Social Worker, Specialist Assessment Team

Southampton City Council; Southampton; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent local government pension 16.

Death in service benefit

Generous holiday 25–31 days

Flexible working

Training and development

Health and wellbeing support

Veteran-friendly employer

Staff discounts

Sustainable travel benefits

Volunteer days

Job summary

Southampton City Council is seeking an experienced social worker to join the Specialist Assessment and Family Drug and Alcohol Court Team, focusing on complex assessments within care proceedings and the Public Law Outline.

You will have at least two years post-qualifying experience, strong assessment skills, and be confident in court work; you will work with families affected by substance use, trauma, learning needs, or mental health issues.

Qualifications

• Qualified and registered Social Worker with at least two years post-qualifying experience in children and families.
• Strong specialist assessment skills, with training in areas such as ParentAssess or substance misuse.
• Experience in care proceedings or Public Law Outline processes, including oral evidence.
• Ability to produce analytical, evidence-informed assessments proportionate to risk.
• Desirable: systemic practice, trauma-informed intervention, and the Resolutions Approach.

Responsibilities

• Complete high-quality specialist assessments for complex cases.
• Contribute to care planning and provide robust written and oral evidence.
• Work with families and partners to deliver targeted interventions alongside assessments.

Skills

Assessment skills

ParentAssess

Substance misuse

Sexual risk assessment

Complex parenting capacity assessments

Public Law Outline experience

Analytical reporting

Job description

Are you an experienced social worker ready to specialise in complex assessment work Are you confident producing robust, evidence-informed assessments for care proceedings? Are you skilled in working with families affected by adult substance use, trauma, mental health difficulties or learning needs?

We are seeking an experienced, full-time Social Worker to join Southampton City Council’s Specialist Assessment and Family Drug and Alcohol Court Team.

About the team:

The Specialist Assessment and Family Drug and Alcohol Court Team is a highly skilled multidisciplinary team comprising of experienced social workers and family practitioners. We complete specialist assessments and deliver targeted interventions across Children’s Services, alongside leading Southampton’s Family Drug and Alcohol Court service.

Our practice is trauma-informed, relationship-based and systemic, enabling us to understand complex family histories, patterns of risk and the impact of adversity while identifying strengths, capacity for change and opportunities for safe, family-led solutions.

The team undertakes some of the service’s most complex assessment work, including assessments within care proceedings and the Public Law Outline process, including ParentAssess and adult sexual risk assessments. We work with families where substance use, learning needs, mental health difficulties and trauma are significant factors. Our analytical and evidence-informed assessments place children’s lived experiences at the centre and support timely, robust care planning.

About the role:

As a Social Worker in the Specialist Assessment & FDAC Team, you will have at least two years’ post-qualifying experience, strong assessment skills and a proven background in court work. You will complete high-quality specialist assessments and contribute to care planning for children and families where needs and risks are complex. This will include work within Care Proceedings and the Public Law Outline process, and assessments involving substance or alcohol use, learning needs, mental health difficulties, trauma or sexual risk.

You will work closely with skilled family practitioners who deliver targeted interventions alongside the assessment process, providing families with practical opportunities to learn, develop and demonstrate change. The team’s intervention offer includes the Resolutions Approach, pre-birth and post-birth support, Non-Violent Resistance and emotional coping skills interventions.

Southampton’s Family Drug and Alcohol Court service is also based within the team. It provides an intensive, problem-solving approach for families where substance use is a central factor in care proceedings. The service supports parents to address substance use, improve family functioning and work towards safe reunification where this is achievable. We are therefore looking for a Social Worker who is also confident and skilled in direct work with adults affected by substance use difficulties.

For further information about this role, please view the job description.

About you:

• Qualified and registered Social Worker with a minimum of two years post-qualifying experience in children and families social work
• Strong specialist assessment skills, with formal training and proven experience in one or more areas such as ParentAssess, substance and alcohol misuse, sexual risk assessment or complex parenting capacity assessments
• A proven track record of work within care proceedings or complex Public Law Outline processes – including both written work and in providing oral evidence
• Confidence in producing analytical, evidence-informed assessments that are proportionate to risk and support timely care planning
• Additional skills in systemic practice, trauma-informed intervention, motivational interviewing, the Resolutions Approach, AIM3 or Family Drug and Alcohol Court practice would be highly desirable

• Experience working in a UK based statutory social work setting

If you feel you have the necessary background, experience, and skills to undertake this role we would like to hear from you.

What we can offer you:

Salary: The salary band for this role is Grade 9 £43,150 -£47,664.

The starting salary is £43,150with annual progression through the salary bands.

Here at SCC we have a range of different perks and benefits, a few examples can be found below.

• Excellent local government pension with 16.8% employer contribution
• Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution)
• Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service
• Flexible working options (role-dependent)
• Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
• Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
• Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks
• Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant
• Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform
• Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres
• Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans
• Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer

For further information on our benefits package please visit:

Employee benefits (southampton.gov.uk)

Contact details for informal discussion:

For further information and details regarding the Social Work Post in the Specialist Assessment & FDAC Team please contact Alison Street, Team Manager on 07796479855 [e-mail]

Interview Information:

Please note that interviews are scheduled for: 10/12/2026

Recruitment contact details:

Email: [e-mail] Tel: [phone] For more information about SCC please visit Southampton City Council Follow us on social media for regular updates on our featured jobs and latest news. Facebook YouTube