Children Social Worker

Children’s Social Worker – Children We Care For

SW Locums is recruiting an experienced Children’s Social Worker for an exciting full-time locum opportunity within a Children We Care For team.

Pay: £38.00 per hour
Start: ASAP
Contract: Full-time Locum
Working: Hybrid/Flexible
Team: Children We Care For
Location: Chichester area, with nationwide travel to see children where placed

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Social Worker who is passionate about working directly with children and young people in care and helping them build safe, stable and positive futures.

The role offers the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with children over time, helping them settle, make sense of their experiences, recover and look forward to their future. There is a strong emphasis on direct work and developing high-quality social work practice.

Key responsibilities:

• Manage a caseload of approximately 18 children.

• Undertake direct work with children and young people.

• Complete high-quality assessments and identify risk effectively.

• Build strong relationships with children in care.

• Work effectively with families and multi-agency professionals.

• Attend meetings, reviews and, where required, court proceedings.

• Travel to see children wherever they are placed, potentially nationwide.

• Participate in duty approximately two days per month.

• Cover after-school and early-evening visits when required.

• Attend the office for duty days and selected in-person meetings/events.

The successful candidate must have:

• At least 3 years’ post-qualified experience in direct permanent employment within Local Authority Children’s Social Care in England.

• Recent frontline children’s social work experience.

• At least 2–3 years’ relevant experience within a related team.

• Strong assessment and risk-identification skills.

• Experience undertaking direct work with children.

• Strong multi-agency working experience.

• A full UK driving licence and access to a car, essential due to travel and rural locations.

• At least two detailed practice-based references using the required DfE template.

Working Environment

Social Workers receive formal supervision every four weeks, with managers available daily for ad hoc advice and support. Agency workers are treated as part of the service and encouraged to participate in transformational and leadership events.

Interview and Start

The manager is looking to interview and appoint ASAP. Face-to-face interviews are being held in most cases for Children’s Services roles.

Important Agency Requirements

Candidates must meet the required agency and DfE compliance criteria. There is a minimum three-month restriction on engaging agency workers who have recently left a substantive role within the same region.

Pay rates are subject to applicable caps and assessment of skills and competency at interview. Although rates can be higher for candidates assessed at ASW level, the rate offered may differ from the candidate’s requested rate, with the reasoning and feedback provided.

Why Choose SW Locums?

SW Locums is a leading specialist social work recruitment agency, connecting experienced Social Workers with rewarding locum opportunities across the UK.

Our dedicated consultants provide support throughout the recruitment process and assignment, helping you secure opportunities that match your experience, skills and career goals.

Looking for your next Children’s Social Work locum opportunity?

If you have the required experience, driving licence and availability to start ASAP, contact SW Locums today.