Advanced Social Worker – Children & Families (South & West Devon)

Advanced Social Worker to join our Children & Families Service covering South & West Devon.

This role is eligible for a £2,000 annual retention payment.

Working across child in need, child protection and legal proceedings, you’ll play a key role in creating safer, healthier and happier futures. Through strong partnerships and a strength-based approach, you’ll empower families and ensure children remain at the heart of everything we do.

Joining our South & West Devon team means becoming part of a friendly, professional and highly supportive service with a strong track record of delivering excellent outcomes for children and families. Our established team combines extensive experience with a collaborative approach, creating an environment where knowledge is shared, achievements are celebrated and colleagues are supported to thrive. Whether through regular supervision, peer support or ongoing development opportunities, you'll be encouraged to grow your skills while making a lasting difference to the lives of children and young people.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a service where you can truly shape outcomes and make a meaningful difference.

About the Role

As an Advanced Social Worker you will play a vital leadership role within the team, managing smaller, complex caseloads while modelling high-quality practice in line with statutory responsibilities.

Using substantial post-qualifying experience, you will support the development of others through coaching, mentoring and on-the-job learning, helping to strengthen skills and raise practice standards across the team.

Working closely with the Team Manager, you will foster a collaborative, reflective culture, supporting continuous learning and driving the best possible outcomes for children, young people and their families.

Skills & Experience

To be part of this fantastic opportunity, you will bring substantial post qualifying experience with children and families to the role along with the expertise to effectively support and mentor your colleagues. Working in line with the BASW PCF framework, your skills and experience will include:

• Experience of working within social care, including working in a multi-agency and court environment.
• Strong working knowledge and understanding of the legislation, models, and theories relevant to children’s social work.
• The ability to build effective professional relationships with children, families, and other professionals.
• Exceptional recording and planning skills, along with a high level of written and verbal communication skills.
• You will need to either be a Practice Educator, or willing to undertake the relevant training at the earliest opportunity

Click here to view the Job Description

Working in Children's Social Care at Devon County Council

Situated about a mile from the main town centre of Totnes, the Assessment & Intervention team (South & West) is based at Follaton House. For more information about Working for Devon please visit our Working for Devon page.

We offer some fantastic employee benefits, including:

• Retention payment of £2,000 per annum pro rata.
• A generous Relocation Allowance subject to qualifying terms and conditions
• Generous annual leave, and the ability to purchase additional annual leave.
• Free onsite parking
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities
• Employee Assistance and well-being services for the times you may need some support
• Promotion of a healthy work-life balance and flexible working options where possible
• A benefits platform that offers discounts at over 900 national & local high street retailers
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice scheme

To find out more about working in our Children & Families Service or for further information on the role role, please contact Service ManagerforSouth & West: Andrew Hollingworth -andrew.hollingworth@devon.gov.uk.

Applications close on 8 November 2026.

If a sufficient number of applications are received this advert may close early, therefore we encourage you to apply as soon as able to avoid disappointment.

Sponsorship Opportunities: We welcome applications from internationally trained and qualified candidates who are now residing in the UK and interested in joining our team.

Internal Applicants: If you are an existing DCC employee, please use your iTrent Employee Self Service (ESS) details to log in and apply.

Additional Information

• Devon County Council is committed to creating an inclusive, safe and diverse workplace where everyone can thrive. We welcome applications from people who share our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff to share this commitment.
• Personal data will be processed in line with our Applicant privacy notice.
• For details on the use of AI in applications and Devon County Council’s use of AI in Recruitment please see Use of AI in Our Recruitment Processes - Working for Devon

This role requires:

• A suitable DBS check.
• A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.
• Confidence and fluency in spoken English.

Click here to view the Job Description

REQ009854 - Children's Social Care