* Suffolk County Council
* Address: Endeavour House, Ipswich, IP1 2BX - Hybrid
* Salary: £41,502 per annum (pro rata for part time) Plus retention payments for 2, 3 and 5 years service of £1,000, £1,500 and £2,000
* Hours: 37 hours per week, flexible working options available
* Contract: Fixed Term or Secondment for 6 months
We are currently recruiting for a Senior Social Worker in Adult Social Care.
With Suffolk, you can enjoy a great career for yourself and support vulnerable adults. We're always looking for new ways to deliver even better services. Social Workers working with Suffolk County Council play an integral role in our preventative approach to Social Care. We encourage our multi-disciplinary teams to share their ideas and experience. We work together to get things done. Bring your positive, proactive attitude and we'll empower you to make the most of your experience.
Reimagine the possibilities.
Senior Social Workers are passionate in demonstrating expert and effective practice in complex situations. Managing your own complex caseload, as well as supporting your colleagues with theirs, you'll be a source of specialist advice and enable the mitigation of high levels of risk. You'll also bring professional expertise to contribute to the development of practice standards. You will have experience in developing strong working relationships with partners, other agencies, and the voluntary sector to deliver improved outcomes.
What you will need
You'll bring significant experience of social work, modelling good practice and providing advice and guidance in complex situations. We're also looking for your ability to mentor both newly qualified and experienced team members. As, a subject matter expert in relevant professional practice, you should have a comprehensive understanding of current legislation, regulations, and guidance.
You'll also need:
* to be a qualified, registered social worker and have completed your Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE)
* evidence of 2 years' continued professional development and capability of practice in accordance with current professional standards
* an in-depth understanding of the financial implications of commissioned care packages
* the ability to make clear decisions, to highlight and limit potential risks associated with intervention.
* valid driving licence and access to personal transport.
You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (word), if you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.
About us
Our staff are our greatest asset and with you in our team, we can achieve the authority's priorities of enabling everyone to live long, healthy, fulfilling lives whilst safeguarding the most vulnerable people in Suffolk. All our staff are provided with Information Technology and devices to allow more flexibility in the role and access to systems like the LAS (LiquidLogic Adults' System) when working with clients.
We work to a strength-based practice model and would encourage you to apply for our roles if you think you have the same values so we can continue with this approach to help empower Suffolk residents.
In Suffolk, we're transforming how we deliver Adult Social Care through our 'People at the Heart of Care' programme. This puts people at the centre of their own care choices and decisions, from initial advice to assessments and self-commissioning. Find out about our plans to transform Adult Social Care, by putting people at the heart of care ).
The team
We're recruiting a Social Worker to join our Learning Disability and Autism Service. In this role, you'll work with individuals with learning disabilities and autism, providing personalised support that helps them achieve their goals and thrive in their community. Every day is different - whether you're helping a young person transition from hospital to their first home or creating a tailored reablement plan to connect someone within local community, you'll have the chance to make a profound difference.
Signs of Safety
It is an exciting time to join Adult Social Care in Suffolk, with our ambition titled People at the heart of Care, setting out how we will work to support people to live fulfilling and independent lives in Suffolk. Using our Signs of Safety model as a foundation throughout our service- working with people and their networks using a safety, solution building and trauma responsive approach.
This is your chance to become one of the select few Social Workers worldwide that are trained practicing professionals in Signs of Safety; this will see you stand out from other Social Workers and enable you to develop and progress in your career.
Career development
Having developed and established an excellent career development pathway we will support you in your career development and choices. To ensure we offer our staff the best opportunities to progress we offer a minimum of six protected days for Social Workers to undertake continuous professional development; ensuring that you are given sufficient time and support to maintain registration with Social Work England.
Empowering Everyone
We're big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We're always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report )
For more information
Please contact Kristy O'Halloran for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling or emailing
How to apply
Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (word).
Step 2 - Click 'Apply Now' to start your online application.
Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement answering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the Supporting Statement Template.
1. Can you describe a time when you promoted personalisation and independence for an adult with care and support needs? What approach did you use and what was the outcome?
2. Tell us about a complex case you managed. How did you assess risk and make decisions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the individual?
3. Give an example of how you have worked collaboratively with statutory, private, or voluntary agencies to deliver effective joint responses to health and social care needs. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
4. Describe how you have supported the professional development of others, such as mentoring newly qualified social workers or supervising junior staff. What impact did this have?
Step 4 - Upload a CV (without name and personal details).
Please note: Without a supporting statement and CV, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.
We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences. Applications suspected of being generated by AI may be rejected. We ask you to present your own work and ideas throughout the application process.
Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team at or
You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages. If you're invited to the next stage, you'll have another chance to request adjustments.
Closing date: 11.30 pm, 8 February 2026.
This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid
As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We're driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.
In return, you'll enjoy:
* up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days
* membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
* travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
* performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase
* training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
* a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
* diverse and active staff networks
* flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day
Plus lots more
If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website ).