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

We have a fantastic opportunity for an experienced and dedicated individual looking to take on new challenges as an Advanced Social Worker within our Children & Families service covering South & West Devon.

Joining Children & Families means becoming part of a stable, permanent and highly-supportive service dedicated to helping children and young people achieve lasting, positive change.

This is an ideal role for anyone looking to further progress their social work career.

About the Role

As an Advanced Social Worker within our Children & Families Service, you will play a key role in supporting and developing colleagues, providing professional leadership, supervision and appraisal while working in partnership with the Team Manager and wider team.

As a source of social work expertise and guidance, you’ll champion evidence-based practice, support day-to-day service delivery and work alongside less experienced practitioners on complex cases to strengthen their skills, confidence and professional development.

In addition to the annual salary, this role is also eligible for an annual retention payment of £2,000.

About You

You will have experience of managing and co-working complex cases, including undertaking detailed assessments and supporting colleagues with challenging casework and court proceedings.

You’ll demonstrate a high level of professional autonomy and confident decision-making, while maintaining clear communication with the Team Manager on case progress, risks and outcomes.

You’ll be passionate about supporting others to grow and develop, bringing experience of supervision, mentoring and coaching within a social work environment. Through on-the-job training, guidance and encouragement, you’ll help colleagues build confidence, strengthen their practice and continue their professional development.

Working collaboratively with local partners and communities, you'll identify needs early and provide timely and effective support to help children to thrive within their families and communities.

Advocating for the children and young people of South and West Devon, you will have a creative and flexible approach to work, promoting positive long-term change and ensuring permanence from the outset.

You will understand the need and importance for regular purposeful visits. You will model high standards of professional social work practice and will be used to working at pace, within a high pressure environment.

Skills and Experience

• Post-qualifying experience of working within children and families
• 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
• Experience working within social care, including working in a multi-agency and court environment
• A social work qualification and registration with Social Work England
• Satisfactory completion of your Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE)
• A high-level of written and verbal communication skills

Working in Children's Social Care at Devon County Council

Situated about a mile from the main town centre of Totnes, the Children & Families Service (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

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

To find out more about working in Children & Families or for further information on the role available, please contact Team Manager Ken Croft - Ken.Croft@devon.gov.uk

Applications close on 15 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.

Internal Applicants, please note: 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.

REQ010849 - Children's Social Care