Social Worker-Returning to Social Work

Nottingham City Council, Leicestershire County Council, East Midlands Group; England; Hybrid; GBP 43,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government council in the United Kingdom is seeking individuals to re-enter social work through a structured program. The role offers a competitive salary starting from £32,070 annually, reaching up to £42,699 once registered. Applicants should possess a social work qualification and experience in child welfare. The position requires a hybrid work model, and candidates will receive ongoing support during their transition back to practice.

Benefits

Training and development opportunities

Reflective supervision

Mentoring support

Qualifications

• Must hold a full, valid UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.
• Ability to communicate clearly with excellent interpersonal skills.
• Experience in social work practice with children and families.

Responsibilities

• Support restoration of social work registration.
• Work as a social work assistant during skill updating.
• Join the social work team after registration.

Skills

Social work qualification

Experience working with children and families

Knowledge of safeguarding and child-care legislation

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Time management and prioritization

Education

Degree in Social Work or equivalent

Job description

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: Various locations across Leicestershire

Worker Category: Hybrid Worker/ Field Based Worker

Salary: £32,070 - £34,359 per annum whilst working as a SW Assistant and until restoration is complete, increasing to £35,451-£42,699 per annum (pro rata for part time) plus Market Premium of £3,283 (pro rata for part time) once fully registered.

Working Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract Type:Permanent

Closing Date: 4 th January 2026

Interview Date(s):6 th February 2026

About the Role

Are you returning to social work practice? We offer support throughout the process of restoration to support you to re-register and return to the profession, with a permanent social work role upon completion of your registration and restoration.

About you

To apply for this post, you must respond to and evidence the following 7 essential criteria within your personal statement. This should be no more than 1,000 words.

• A Social work qualification (degree or equivalent) and have previously been registered with Social Work England with a break of two years or more.
• Experience of social work practice working with children and families.
• Knowledge of safeguarding, child‑care legislation and social work practice, Knowledge of social work methods and model.
• You must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence (or be able to convert your current licence) AND have access to a vehicle.
• Ability to communicate clearly, with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to analyse information to reach a decision.
• Ability to manage your time and prioritise tasks, with the ability to respond flexibly to changing requirement.

Please note that an Enhanced DBS check is required for this post. Please ensure your application includes a full career history and provides reasons for any gaps.

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.

You must also have an understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion.

Through our return to social work program we will:

• Employ you as a social work assistant in a fixed term contract whilst you gain the necessary experience needed for your restoration. Before you start your role with us, you will meet with our Practice Excellence Team to develop a structured and tailored plan to help update your experience in the areas that you require. During the period of updating your skills, you will be supported by an experienced social worker and supervisor.
• Once you have completed updating your skills, we will support you with your restoration and registration fee with Social Work England.
• Once re‑registered, you will be offered a permanent contract as a Level 2 social worker at grade 10 (starting at £35,451 plus market premium of £3,283).
• We want your return to social work to be successful, and we want to support you to develop your existing skills and strengths. You will be part of an established social work team where you can develop your skills through training, conferences, events and from your colleagues.
• You will receive monthly reflective supervision with your manager and access to regular group reflective supervision.
• You will have access to a wide range of training to support your development. You will also have access to the support of the Practice Excellence Team for 1:1 support, mentoring and development alongside tailored support.
• Leicestershire’s practice model is Signs of Safety which is focused on working in collaboration with families and professionals, following our values of being aspirational, being curious and working in collaboration. Leicestershire is also committed to being a trauma informed organisation, recognising the impact of trauma for children and families, alongside staff.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

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How to Apply

Leicestershire County Council is an inclusive organisation which is on a journey to embed and celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion at every level. We warmly welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, as having a diverse workforce with different perspectives and ideas is fundamental to our values and enriches the services we offer our communities. We particularly welcome applicants from Ethnically Diverse and LGBTQ Plus communities and people with disabilities to create a balanced workforce and one that reflects the communities we serve. Applicants with a disability who meet the criteria listed in the 'About You' section above will be offered an interview under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme.

To apply for this job, please click on 'Apply Now'. You will need to upload a supporting statement as part of your application, which explains how you meet the criteria listed in the 'About You' section above. For more information, see the How to Apply section on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support

Our aim is to work with communities and partners to deliver public services that make Leicestershire the best possible place to live and work for everyone. Our employees play a key role in supporting this goal and helping us deliver the vital services we provide to the people of Leicestershire.

For further information on what it’s like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following:

• Locations Leicestershire County Council, Glenfield, LE3 8RA, GB CFWS Coalville Children & Family Centre, Coalville, LE67 3EA, GB Granville Road, Hinckley, LE10 0PP, GB Regent Street, Loughborough, LE11 5BA, GB Bassett Street, Wigston, LE18 4PE, GB