Advanced Children's Social Worker

Job Overview

Make a real difference where it matters most.

Are you a passionate and experienced Social Worker ready to take the next step in your career? Join our dedicated Assessment and Staying Together Teams in the scenic Staffordshire Moorlands, where your work will directly impact the lives of vulnerable children and families.

We are a small but supportive and welcoming team with excellent relationships with district colleagues in Early Help, SEND, Education, Children with Disabilities and we are co‑located with our Children in Care and Care Leavers Team. We embed a restorative model and are committed to ensuring that every child is supported through a whole district approach.

What you’ll do:

• Lead statutory duties and Section 47 investigations
• Support placements into care and prepare court reports
• Collaborate with district teams and specialist services
• Mentor ASYE and student Social Workers

What you’ll need:

• A Social Work qualification and post‑qualifying experience in a Child in Need, Child Protection Team & Public and Private Court Proceedings.
• Registration with Social Work England.
• A valid current UK driving licence and vehicle.
• A commitment to restorative practice and keeping families together where safe.
• Experience of supporting and mentoring your colleagues.

We offer a clear career progression framework, including:

• Practice Educator Programme
• Aspiring Practice Lead & Team Manager Programmes
• Strong regional learning partnerships

You’ll be part of a small, supportive team with excellent multi‑agency relationships and a shared commitment to whole‑district support.

We are ambitious in our learning and development programme with strong links within the West Midlands and our teaching partnership.

For more information about this vacancy or for an informal chat please contact Team Manager, Angela Cooke: angela

Interviews will be held week commencing 26th January 2026.

To ensure fairness, we anonymise applications during shortlisting so that only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement to highlight the skills, experience, and values you’ll bring to the role.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities.

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers – we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

As you’ll know safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people/vulnerable adults is important to us and that’s why this position is subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. If applicable you should disclose details of unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.