Social Worker - Children's Specialist Support Team (plus Welcome Payment of £6,000)

• Social_Worker_CSST_-_JDPS_-_Jan_26
• Candidate_Pack_-_People_Directorate_-_Sept_2025
• Welcome_payment_for_SW_CSST
• Two_Year_Retention_Payment_with_Welcome_Payment_-_CSC

Please apply online via the link provided.

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

Bracknell Forest's Children's Social Care team are proud to have achieved an Outstanding in all areas grading in December 2025. Not only did we maintain our Outstanding judgement, but inspectors also recognised that “since the last inspection in 2022, Bracknell Forest has sustained and strengthened exceptional services for children and families”.

Ofsted described practitioners as “effusive about working in Bracknell” who value our strong child‑focused ethos, relational practice model, manageable workloads and high‑quality training and supervision.

Staff shared with inspectors that they appreciate leaders’ visibility, approachability and unwavering commitment to children, all factors that underpin their decision to continue their careers in Bracknell Forest.

“Leaders have established a highly effective Social Work Academy that provides tailored support to practitioners at every stage of their career”. This commitment to development and learning has contributed to Bracknell Forest’s secure reputation as an ‘employer of choice’ for social workers.

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 we will be happy to arrange a suitable time.

Salary: In addition to the salary quoted, this role attracts a one-off Welcome Payment of £6,000 and an annual Retention Payment of 4% of annual salary after 2 years, subject to terms and conditions. Please see attached Welcome Payment T&Cs for details.

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 this role, 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.

Experience of working with children with disabilities and complex needs is desirable, but not essential, we will support you to develop this specialist knowledge.

About the team and children’s social care

In December 2025, Ofsted concluded that “since the last inspection, leaders, managers and practitioners have not only sustained outstanding services but have raised the bar even higher”.

The Children’s Specialist Safeguarding Team (CSST) is a highly skilled team working with children who have disabilities and/or complex health needs.

We provide a wide range of services for children with additional needs and those who may be more vulnerable. This includes delivering the council’s statutory responsibilities for disabled children in need within the community, such as care packages, practical support and access to short breaks.

The team brings together an eclectic mix of expertise across different service areas, covering a broad spectrum of work with children with disabilities, occupational therapy, and short breaks (including Larchwood, our dedicated short break respite unit).

Inspectors recognised that “Social workers are fierce advocates for their children and understand their disabilities and complex needs. “They are tenacious in building relationships and communicate effectively, using a range of techniques and tools to elicit children’s wishes and feelings”.

Social workers in CSST “focus on disabled children’s lived experiences and take time to understand their specific needs” as a result, they are able to identify neglect early and use practical toolkits to support parents to make positive changes. When risks escalate, decisive action is taken, meaning you are well supported in your role to keep children safe. Children also benefit from excellent holistic support that meets their identified occupational therapy and speech and language needs, helping to ensure their overall wellbeing and developmental progress.

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. You will be a valued member of the team, where you will feel connected, appreciated, heard, accepted, included and supported.

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

Key responsibilities…

• To manage a caseload and deliver assessment, care planning, interventions, and family support consistent with senior practitioner expertise.
• To promote listening to children at every opportunity, ensuring their views are heard, recorded and acted upon in an appropriate and timely manner and to ensure life journey work is completed with children and young people in accordance with their age and understanding.
• To assess and identify the needs of children and families referred and negotiate delivery of services by determining how these needs can be best met in accordance with statutory responsibilities and council policies using best value principles.
• To work in partnership with voluntary and statutory agencies, within the context of children’s and families’ care plans, to ensure the delivery of appropriate and effective services.
• 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.

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.
• 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

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.

We will be reviewing applications regularly and may close the advert early if we identify suitable candidates. To avoid disappointment, we encourage you 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:

Benigna Amago - Team Manager - Benigna.Amago@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

or

Helen Gore, Principal Social Worker, Helen.gore@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.