Children's Social Workers

Location:

Engaging directly with children and families in Peterborough and South Lincolnshire or Central /North Lincolnshire. with a contractual base either in Lincoln or Peterborough. Salary: £45,749 - £49,886 A once-in-a-generation opportunity to practice social work differently

Family justice is changing, and Cafcass is at the heart of that change. With the national rollout of Child Focused Courts, we are leading a transformation in how children's voices are heard and how decisions are made in family proceedings. Child Focused Courts place children's safety, wellbeing and lived experience at the centre of decision-making from the very start of proceedings.

This problem-solving, less adversarial approach allows decisions to be informed earlier by a clear understanding of children's experiences, including through the preparation of Child Impact Reports.

• Undertake direct work with children and families involved in family court proceedings
• Ensure children's voices are heard clearly and influence judicial decision-making
• Collaborate closely with judges, legal professionals and partner agencies
• Practise social work that is purposeful, evidence-informed and values-led

Many practitioners involved in early Child Focused Court pilots describe this way of working as professionally rewarding, aligned with core social work values, and genuinely impactful for children.

• Conduct high-quality assessments that focus on Children's lived experience, safety and wellbeing
• Engage directly with children, ensuring their views, wishes and feelings are understood and represented
• Prepare clear, analytical reports for the family court, including contributions to Child Impact Reports.
• Apply robust risk assessment and mediation skills to support child-focused decision-making
• Work effectively across private law proceedings, with a strong understanding of public law context
• Manage your caseload independently while contributing to a supportive, learning-focused team environment

In addition to the job description, we've created a factsheet providing some extra information on Child Focused Courts. Both documents - and any others we think you may want to view - are a 'vacancy document' you can access when you are on our recruitment system and available to you before you start to apply.

If you have any questions about the role or recruitment process, please contact Narinder Kaur at in the first instance.

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 and the .

We are Cafcass - the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service - and we represent children in family court cases in England. Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests, we speak up for over 140,0000 children every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures, ensuring their needs, wishes and feelings are heard.

Watch our video to find out we don't just listen to children's voices but we can be their voice.

• A recognised Social Work qualification
• To be registered with Social Work England
• An understanding of family court processes and private and/or public law
• Strong analytical, organisational and communication skills
• Resilience, professional curiosity and confidence in working independently, A recognised Social Work qualification
• Registration with Social Work England
• An understanding of family court processes and private and/or public law
• Strong analytical, organisational and communication skills
• Resilience, professional curiosity and confidence in working…