Senior Social Worker Family Safeguarding Senior Social Worker Join a team where your practice is valued, your voice matters, and your wellbeing comes first. Are you a social worker who wants to make meaningful, lasting change — not just manage caseloads? In Southampton’s Family Safeguarding Service, you’ll join a stable, supportive team built around relational practice, shared responsibility, and genuinely collaborative multi agency working. We’re proud of the culture we’ve created: one where creativity is encouraged, reflection is protected, and social workers feel trusted and backed by strong, visible leaders. Why Southampton? Why Now? Because you deserve to work somewhere that understands the realities of child protection, invests in you as a professional, and gives you the tools and space to do the work that actually changes lives. Our leadership team is permanent, established, and deeply committed to stability and high quality practice — giving you confidence in the direction of the service and the support behind you. Here’s what makes us different: A Clear Purpose You Can Believe In Our Family Safeguarding model is all about keeping children safe within their families wherever possible through meaningful direct work and strong relationships. You’ll be part of a service that prioritises: Strength based practice High quality assessments centered around the child’s lived experience Real multi agency partnership, with adult specialists working alongside you Trauma informed, relational social work as standard This isn’t just a job — it’s a chance to shape safer futures for children and families. Manageable Workloads & Real Support We’re honest about the pressures of child protection — and we don’t expect you to carry risk alone. You’ll benefit from: Manageable caseloads appropriate to the demands of Family Safeguarding Protected time for direct work, reflective thinking, and meaningful intervention Business support and modern case management tools that reduce admin burden Flexible and hybrid working, with the autonomy to balance home and office time A multi agency team around the family, so you’re never working in isolation This combination means you can spend more time doing what you came into social work to do: make an impact. Visible Leadership, Strong Supervision & Clear Development Pathways You’ll be surrounded by leaders who genuinely know your work and actively support it. We offer: Regular, reflective supervision that prioritises your professional thinking Hands on, accessible managers who champion your practice Coaching, mentoring, and specialist training aligned to your career goals ASYE support for newly qualified workers Clear progression routes, whether you want to develop into… Senior Practitioner roles Specialist areas Practice education Leadership pathways We believe great social workers deserve investment — and we follow through. A Warm, Stable, Supportive Team Culture You’ll join a highly motivated, friendly team who genuinely look after each other. Our permanent and well established leadership team provides consistent direction, clear vision, and long term commitment to the Family Safeguarding model, helping create a culture where social workers feel secure, valued, and understood. We also believe the best ideas come from the people doing the work. That’s why we’ve introduced ‘Small Changes’ — a simple, direct way for staff to email ideas that could improve practice, systems, or the everyday experience of social work. Every suggestion is reviewed by the Head of Service and Director, with changes actively considered for implementation. Your voice genuinely shapes how we work. Expect: A culture of kindness, shared responsibility, and positive challenge Multi agency collaboration embedded into everyday practice Team stability — with committed, long standing managers Opportunities to reflect, discuss, and learn together A service that celebrates success, individuality, and good social work “It’s a team where you feel seen, supported, and valued — every day.” — Current Family Safeguarding Social Worker What Ofsted Said About Southampton In the 2025 JTAI, inspectors highlighted exactly what sets us apart: “Leaders across the multi agency safeguarding partnership are ambitious for children and families… resulting in services that meet children’s level of need.” “A determined leadership approach has led to a child centred and caring culture across services.” A Competitive Offer That Values You Salary: £45,718 - £49,764 (Plus £2000 per year Market Supplement), with annual progression through the band. Plus benefits that matter: Excellent Local Government Pension Scheme (16.8% employer contribution) Generous annual leave (25–31 days) Flexible and hybrid working arrangements Strong wellbeing support, including EAP, menopause support, MH First Aiders Training & development, coaching and mentoring Family friendly policies Sustainable travel schemes, cycle to work, season ticket loans Retail and leisure discounts Discounted gym memberships 2 paid volunteer days Supportive to veterans and forces families Everything you need to feel supported both professionally and personally. What We’re Looking For Qualified and registered Social Worker (Social Work England) with a minimum of 3 years experience of Child in Need, Child Protection and Children Looked After Passion for relational, strengths based practice Experience in complex safeguarding work Commitment to learning, reflection, and high quality practice Strong communication, empathy, and resilience Whether you’re an experienced practitioner or just starting your journey, you’ll be supported to thrive. Ready to make a real difference? If you want to join a service that backs you, believes in you, and gives you the space to practice social work the way it should be done — we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and help us shape safer futures for children and families across Southampton! Contact details for informal discussion: For further information and details regarding the role, please contact: hayleigh.smith@southampton.gov.uk or mariaan.moody@southampton.gov.uk Recruitment contact details: Email: recruitment@southampton.gov.uk Tel: 023 8083 4033 For more information about SCC please visit Southampton City Council Follow us on social media for regular updates on our featured jobs and latest news. Facebook YouTube