Social Worker (Kinship Care) - 04094

West Berkshire Council is looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic Kinship Social Worker to join our developing Kinship Care Team. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a specialist service that helps children remain safely within their family networks and supports kinship carers to provide secure, stable and lasting homes.

Working alongside carers, children, families and partner agencies, you will complete high-quality assessments, provide purposeful support and promote safety, stability and permanence. You will also help shape our ambition to build one of the country’s leading kinship care services. We are seeking an experienced, child-focused practitioner who is committed to reflective, restorative and evidence-informed practice.

Due to West Berkshire Council’s size and scale, and limited number of social work vacancies, we are not currently able to accept applications from overseas social workers.

Please note the interview date will be– Tuesday 15th of December 2026

What you will do

• Complete viability assessments, Regulation 24 assessments and full kinship assessments using Form K or equivalent frameworks.
• Provide regular supervision and practical support to kinship carers through home visits, telephone contact and crisis intervention.
• Monitor and review placements to ensure that children’s needs are met and placements remain stable.
• Prepare clear, high-quality and evidence-based reports for fostering panels and courts where required.
• Work collaboratively with children’s social workers, families and partner agencies to achieve positive outcomes for children.
• Help kinship carers complete the Training and Development Standards and identify their ongoing learning needs.
• Maintain accurate case records and ensure compliance with fostering regulations, National Minimum Standards and safeguarding procedures.
• Contribute actively to team development, shared learning and service improvement.

About you

You will bring sound professional judgement, strong relationship-building skills and a clear commitment to improving outcomes for children and their families. You will have:
• A recognised Social Work qualification and a commitment to continuing professional development.
• Experience of working in fostering, kinship care and/or adoption services in the UK.
• Experience of identifying children’s needs and developing effective support plans.
• Strong assessment and analytical skills, with the ability to produce clear, high-quality reports.
• Knowledge of fostering, adoption and children’s social care legislation and statutory guidance.
• Experience of delivering training or supporting carers’ learning and development.
• Excellent communication and partnership-working skills.
• The ability to work independently while making a positive contribution to the team.
• A full, clean driving licence and willingness to undertake occasional evening/ weekend work.

West Berkshire Council offer excellent employment benefits such as:

• Flexible working wherever possible between the hours of 07.00-21.00
• Hybrid working wherever possible working 40% in the office
• Access to a wide range of training and development opportunities
• Generous Local Government pension scheme
• Family friendly policies
• A range of local discounts
• Wellbeing Programme including Employee Assistance Programme and employee benefits
• You will also be entitled to a generous annual leave entitlement starting at 29 days per annum (plus public holidays) Rising by an additional 5 days after 5 years’ service.

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Join us at West Berkshire Council and make a positive impact in our community while advancing your career. Explore everything that a career with West Berkshire Council has to offer here: Working with Us

Apply early: the closing date is provided as a guide, and we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications. Please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact: Ananda Bodenstein, Team Manager – Kinship Care Team 01635 503155 or Ananda.Bodenstein@westberks.gov.uk

Equal Opportunities

The Council supports Equal Opportunity of employment and positively encourages applications from people who fall within any of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

How to apply

Please now complete a short online application form. You will then be able to upload your CV.

This role has been identified as public facing in accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016; the requirement to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English applies.

West Berkshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all its staff and volunteers to share these values. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. This role involves regulated activity with children. As such, appointment is subject to an Enhanced DBS check with the relevant Barred List(s).

In this post you will be required to maintain continuous registration with the DBS Update Service for the duration of your employment.

This role requires the incumbent to have a car available at work to undertake his/her duties as they will be expected to undertake at least 1500 business miles per year. Essential Car User status attracts a lump sum allowance paid on a monthly basis and will be reviewed annually to ensure only employees driving 1500 miles or more receive this allowance.

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AI in Applications

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However, applications must reflect your own skills, experience and understanding. If an application appears to rely excessively on AI-generated content, it may not meet the required standard and could be rejected.

We encourage all applicants to ensure their submissions are authentic, tailored to the role, and clearly demonstrate their own knowledge, experience and suitability.