Relief Senior Social Worker (Children's Services)

• Relief_Senior_Social_Worker__Children_Services__JD_PS_Apr26

Please apply online via the link provided.

Please note, we do not accept CVs submitted without a fully completed online application form.

We have a great opportunity for aRelief Senior Social Worker (Children's Services) to join our team on a casual basis.

About you…

You will have the following skills and knowledge to undertake this role:

• Over two years experience as a Senior Social Worker preferably in referral and assessment and child protection teams with current Social Work England registration.
• Have a thorough working knowledge of children’s legal framework and government legislation and directives related to the work with children, young people and their families.
• Extensive experience of undertaking complex Section 47 enquiries.
• Experience of managing complex cases including safeguarding, child in need, children with mental health and behavioural issues and implementing a range of interventions.
• Knowledge of legislation and policy underpinning all areas of social care.
• Experience of a wide range of social work responsibilities across the disciplines of social care.
• Understand and demonstrate core social care values.
• Good communication skills, both written and verbal, with good assessment and negotiation skills.

About the team…

The Berkshire Emergency Duty Service (hosted by Bracknell Forest Council) is a unique service providing out of hours emergency social care for the whole of Berkshire. We are proud of our community, the care we give and the services we provide with the links and networks we create.

We give our team members the time, support and resources they need not only to do their job well but also to help define the way we do things more broadly. With strong teams and excellent manager relationships, expert advice is there whenever you need it.

Key responsibilities…

To respond to all child protection, child in need, children looked after and children’s mental health calls that present out of hours, as per the children’s legal framework and related guidance. Emergency Duty Service (EDS) is a generic service and therefore you will have the added responsibility of responding to other social care emergencies including housing and adult social care cases.

You will receive training on the relevant legislation, practice and processes to enable you to function as a practitioner with generic social work knowledge.

Our benefits…

• An attractive and competitive salary.
• Regular individual supervision and reflective peer group support led by a qualified practitioner.
• Training and the opportunity to develop other learning within social care.
• An inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks.
• Local government pension scheme.
• Life insurance cover (linked to the pension scheme).
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing.

Our values...

At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you.

Reasonable adjustments...

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting recruitment@bracknell-forest.gov.uk. We will work with you to support you throughout the process. Find out more about reasonable adjustments.

Interview date

Interviews will be held on 18th May 2026.

Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment.

We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.

Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.

Want to ask us a question?

For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:

Shelli Read - Emergency Duty Service Business Manager - Tel: 01344 353465

Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of working within the current Social Care System and Framework.

We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.

Please note that this particular role is part-time and therefore does not meet the minimum requirements for sponsorship under current UK Visas and Immigration regulations. As such, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this position.

No agencies please.