Social Worker – Children Services (eligible for £6,000 Welcome Payment)

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• Two_Year_Retention_Payment_with_Welcome_Payment_-_CSC
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• CSC_Social_Worker_JD_March_2026_FINAL_3

Please apply online via the link provided.

Please include a personal statement with your CV specifying why you are applying for this vacancy.

Would you like to join an outstanding authority, where you will be a valued member of a team, experience high quality training, supervision and a manageable workload?

At Bracknell Forest, you will get the support you need, when you need it because; we value you and invest in you so that you flourish and have the tools, experiences, and support to do your job well!

Our Children’s Social Care service is proudly Outstanding in all areas (Ofsted, December 2025), with inspectors calling our practitioners “effusive about working in Bracknell” and praising our highly effective Social Work Academy.

We are a small, welcoming and friendly local authority where you will have the opportunity to build strong, positive and supportive working relationships with colleagues and peers with an embedded culture and ethos of bettering vulnerable children’s lives. You will experience leaders who are visible, approachable and a service who collectively has unwavering commitment to children.

About you…

You will hold a recognised Social Work qualification and be registered with Social Work England. You will have successfully completed your ASYE and have experience of frontline social work which includes Child in Need and child protection.

You will be passionate about relational social work and committed in joining our embedded culture and ethos of bettering vulnerable children’s lives. You will be committed to understanding the lived experiences of children being a fierce advocate for children and providing the support required to better childhood experiences.

To thrive in our roles, you will bring an understanding of the relevant legislation, guidance, policies and thresholds that underpin safeguarding. You will have experience of effective multi‑agency working, building partnerships and co‑producing needs‑led safety plans for children and young people. You will be able to demonstrate your analytical skills, ability to assess information, identify actions and record timely accurate information.

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

Learn what OFSTED say about us here.

We have vacancies across our teams so if you would like an informal chat or a tour of the office before submitting your application, please contact helen.gore@bracknell-forest.gov.uk and she will be happy to arrange a suitable time.

Our benefits…

• Welcome Payment £6,000 plus an annual Retention Payment of 4% after 2 years continuous service. (Terms and Conditions apply)
• 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.
• Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
• 1 days paid volunteering leave a year.
• Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
• Reimbursement of Social Work England registration.
• Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing.
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme. (subject to eligibility)
• Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.

Find out more about all our benefits

Key responsibilities…

• To manage a caseload and deliver assessment, care planning, interventions, and family support.
• Develop and implement effective safeguarding plans to protect children and young people from harm.
• Ensure children’s and young people’s voices are heard, recorded and acted on, to ensure life journey work is completed with children and young people according to their age and understanding.
• To work in partnership with voluntary and statutory agencies, to deliver appropriate and effective plans.
• To take part in the team duty system responding to child protection concerns.
• To develop and maintain accurate case records and comply with the department's policies, procedures and guidelines including data protection and GDPR.
• To participate in regular reflective supervision and be able to set clear goals and intervention strategies.

Interviews

Shortlisting will take place on a weekly basis, and candidates who are successfully shortlisted will be offered an interview at least seven days later. Interviews will be held in person, giving you the opportunity to meet the team and get a real feel for our working environment.

Our values

At Bracknell Forest Council, our values—inclusive, ambitious and always learning—shape how we work and how we support our communities. We live these values every day, and if you want to join a diverse, learning‑focused team that strives for excellence, we’d love to hear from you: our values

Reasonable adjustments Find out more about reasonable adjustments.

As an inclusive employer, please let us know if you need any reasonable adjustments at application or contact recruitment@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.

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.