We are hiring Children's Social Workers for our Family Court Adviser in our Public/Private law team covering the Bedfordshire/Luton area. Working in the Public/Private law team, Children's Social Workers (or as we will professionally call you - Family Court Advisers) are involved in a combination of cases where either the families require the assistance to agree on the best arrangements for the welfare and safety of the child(ren) involved or the local authority has serious concerns and requests the involvement of Cafcass in the case. Children's Social Workers key responsibilities include:
Key responsibilities
* Conducting assessments and directly engaging with children to understand and represent their views and wishes to the court.
* Using expertise in robust risk assessment and mediation to advocate for arrangements that prioritise the best interest of the children.
* Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests, speaking up for over 140,000 children every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures.
We are Cafcass – the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service – and we represent children in family court cases in England. The purpose of our organisation is to ensure children’s voices are heard and acted upon. We work flexibly and independently using outstanding technology (touchscreen laptops, iPhone, all with first‑class support, including IT trainers) and a substantial resource library that contains over 27,000 resources on social work, child protection and related topics. Wherever you are in the country and at whatever stage you are at in your career, you will have opportunities to develop. You will also have the chance to work alongside like‑minded people in a diverse, inclusive and supportive organisation. If this purpose resonates with you, and you share our ambitions for children – exceptional experiences, for every child, everywhere and every time – then you will join us.
Wellbeing
The wellbeing of our colleagues is a priority. We provide four dedicated additional days per year that can be used to focus on health and wellbeing, a health and wellbeing cash plan that covers routine health expenses (dental check‑ups, eye tests, physiotherapy, etc.), an external Employee Assistance Provider offering confidential support 24 hours a day, and a number of training programmes that enable colleagues to become Health and Wellbeing Champions or Mental Health Allies. We also support neuro‑diverse colleagues and other specific health conditions through a dedicated in‑house team.
Diversity
We represent children and families from diverse backgrounds and we actively recruit people from all backgrounds. We are a disability‑confident leader and we accommodate reasonable adjustments. We have a diversity networks programme that creates safe spaces for colleagues to share identity and experience, and we work to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the children and families we serve.
Qualifications
* Relevant Social Work qualification is essential.
* You must be registered with Social Work England regulator.
* You’ll ideally have a minimum of 3 years’ experience working with children and families in a social work capacity.
* Experience in Family Court proceedings and understanding of Private and/or Public Law would be an advantage.
* You are organised and resilient with the ability to work independently and manage workload effectively.
Whilst you may see these roles have a contract base in our Stevenage office, our teams work flexibly and remotely; your proximity to the office doesn’t always have to be a critical consideration. This hopefully will allow you to work in a way that suits you best.
Benefits
* Generous holidays – 28 days including three for Christmas, rising to 33 days with five years of continuous service, and you can sell any you do not need.
* Excellent pension – 18.1% employer contribution to Local Government Pension scheme.
* Flexible working – most colleagues work in a hybrid way and we accommodate flexible working requests (e.g. 9‑day fortnights).
* Exclusive discounts – discounts with a wide range of companies covering leisure, technology, travel, personal finance, fashion and supermarkets.
* Professional fees – annual Social Work England membership fees reimbursed.
* Car leasing scheme – personal car leasing available through a third‑party scheme.
Community & Employee Groups
* Faith Network – for colleagues who are part of or have an interest in religious or spiritual faith communities.
* Kaleidoscope Network – for colleagues from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
* Mental Health Network – for colleagues who experience or have an interest in mental health issues.
* Pride Network – for colleagues who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans. – LGBT+.
* Neurodiversity Network – for neurodivergent colleagues or those supporting someone who is.
We provide the resources, equipment and support so that individually and collectively, we can be the voice of children and young people when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures. We hope you are encouraged to apply and look forward to welcoming you to our dedicated team.
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