Experienced Social Worker (Children with Disabilities)
Please apply online via the link provided.
Please note, we do not accept CVs submitted without a fully completed online application form.
Social Worker / Senior Social Worker– Children with Disabilities Team
Our Children with Disabilities (CWD) Team is looking for a Full-Time Social Worker/ Senior Social Worker to join them, who either has experience in a CWD Team or brings excellent skills from a Child in Need (CIN), Child Protection (CP) or Child in Care (CIC) background and is keen to extend their knowledge in the disabilities arena.
The ideal candidate will be passionate about providing quality services to children with disabilities and their families, delivered within a signs of safety practice framework, to support life skills development, increase independence, promote family resilience and keep children safe from harm.
Many of the key aspects of this role, will draw on your previous experience working with families using a strength-based approach. We will provide the training and support you will need to become a confident CWD Social Worker.
The Social Worker role: You will be responsible for a caseload of children with disabilities spanning the range of statutory provisions, including CIN, children subject to CP Plans, CIC and those where Care Proceedings have been initiated. You will work with these children and their families to undertake holistic social work assessments, with a view to identifying risk and need; and work with multi-agency networks to develop and review plans that address and mitigate concerns in a timely manner.
The ability to engage with a variety of stakeholders and communicate effectively in a verbal and written format are key to performing this role, alongside a secure safeguarding understanding.
About the Team: The CWD Team sits within our wider Children with Disabilities Service, which includes a range of resources tailored for families in the Wokingham Borough. The CWD Team is made up of 4 Social Workers and 3 Occupational Therapists. The team is headed up by a Team Manager who has been with Wokingham Borough Council for two and a half years and an experienced Assistant Team Manager. The team works in a hybrid manner, working from the office in Woodley, twice a week, with a pre-arranged duty day in the office which rotates at least once weekly between team members and a team office day on a Thursday. Given the complexity of working with Children with Disabilities, workloads are carefully managed to ensure the ability to deliver a focused and meaningful service.
Quote from Senior Social Worker, Children with Disabilities Team, (October 2024):
“I had never worked in a CWD Team before joining, but I’ve found that I really thrive working on the complex cases in CWD. I am confident that I receive the right level of challenge and support from my Manager(s). It’s a lovely team and we’re in a good place, working well in a standardised manner and enjoying connecting at our regular team development days”.
What we can offer you:
- Salary: (Grade NL32 – NL40): £42,839 - £51,375 (plus additional £3k Market Supplement) - dependant on experience.
- Annual Leave: 28 days, rising to 33 days with 5 years continuous service
- Local Government Pension
- Local and National Discounts
- Continuous Professional Development
- Supportive Management
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Nicola Vines, Team Manager, Children with Disabilities Team: Tel: 07789 921308 / nicola.vines@wokingham.gov.uk, or Alix Williams, Recruitment & Retention Specialist for Children’s Social Care: alix.williams@wokingham.gov.uk
Closing date: Sunday 14th September 2025, 11pm
Interview date: 23rd & 24th September, in person in Wokingham
Please be aware that we will be reviewing the applications we receive on a daily basis, and we reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified.
If your application is shortlisted for an interview, you will be required to provide proof of your right to work in the UK at that stage. Additionally, successful candidates must present proof upon receiving a job offer.
Please note that all offers are conditional and subject to the satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks.
Wokingham Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff, other workers and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks along with other relevant employment checks.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we regret that we are unable to respond to every applicant individually.
If you do not hear from us within 4 weeks of the application closing date, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion.
We appreciate your interest in joining Wokingham Borough Council and thank you for taking the time to apply.
Wokingham is an equal opportunities employer.
Salary range
- £42,839 - £51,375 per year