Senior Social Worker - Kinship

Kinship Assessment Team Staffordshire County Council
Rate: £33.30 per hour Hybrid (1 2 days per week in the office)

If you re at your best when you re writing sharp assessments and helping children stay safely within their family network, this is a strong one. It s a focused Kinship Assessment post with genuinely flexible working and a base in Stafford.

About the role

You ll complete kinship/connected persons work from early viability through to full assessments, supporting timely permanency decisions (including SGO/fostering routes). You ll be expected to produce clear, analytical reports that stand up in panel and court, working closely with legal and children s social care teams to keep plans moving.

Practice approach
Staffordshire s children s services are underpinned by a relational, restorative practice model, with a clear emphasis on working with families and networks to secure safe, sustainable outcomes.

Key responsibilities

• Complete viability and full kinship/connected persons assessments within required timescales
• Produce high-quality, evidence-based reports for decision-making (including panel and court where required)
• Hold confident, purposeful conversations with prospective carers and wider family networks
• Analyse risk, strengths, capacity to protect, and support needs and translate this into clear recommendations
• Work closely with Legal, IROs, Fostering, Safeguarding and Children in Care teams to progress plans
• Contribute to robust permanency planning and ensure the child s voice is reflected throughout
• Maintain timely, accurate case recording and professional decision rationales
• Provide a senior level of practice judgement and contribute to quality assurance where needed

Benefits

• Hybrid working with 1 2 days per week office-based in Stafford
• A specialist remit focused on assessment and permanency outcomes
• Strong multi-agency working and meaningful, relationship-based practice

Requirements

• Social Work England registration
• Proven, recent experience completing Kinship / Connected Persons assessments (this is essential)
• Strong report writing and analytical decision-making skills
• Sound knowledge of kinship pathways and relevant legislation/frameworks
• Confident communication with families, partner agencies, and legal professionals

Interested?

Contact: Emily Cooper (phone number removed) (url removed)