About You
You will hold a recognised Social Work qualification and be registered with Social Work England. You will have successfully completed your ASYE and have experience of frontline social work which includes child in need and child protection.
You will be passionate about relational social work and committed in joining our embedded culture and ethos of bettering vulnerable children’s lives. You will be committed to understanding the lived experiences of children, being a fierce advocate for children and providing the support required to better childhood experiences.
To thrive in this role, you will bring an understanding of the relevant legislation, guidance, policies and thresholds that underpin safeguarding. You will have experience of effective multi‑agency working, building partnerships and co‑producing needs‑led safety plans for children and young people. You will be able to demonstrate your analytical skills, ability to assess information, identify actions and record timely accurate information.
If you would like an informal chat or a tour of the office before submitting your application, please contact helen.gore@bracknell-forest.gov.uk and we will be happy to arrange a suitable time.
About The Team And Children’s Social Care
In December 2025, Ofsted concluded that leaders, managers and practitioners have not only sustained outstanding services but have raised the bar even higher. 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).
Children experiencing neglect or domestic abuse receive exceptional and expert in-house specialist help. They work closely with the family safeguarding team and offer step‑by‑step help to parents to improve home conditions and strengthen parenting capacity. Permanence planning meetings secure timely decision‑making, enabling children to thrive. Social workers consider all permanence options for children and contingency planning is in place so that children are offered the best permanence option.
We are a small, welcoming and friendly local authority where you will have the opportunity to build strong, positive and supportive working relationships with colleagues and peers. You will be a valued member of the team, where you will feel connected, appreciated, heard, accepted, included and supported.
To learn more about what it is like to work with us, take a look at our workforce video.
Key responsibilities
* Develop and implement effective safeguarding plans to protect children from harm.
* To work alongside other professionals as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
* To manage a caseload of Child in Need, Child Protection, Care Proceedings and Children Looked After.
* To take part in the team duty system responding to concerns as and when they arise.
* To make effective use of time and be able to prioritise workload, ensuring timeliness in visiting, report writing and other deadlines.
* To participate in regular reflective supervision and be able to set clear goals and intervention strategies.
* To develop and maintain accurate case records and comply with the department’s policies, procedures and guidelines including data protection and GDPR.
Our benefits
* 28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
* Paid employee volunteering scheme.
* Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
* Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
* Reimbursement of Social Work England registration.
* Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
* Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
* Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
* Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing.
* Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.
Salary: In addition to the salary quoted, this role attracts a one-off Welcome Payment of £6,000 and an annual Retention Payment of 4% of annual salary after 2 years, subject to terms and conditions. Please see attached Welcome Payment T&Cs for details.
Find out more about all our benefits or see the candidate pack.
More information
Our values: At Bracknell Forest Council our values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and serve our residents and engage with our communities.
Reasonable adjustments: We are committed to an inclusive recruitment process. If you require adjustments, please contact recruitment@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
Interview date: Shortlisting will take place weekly; interviews will be in person. We may close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified.
Please note AI is prohibited during the interview.
Want to ask us a question? For informal discussions, contact:
Cheryl Perry, Head of Service, Cheryl.perry@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
Helen Gore, Principal Social Worker, Helen.gore@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All successful candidates will be subject to a DBS check. We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK. Sponsorship requests will be evaluated case by case.
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