Senior Social Worker - Family Safeguarding
We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Social Worker in our Family Safeguarding team If you are passionate about supporting families in making positive changes and share our commitment to helping to keep more children safely at home with their families, then this could be the role for you.
To learn more about what it is like to work with us, take a look at our workforce video.
Read more about our culture and what our staff say Children's social care culture | Bracknell Forest Council
About you…
You must have a current Social Work England registration and at least three years post qualifying experience within children’s social care that includes child protection, public law outline and care proceedings.
To succeed in this role, you will have an in-depth knowledge of relevant legislation, guidance, policies and thresholds. Strong experience of multi-agency working, working in partnership and co-producing needs led safety plans for children and young people. You will have excellent recording skills, and the ability to produce quality assessments, reports and statements for court.
You will role model and champion good social work practice, are able to evidence relevant continued professional development, will support others in sharing your knowledge and experience and contribute to our inclusive culture.
About the team…
Utilising the proven Family Safeguarding Model, underpinned by Motivational Interviewing, we work with families to create lasting, positive change; empowering parents to improve outcomes for their children and themselves, while keeping families safely together.
Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in June 2022, Bracknell Forest Children’s Social Care delivers consistently high-quality support. Inspectors praise our manageable caseloads, reflective supervision, and strong leadership. Social workers feel valued, supported, and empowered to make a real difference—because at Bracknell, we don’t just support children, we change lives.
Key responsibilities…
- To carry out needs led child focused assessments which include outcome focused plans.
- To work alongside other professionals and partner agencies in assessing children in need and undertaking child protection enquiries.
- To be the allocated Social Worker for duty caseload of single assessments under S17 and S47 investigations, with some short-term work.
- To take part in the duty system responding to child protection concerns.
- To develop and maintain accurate case records and comply with the department's policies, procedures and guidelines including data protection and GDPR.
- To participate in regular reflective supervision and be able to set clear goals and intervention strategies.
Our benefits…
- 28 days increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service.*
- The opportunity to buy up to 10 additional days annual leave per year and sell 5 days.*
- Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme for an electric car at a fixed monthly cost.*
- An inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks.
- Local government pension scheme with linked life insurance cover.
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
- Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits such as annual leave, occupational maternity/paternity leave.
- Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing.
- And many more: Staff benefits | Bracknell Forest Council.
- (*Terms and Conditions apply – please refer to candidate pack for more information).
Our values...
At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you.
Reasonable adjustments...
We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting recruitment@bracknell-forest.gov.uk. We will work with you to support you throughout the process. Find out more about reasonable adjustments.
Interview date
Interviews will be held on 14th October 2025.
Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment.
We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.
Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.
For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:
Cheryl Perry - Head Of Service, Family Safeguarding : Cheryl.Perry@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
Or:
Helen Gore - Principal Social Worker - Helen.gore@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.
Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of working within the current Social Care System and Framework.
Social Work England registration fees can be claimed back from the Council.
We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.
No agencies please.
Equal Opportunities
Bracknell Forest Council – Working for Equality. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.
How to apply
Please apply online via the link provided.
Please include a personal statement with your CV specifying why you are applying for this vacancy.