Qualified Children's Social Worker

We are offering a £4,000 ‘Professional Joining Incentive’ if you successfully join one of our Work To First Hearing teams covering
Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk
. You can find out further information about this incentive and the associated terms and conditions by accessing the relevant vacancy document.

At Cafcass, we’re recruiting
Children’s Social Workers
who share our passion, commitment and ambition to facilitate positive outcomes for children involved in private and public law family court proceedings.

Our Social Workers - professionally known as
Family Court Advisers (FCAs) - play a vital role. Working in a
Private Law team,where there is disagreement on the bestarrangements for the welfare of the child(ren) involved) and to speak on behalf of children and young people to ensure their thoughts, wishes and feelings are not just understood but heard.

As the only organisation that does this kind of work, FCAs can make recommendations leading to lasting change for children and families, which is why this it is responsibility we take seriously. And why we’re committed to creating a safe, healthy and supportive environment for our colleagues to practice.

As a FCAin our
Work to First Hearing team, Private Law,you will play a key role in ensuring Cafcass only intervenes in the lives of those children who needs a service.

This role is fast paced, draws on Child Protection expertise and requires analytical and effective risk assessment to identify key issues for the court and make safe recommendations in the best interests of the child.

You will predominantly achieve this through effective telephone interviews with applicants and respondents and by assessing information received from other agencies.

You will then collate this to allow you to succinctly and expertly communicate advice in the court through clear, evidence-based reports and representations, which will occasionally mean attending initial Court Hearings to ensure that children remain central to all decision making.

We’re looking for practitioners who are confident, curious, compassionate and committed to excellent social work practice.

To join us, you’ll need:

• A
  Social Work qualification
  is essential.
• Have the
  Right to Work in the UK
  (we don’t sponsor people to work in the UK).
• Registered with Social Work England
  (or likely to be able to register quickly if practising outside England).
• Recent, relevant experience
  of working directly with children and families.
• It’s desirable you’ll have experience in
  family court proceedings
  , or knowledge of Private and/or Public Law.
• For applicants with limited post‑qualifying experience,
  relevant pre‑qualifying experience
  supporting children and families may be beneficial.
• Strong
  organisational
  skills, professional
  resilience
  and the ability to work independently while effectively managing a varied caseload.

You can view the full job description in the
vacancy documents
.

Our Social Workers work flexibly across multiple settings - including the offices in
Chelmsford or Norwich
, home, courts, schools and other appropriate, safe locations, and we ensure you have the technology to do this.

Shared learning is very important to us, and we bring our teams together regularly, both remotely and in-person, for team meetings and group supervision, which creates space to connect with peers and managers, reflect on practice, and feel supported.

You’ll also have regular 1:1 time with your manager, especially during your induction, and again there will be a balance between doing this remotely and in-person, so you have opportunities to form in-person connections.

If shortlisted, the hiring manager will be able to give you more insight into what a typical week or month might look like should you join us.

As the
largest employer of Children’s Social Workers in England
, we’re uniquely placed to support your professional growth and wellbeing.

At Cafcass, you’ll benefit from:

• High-quality equipment and technology
  to help you work efficiently and engage with families effectively.
• Access to
  specialist resources, guidance and training
  to strengthen your practice.
• A strong commitment to
  wellbeing, reflective supervision and healthy work-life balance
  .
• An inclusive environment that
  values diversity
  , encourages learning and constantly strives to improve outcomes for children, families and colleagues alike.

You can find more about how we support our practitioners on our website, and we’ll share more during the selection process.

Successful applicants will complete several pre‑engagement checks, including a
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)check. If any criminal offences are disclosed, we will conduct an individual assessment in line with the
DBS code of practice
and the
Cafcass DBS policy
.