Social Worker Fostering

Job Description

We’re one assessment service made up of two dedicated teams, all working together with the same purpose: making sure Lancashire’s children, young people, and families receive the very best support. Our Kinship colleagues assess, support and supervise kinship carers, while our Mainstream team recruits and assesses mainstream foster carers, conducting initial visits, full assessments and tailored training.

Both teams are based at County Hall in Preston, although we currently work flexibly. As our work takes us across Lancashire, you’ll need to be able to travel independently.

We’re looking for three Social Workers (Grade 8) to join our assessment service:

• Mainstream Assessment Team – 1 Social Worker
  • Full‑time
  • 01/07/2026 – 30/06/2027 (12 months fixed term)
  • Maternity cover
• Kinship Assessment Team – 1 Social Worker
  • Full‑time
  • Immediate start – 30/10/2026 (up to 6 months)
  • Maternity cover
• Kinship Assessment Team – 1 Social Worker
  • Full‑time
  • Immediate start – 31/12/2026 (up to 8 months)
  • Sabbatical cover
• Kinship Assessment Team – 1 Social Worker
  • Full‑time
  • Immediate start – Permanent

• Putting children, young people, and families at the heart of every decision.
• Making sure families are genuinely involved, whether the decision is big or small.
• Working together to continually shape and improve the support we offer.
• Building meaningful relationships and effective partnerships across services.
• Removing barriers so children and families can access the opportunities they deserve.
• Moving towards a fully trauma‑informed workforce so we can better support children who have experienced adversity.

• Supportive, stable leadership:
  Our permanent management team is approachable and committed to helping you grow—whatever stage of your social work career you’re at.
• Clear career progression:
  We take pride in supporting development and celebrating strengths.
• Outstanding support for newly qualified social workers:
  From bite‑size learning events and development sessions to ASYE groups, mentoring and a dedicated Social Work Academy you’ll never feel alone in your learning journey.
• A strong team culture:
  You’ll join a team of up to 24 social workers and be fully involved in team meetings, reflective sessions and wellbeing events.
• Competitive salary:
  We’re happy to discuss salary at interview, basing our offer on your knowledge, experience and skills.
• Employee wellbeing support:
  All LCC staff can access our free Employee Assistance Programme for counselling and advice on personal, family or workplace matters.

We’d love to hear from social workers who share our values and want to make a real difference. You’ll be someone who is:

• Supportive – You understand how powerful it is when carers feel truly supported, and you’re committed to helping children feel safe, happy and loved.
• Innovative – You enjoy exploring new ideas and contributing to initiatives that help us continually improve what we offer.
• Respectful – You recognise the diverse needs of our children, carers and colleagues, and your practice is inclusive and anti‑discriminatory.
• Collaborative – You value partnership working and want to play an active role in shaping the future of our fostering service.

If you’re passionate about relationship‑building, committed to achieving positive outcomes and want to be part of a supportive, forward‑thinking team, we’d love to speak with you.

For an informal chat about the roles or to learn more about the service, please contact:
Gareth Winstanley (Fostering Team Manager)
01772 534627
gareth.

The post you are applying for is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). If successful, you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a ‘disclosure’. Further information can be found on the ‘Our Recruitment Process’ tab.

You must be registered (Social Work England) to be appointed as a Social Worker.

You will be required to provide a car for use in connection with the duties of this post and must be insured for business use.

We reserve the right to close down a vacancy early, before the closing date, if we receive sufficient applications.