Social Worker / Senior Practitioner - Duty & Assessment Team

Bracknell Forest have welcomed a number of Afghan families who have fled their homeland, as part of a national resettlement scheme to provide safe and secure futures for people who have helped our military and government overseas.

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Social Worker or Senior Practitioner to join our Duty and Assessment Team, where your expertise will help improve the lives of children, young people and families.  The work is rich, varied and immensely rewarding.

As we expand our social work capacity, we are looking for individuals who are passionate about delivering high-quality support and assessments to those who need it most.  This role will be based within the Assessment Team, providing specialist support to families as part of the resettlement scheme, as well as to those with no recourse to public funds and separated migrant children.

About you…

You must have current registration with Social Work England with at least two years of experience working in statutory social services, typically within a local authority setting.  You will have experience of working within the legal frameworks that support our work and committed to facilitating better outcomes for children and skilled in effective engagement of families.

You will bring excellent knowledge of best practice and legislation, and approach your work with professionalism, motivation, and a “can do” attitude.

If applying for the Senior Practitioner position, you will have a highly developed specialist knowledge of social work practice and be able to evidence appropriate continued professional development. Your skills and expertise will enable you to take the lead in complex situations and be able to support others.  

About the team…

The Duty and Assessment team acts as the front door for Children’s Social Care and carries out short term work, working alongside and directly with children, young people and their families. If you are passionate about supporting families to make positive changes and share our commitment to helping to keep more children safely at home with their families, then this could be the role for you.

We are a small, welcoming and friendly local authority. Our leadership team knows that it is essential for Social Workers to have a secure physical and psychological base from which to be the best practitioners they can be. We are proud of our connected and inclusive culture, with a strong focus on wellbeing, which will provide you with a strong sense of belonging.

We are Ofsted rated ‘Outstanding,’ with Ofsted recognising that at Bracknell Forest Council, “Children who need help and protection in Bracknell Forest receive a consistently high quality service”.

Inspectors concluded that Social Workers and other frontline practitioners benefit from manageable caseloads, good training and powerful and highly reflective supervision that ensures children are at the heart of decision making.

In November 2023 our Ofsted monitoring visit highlighted:

• Social Workers receive regular supervision from their managers.
• Caseloads are manageable and allow workers to have time to spend with children.
• Social Workers are very positive about working in Bracknell Forest.
• Staff feel valued and that they can progress in their social work career. They feel well supported by managers and leaders.

Everything we do in Children’s Social Care is about improving the life chances of Bracknell’s children, put simply, we change lives for the better.

To further support you to provide high quality consistent social work, we have a comprehensive learning and development offer, driven by our Principal Social Worker, to learn and develop your practice.

You can read what our team have to say about working at Bracknell Forest via this link: Meet children's social care staff | Bracknell Forest Council.  

Key responsibilities...

• To carry out needs led child focused assessments which include outcome focused plans.
• To work alongside other professionals and partner agencies in assessing children in need and undertaking child protection enquiries.
• To be the allocated Social Worker for the duty caseload of single assessments under S17 and S47 investigations, with a specialism in working with migrant families and individuals.
• To take part in the 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.

We use the Family Safeguarding Model in our approach to collaborate with families to keep them together, where it is safe to do so, supported by Motivational Interviewing (MI). This approach empowers families, children and young people, enabling parents to make positive changes that lead to improved outcomes for their children and enhance their own wellbeing.

Our benefits… 

• 28 days* increasing to 33 days* after 3 years’ continuous service.
• The opportunity to buy up to 10 additional days* annual leave per year and sell 5 days.
• Flexible working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance. 
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme for an electric car at a fixed monthly cost (subject to eligibility).
• An inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks. 
• Local government pension scheme.
• Life insurance cover (linked to the pension scheme).
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave. 
• Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits such as annual leave entitlements, occupational maternity/paternity leave, and more. (Terms and Conditions apply – please refer to candidate pack for more information).
• Career development through internal and external training opportunities. 
• A great office location next to travel links and Bracknell Forest’s thriving town centre. 
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing. 
• Sports and Social Club.
• Staff dental and health plans. 
• Discounted leisure centre and gym membership. 
• Supermarket discount. 

*(pro rata for part time)

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. 

Our Support...

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.  

Interview date...

Interviews will be held on Tuesday 10th June 2025.

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: 

Yvonne Robinson - Team Manager or Hannah Morris - Head of Service

Tel: 01344 352000

At Bracknell Forest we champion equality, diversity and inclusion. At Bracknell Forest Council, we are always learning, ambition and inclusive. Please see our candidate pack for more details.

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.

Social Work England registration fees can be claimed back from the Council. 

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.