Social Worker - Salary - £43,680-£53,172pa
About Us
The vision for our People directorate is ‘Supporting our residents to stay safe and well’. At the London Borough of Havering, this means delivering high quality, relationship based social work that makes a meaningful difference to the lives of children, young people and families.
Job Description
Havering Children’s Services is on a clear and positive improvement journey, with significant progress made in strengthening practice, leadership and outcomes for children. We are now focused on building on this momentum, embedding strong, consistent social work practice and continuing to improve the experiences and life chances of the children and young people we serve. To support this next phase of our journey, we are recruiting motivated and committed Social Workers across a range of services.
We are seeking Social Workers to join our teams within Assessment, Safeguarding, Children with Disabilities, Children in Care, and 16+ / Leaving Care. Across all services, you will work directly with children, young people and families, undertaking purposeful assessments, planning and interventions that are child‑centred, strengths based and focused on achieving timely, positive outcomes.
As a Social Worker in Havering, you will be supported to deliver high quality statutory social work in line with legislation, statutory guidance and local policy. You will manage a caseload appropriate to your level of experience and service area, completing assessments, plans and reviews that are analytical, reflective and outcome focused. You will build effective relationships with children and families, ensuring their voices, wishes and lived experiences are central to decision making.
You will work collaboratively with a wide range of multi‑agency partners, including education, health, housing, police and commissioned services, to ensure coordinated and effective support. Our approach is rooted in relationship based practice, professional curiosity and reflective learning, with an emphasis on early help, timely intervention and robust safeguarding where needed.
Havering offers a supportive and learning focused environment, with manageable caseloads, regular supervision, strong management oversight and access to continuous professional development through our Social Care Academy. Whether you are looking to consolidate your practice or take the next step in your social work career, this is an opportunity to be part of a service that is ambitious for its workforce and determined to keep improving for children and families.
About You
You will be a motivated, reflective and committed Social Worker, with a passion for improving outcomes for children, young people and families. You will be values driven, child focused and able to work effectively in a fast paced statutory environment, balancing empathy and relationship based practice with clear professional judgement and accountability.
You will be a qualified Social Worker, holding a CQSW, Diploma in Social Work or equivalent qualification, and be registered with Social Work England. You will have relevant post qualifying experience within children’s social care, with the ability to apply legislation, statutory guidance and local procedures confidently within your day to day practice.
You will have experience of undertaking high quality assessments, planning and interventions, ensuring that work with children and families is purposeful, analytical and focused on achieving sustainable change. You will be able to manage risk appropriately, make defensible decisions and raise concerns where required, always keeping children’s safety, wellbeing and lived experiences at the centre of your practice.
You will demonstrate strong communication and relationship building skills, enabling you to work effectively with children, young people and families, as well as with a wide range of multi‑agency partners, including education, health, housing, police and commissioned services. You will be confident in contributing to professional discussions, meetings and decision making forums relevant to your service area.
As part of Havering’s ongoing improvement journey, we are looking for Social Workers who are open to learning, reflective in their practice and committed to continuous improvement. You will be receptive to feedback, supervision and quality assurance processes, and motivated to contribute positively to a culture of learning, collaboration and shared responsibility.
Non‑negotiable qualities for this role include:
* A strong commitment to safeguarding children and promoting positive outcomes
* The ability to work with complexity, uncertainty and risk in a thoughtful and balanced way
* A child centred, strengths based and inclusive approach to practice
* Professional curiosity, resilience and accountability
* A willingness to contribute to service improvement and practice development
Benefits
* £4,000 annual market supplement payment for Social Workers, Advanced Practitioners, Team Managers and Service Manager.
* A tailored training programme along with development opportunities through our very own dedicated Social Care Academy and corporate offer of 10 days of learning per year.
* Access to accredited systemic training and in‑house practice application workshops.
* A commitment to achieving and maintaining management caseloads.
* Generous local government pension scheme and leave entitlement.
* Subsidised parking at various council‑owned car parks across the borough.
* Modern workplace equipped with the latest technology.
* A strong corporate health and wellbeing offer, discounted gym membership, employee assistance programme and much more.
* Annual staff recognition schemes (STAR awards and Social Care awards) celebrating and recognising staff commitment and achievement.
How you apply
We encourage early applications, as appointments will be made throughout the recruitment period. Applications will be reviewed on a fortnightly basis. This is a rolling recruitment campaign for Social Workers across Children’s Services, including Assessment, Safeguarding, Children with Disabilities, Children in Care, and 16+ / Leaving Care.
Once your application has been received, a member of the Talent Team will contact you to discuss which service area you would like to be considered for. This conversation helps us understand where you feel you would be best placed and how your skills and aspirations align with our services. Depending on your experience and preferences, you may be considered for more than one service area during the recruitment process.
Please attach your supporting statement, explaining in no more than x2 A4 sides why and how you meet the criteria for this role.
Further Information
We practice anonymised recruitment. Please ensure that you remove all personal information from any documents you upload.
Please view Job Profile here
If you have a disability, we will guarantee an interview for candidates who declare a disability in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and meet the essential criteria.
Priority consideration will be given to London Borough of Havering redeployed staff (Redeployees).
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable groups and expect staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
In addition, a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required for any position with access to these groups. Where required, the Authority may request other disclosure checks.
Please contact the Recruitment Help Desk on 01708 432770 if you require help or advice with your online application.
For an informal discussion about the post
charmaine.malcolm@havering.gov.uk
About Us (Location)
With its excellent transport links into central London, extensive town centre regeneration and the highest concentration of green space anywhere in London, Havering has a unique offer as a place to live, work and visit. By making the most of its position and opportunities, Havering is becoming a hub for start‑ups and expanding businesses, as well as construction, logistics, engineering and manufacturing industries.
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