About the Role:
This role within the Assessment Team involves delivering professional social work services to children, young people, and families with varying levels of need and risk. The postholder will manage a caseload that reflects their experience and capabilities while ensuring that the voices and views of children and their families are actively sought and meaningfully incorporated into all assessments, planning, and interventions.
Social work practice must consistently reflect high professional standards and demonstrate a strong working knowledge of relevant legislation and statutory frameworks. This includes the Children Acts 1989 and 2004, Working Together to Safeguard Children, the Department of Health’s Assessment Framework (2000), and local safeguarding procedures for Child Protection and Looked After Children.
Practice must align with the values and principles of Oxfordshire County Council’s Threshold of Needs and Practice Standards, as well as the Family Solutions Plus (FSP) model. All work should be evidence-informed, strengths-based, and outcome-focused, promoting the welfare and safety of children and young people at all times.
Service delivery is expected to integrate national guidance and local initiatives to ensure that children and their families receive high-quality, timely, and effective support. Collaboration with other professionals, agencies, and community partners is essential to achieve joined-up support plans and sustainable outcomes.
The postholder will be required to maintain accurate and up-to-date case records and contribute to performance reporting, quality assurance processes, and inspection readiness. Reports and assessments must be clearly written, evidence-based, and suitable for use in a range of forums, including statutory meetings and court proceedings.
Flexibility is essential in this role. The postholder must be willing to adapt to changing service demands and may need to work outside normal office hours to meet urgent priorities. A responsive and proactive approach to supporting colleagues across the Safeguarding Team and wider Front Door services will be expected.
Ongoing professional development is a key aspect of this position. The successful applicant will be expected to engage in regular supervision, reflective practice, and learning opportunities to enhance their skills and ensure that their social work practice remains current, ethical, and legally compliant.
Contracted Hours – 37 hours per week (Full-Time)
 Key Responsibilities:
- To provide an efficient and effective service to children, young people, and their families, ensuring that the needs of the children and their parents/carers are professionally assessed, and that relevant interventions are provided where needed, in a timely way.
- To work with families using the FSP Workbook modules, and a strengths-based approach.
- To prepare and submit written reports as and when required, including child protection conference reports and legal reports for care proceedings.
- To attend conferences, reviews and court as required for each case presenting plans clearly, with professionalism and integrity.
- To ensure the Assistant /Team Manager is kept fully appraised of significant information about allocated families, seeking advice as and when necessary.
- To attend group/case supervision when required and to ensure that relevant updates are provided before each group supervision session.
- To attend individual supervision when required and engage in continual professional development as recommended by the Assistant/Team Manager
- To use ICT to maintain accurate case records, and to be able to record activity in line with key performance management data.
- To ensure that all case management complies with the statutory requirements and the Council’s policies and procedures
- To act as the duty worker for the team on a rotational basis, responding to new referrals
- To undertake child and family assessments for allocated families
- To investigate allegations of harm or neglect under s47 Children Act 1989 when required.
- To practice in line with the Council’s procedures and statutory regulation in supporting children who come into the care of the local authority
- To be familiar with and committed to equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice and the Council Policy and Plan and to implement this in all aspects of working practice and promote it in the team, workplace, and wider organisation.
- To proactively liaise with and work in partnership other agencies and organisations, parents and carers.
- To ensure that the child’s voice is considered in all casework and included in all assessments and plans.
- To promote the involvement of young service users and families in meetings about them, and where possible, in-service development
- Comply with OCC health and safety policies, procedures, and rules, taking reasonable care of self and others.
 Requirements:
- Qualified Social Worker
- Registered with Social Work England
- Minimum of 3 years PQE, which must demonstrate relevance to the post.
- Experience in undertaking S17 Assessments and S47 investigations
- Must be within an hour of Oxfordshire
- Eligible to work in the UK
 Interested?
For more information on this role or to apply, get in touch with our vendor department who will arrange for a specialist consultant to get in contact with you:
 0203 906 8670