Qualified Children's Social Worker

Join to apply for the Qualified Children’s Social Worker role at Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service).

We are hiring Children’s Social Workers to join our Public Law team based from our Bournemouth office as well as our Pathfinder team based from our Portsmouth office. Our Public Law teams are involved with cases where the local authority has serious concerns about the safety or welfare of a child, and the court requests for Cafcass to become involved in the case.

The Cafcass Social Worker, often referred to as Children’s Guardians, works with the child across an extended period, carrying out assessments to understand their needs, wants and feelings, and effectively communicates this to the court through reports and evidence.

• Conduct assessments and directly engage with children to understand and represent their views and wishes to the court.
• Apply robust risk assessment and mediation expertise to advocate for arrangements that prioritise the best interests of the children.

• Relevant Social Work qualification is essential
• Registered with Social Work England (Cafcass reimburses costs of this annual cost)
• Experience of working with children and families in a social work setting
• Experience in Family Court proceedings and understanding of Private and/or Public Law would be an advantage
• Organised and resilient with ability to work independently and manage workload effectively
• Strong report writing skills (required for Pathfinder)

Roles have a contractual base in our Portsmouth or Bournemouth offices, but teams work flexibly and remotely. You may work in a way that suits you best, provided you are in close proximity to the office when needed.

We provide extensive wellbeing support for colleagues and excellent benefits to encourage you to work within our dedicated team.

The advertised salary reflects our 2024/25 pay award. We are awaiting confirmation of 2025/26 when salaries will be updated.

Closing date: 23rd November 2025. Telephone interviews: 2nd December 2025. Final interview: 8th & 9th December 2025. Vacancy contact: . In anticipation of your successful application, review the offer and pre-employment checks process. Successful applicants will undergo DBS and other checks.