Social Worker - Children Looked After

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Please apply online via the link provided.

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

Do you want to work in a council that places children’s needs, professional learning and social worker wellbeing at the centre of its practice? If so, we have a rewarding opportunity for aSocial Worker in the Child Looked After (CLA) team,that sits within our Life Chances service, on a full time, permanent basis.

This role is based at our Time Square offices. There is the expectation that you will be able to travel regularly for this role as our children in care can live within placements outside of the Bracknell area. It would be expected that you can work flexibly and outside of core office hours when required on occasions. There will opportunities to work flexibly and remotely on occasions.

To learn more about what it is like to work with us, take a look at our workforce video.

Read more about our culture and what our staff say Children's social care culture | Bracknell Forest Council.

If you would like an informal chat or a tour of the office prior to submitting your application, please contact helen.gore@bracknell-forest.gov.uk to arrange a suitable time.

About you…

You are a Social Worker who is reliable, organised and who can work successfully both as an individual and as part of a multi-agency network to ensure we achieve the best for our care experienced children and young people.

You will be supported to carry out your duties and responsibilities through training and development opportunities with access to reflective supervision regularly and with a vast range of tools and expertise around you to build meaningful relationships and make lasting changes for families.

About the team…

Practitioners in our Children Looked After team have the time to get to know everyone they work with, receive excellent support from managers and colleagues across the department and expert guidance whenever they need it. The work we do is centered around making a difference to each individual child who is looked after, including as they approach and enter adulthood, via our Leaving Care service that sits within our wider team. Social Workers work determinedly with our most vulnerable children and young people to achieve permanence in safe and secure ‘forever homes’. Life journey work is an integral part of our service to ensure children understand their lived experiences and the decisions made for them as they grow.

Bracknell Forest Council Children’s Social Care were graded as Outstanding by Ofsted in January 2026:

‘Children in care receive outstanding help and support. Decisions for children to enter care are appropriate and timely. The children are well informed by high quality assessments, which then support placement planning meetings and care plans. Children live in homes that provide consistent, nurturing care that promotes social opportunities and enables children to make very good educational progress.’

‘Focus on excellence ensures that vulnerable children experience stability, security and opportunities to thrive. Leaders are responsive to demographic changes, equipping the workforce with cultural awareness training and anti-racist practice forums to address disproportionality, better understand poverty and meet each family’s diverse needs.’

‘Leaders have established a highly effective social work academy that provides tailored support to practitioners at every stage of their career, securing Bracknell Forest’s positive as ‘employer of choice.’

Learn what OFSTED say about us here.

Key responsibilities…

• Case hold vulnerable care experienced children and provide effective assessment, case planning, interventions and family support to achieve better outcomes for them.
• Complete and implement care plans for children looked after with progress being seen in a timely manner, so that permanency is achieved for them.
• Work meaningfully with adolescents and effectively plan for their transition into adulthood with multi-agency colleagues to identify their care needs early, to enable successful transition into adult social care services where required and our Leaving Care service.
• Work with other involved professionals and agencies to promote placement stability for children and young people.
• Must have current registration with Social Work England and have experience of working within the legal frameworks that support our work.

Our benefits…

• 28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
• Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
• Paid employee volunteering scheme.
• Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
• Reimbursement of Social Work England registration.
• Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply).
• Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing
• Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.

Find out more about all our benefits or see the candidate pack.

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 Thursday 2nd July 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:

Gemma Hall, Team Manager on 01344 351262 or gemma.hall@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

or

Carrie-Anne Beach, Assistant Team Manager CLA on 01344 352497 or carrie-anne.beach@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

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.

Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria.

Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.

No agencies please.