Social Worker – Duty & Assessment Team
Staffordshire County Council | Children’s Services
£33.30 per hour (Umbrella) | Locum contract
Working pattern: Hybrid working (office presence in line with duty rota and service need)
Staffordshire County Council is looking for an experienced Duty & Assessment Social Worker to join a fast-paced frontline team handling new referrals and safeguarding concerns. If you’re strong at triage, timely assessment and clear risk analysis — and you can move work forward without losing quality — this one’s a solid opportunity.
About the Role
You’ll work across the front door and assessment pathway, completing Section 17 Child & Family Assessments and Section 47 enquiries, making confident threshold decisions, and progressing cases to the right outcome — whether that’s Early Help, CIN/CP planning, or stepping into legal processes when required.
Key responsibilities
Screened and progressed new contacts and referrals, gathering intelligence from partner agencies and identifying immediate safeguarding risks.
Completed high-quality S17 assessments with clear analysis of need, parenting capacity, risk and protective factors.
Undertook S47 enquiries, strategy discussions and joint working with Police/Health when concerns indicated significant harm.
Conducted purposeful home visits and direct work with children and families to understand lived experience and inform planning.
Led multi-agency planning including CIN/CP processes, ensuring plans were SMART, outcomes-focused and reviewed in timescales.
Prepared concise, evidence-based documentation (assessments, chronologies, statements) and maintained accurate case recording.
Escalated appropriately into PLO / legal planning where thresholds were met, contributing to robust risk management and timely decision-making.
Practice Model
Staffordshire’s approach is rooted in relationship-based, child-centred practice — balancing respectful work with families alongside professional curiosity, timely analysis and clear safeguarding action when needed.
Requirements
Social Work qualification (Degree/DipSW/CQSW) and current Social Work England registration.
Recent experience in a Duty & Assessment / Front Door children’s team within a UK local authority.
Confident working with thresholds, risk and statutory processes (CIN/CP, S17, S47).
Strong written skills with the ability to evidence analysis and decision-making.
Able to work at pace, manage competing demands and prioritise effectively.
Benefits
£33.30 per hour umbrella
Hybrid working arrangement
Supportive management and team culture
Varied frontline experience and strong learning opportunity
Quick start available for the right person