case conferences, and court proceedings.
• Focuses on delivering high-quality assessments and care planning that promote positive outcomes for children and families.
• Offers opportunities to mentor less experienced colleagues and contribute to service development.
• Based within a supportive team environment that values reflective practice, supervision, and continuous professional growth.
• We are currently recruiting to several teams, including Child in Need/Child Protection, Children with Disabilities, and the Cared for Children Team. Each team offers a unique opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of children and families across Cheshire East.

This is just a snapshot of some of the exciting things you'll be doing in the role, to find out more about the other key responsibilities of the role please view the attached job description.

About you:

• You're a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.
• You will have a minimum of 3 years post qualifying experience in Children's Social Work.
• You'll bring substantial experience in statutory children's social work, including managing complex cases.
• You have strong analytical and decision-making skills, grounded in evidence-based practice.
• You'll communicate effectively with children, families, and professionals, building trust and promoting engagement.
• You're committed to safeguarding and improving outcomes for vulnerable children.
• You'll value collaboration, professional development, and contributing to a positive team culture.
• You're a Practice Educator or willing to complete the Practice Educator programme within a year of joining Cheshire East.

To find out more about the essential and desirable criteria for the role please view the attached job description specification document.

What we offer in return:

• A competitive salary - Between £40,444 per annum - £43,149 per annum (CEC NJC - Grade 9) with guaranteed yearly pay increases
• Enhanced annual leave - Start with an impressive 34 days of annual leave (including bank holidays) from day one, and watch it grow to 39 days after just five years of service
• Purchase of annual leave - Want more time off? You can purchase up to 10 extra days of annual leave each year, giving you the flexibility to balance work and life just the way you want (Pro-rata for part-time staff)
• Flexible working pattern - Enjoy a 37-hour standard full-time work week with the added perks of flexitime.
• Salary sacrifice green car scheme - Drive green and save green! Lease a brand-new electric or hybrid car through our salary sacrifice scheme. There're no credit checks, no deposits, just significant savings and exclusive offers on a three-year lease
• White goods salary sacrifice scheme - Upgrade your home with ease. Purchase home and electronic items through our salary sacrifice scheme, spreading the cost of big-ticket purchases like appliances, computers, and tech gadgets directly from your salary
• Enhanced public pension - Secure your future with our career average pension, where contributions are built at a rate of 1/49th of your yearly pensionable pay
• Cycle to work scheme - Save up to 25-39% on the retail price of bikes and safety equipment through Income Tax and National Insurance savings. Get fit and save money!
• Employee assistance programme - Access a completely free and confidential assistance service to help manage, reduce, and overcome life's challenges, both at work and in your personal life
• Discounted gym membership - Stay active and healthy with corporate membership prices for Everybody Leisure, including:
  • Gym, Swim and Group Fitness at all 16 facilities
  • Off-Peak Racket Sports
  • Athletics Tracks
  • Sauna/Steam/Spa