The Vacancy
We are hiring Children’s Social Workers for our Public Law and Work to First Hearing teams.
Our Public Law teams are involved with cases where the local authority has serious concerns about the safety or welfare of a child, and the court requests for Cafcass to become involved in the case. The Cafcass Social Worker, (or as we will professionally call you - Family Court Advisers) is typically involved with the child across an extended period carrying out relevant assessments to understand their needs, wants and feelings, and effectively communicate this to the court through a combination of written reports and giving evidence.
In the Work To First Hearing team, you’ll use your social work skills and experience to understand what the child needs, wants and feels. You’ll then advise the Family Courts on the best course of action for the child by providing confident, powerful and succinct written case analysis and make recommendations to the court. You’ll also attend court and be an advocate for the child, ensuring their voice is not lost.
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.
Qualifications and Experience
* Relevant Social Work qualification is essential.
* You must be registered with Social Work England (Cafcass reimburses costs of this annual cost).
* You’ll have demonstrable, relevant experience of working with children and families in a social work setting.
* Experience in Family Court proceedings and understanding of Private and/or Public Law would be an advantage.
* Organised and resilient with ability to work independently and manage workload effectively.
Location
Our teams work flexibly and remotely, so your location is not always a critical factor. While the office location is in Plymouth with work covering Cornwall, proximity to this location is not essential. We’re happy to discuss your preferred working arrangements in more detail during the interview process.
This hopefully will allow you to work in a way that suits you best.
We believe that shared learning is key to delivering the best outcomes. We meet regularly either in person or virtually for team meetings and group supervision — creating space to connect with peers and managers, reflect on practice, and feel supported. You’ll be a valued member of a team that champions collaboration, continuous improvement, and making a real difference in children’s lives.
We provide an outstanding range of practice aids, resources, equipment, and dedicated 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 provide extensive wellbeing support for colleagues, as well as excellent benefits, all of which we hope encourages you to work within our dedicated team.
Salary
The advertised salary reflects our 2024/25 pay award. We are awaiting confirmation of our 2025/26 when salaries will be updated to reflect this.
Next Steps and Timelines
Below we have given you an indication of a timetable we are hoping to work towards, although dates are subject to change.
Closing Date: 23rd November 2025
Telephone interviews: 26th & 28th November 2025
Final Interview: 8th & 10th December 2025
Vacancy Contact: Kiera.manuel@cafcass.gov.uk
In anticipation of your successful application, we encourage you to review our offer and pre-employment checks process. You are welcome to raise any questions or concerns about these checks during your application, with the assurance that this information will remain confidential.
Successful applicants will undergo various pre-engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). In line with the DBS code of practice and our policy, if a criminal offence is declared, an individual assessment will be conducted. For further details regarding this assessment, please refer to the Cafcass DBS policy.
We look forward to receiving your application!
#J-18808-Ljbffr