Senior Social Worker - CSST (plus Welcome Payment of £7,000)

Bracknell Forest; Bracknell; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government council in Bracknell is seeking an experienced Senior Social Worker to join their disability team. This position is focused on supporting children and young people with complex needs. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in safeguarding and child protection, alongside substantial experience in statutory children’s social care. This full-time role offers a competitive salary with added benefits, including a generous Welcome Payment and a supportive team environment.

Benefits

28 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 3 years

Local government pension scheme

Career development opportunities

Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption leave

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Substantial post-qualification experience in statutory children’s social care.
• Experience in child protection and children in need.
• Desirable experience with children with disabilities and complex needs.

Responsibilities

• Hold a caseload and provide assessment, care planning, and family support.
• Promote children's voices in care planning.
• Assess needs of children and families and negotiate service delivery.
• Work alongside partner agencies.
• Maintain accurate case records in compliance with policies.
• Participate in regular reflective supervision.
• Support and mentor less experienced colleagues.

Skills

Strong assessment and analytical skills

Knowledge of relevant legislation

Experience in partnership working

Ability to work independently

Experience with children with disabilities

Education

Current Social Work England registration

Job description

£49,918 - £53,048 per year inclusive of London Weighting and Essential Car User Allowance. Plus a one-off Welcome Payment of £7,000 subject to T&Cs and 4% Retention Payment after 2 years

Closing Date:

11/01/2026 at 23:59

Hours:

37 hours per week.

We are seeking an experienced Senior Social Worker with a strong background in safeguarding to become part of our disability team, supporting and improving the lives of children and young people with complex and specialist needs. This full-time, permanent position offers the opportunity to use your skills to make a meaningful impact every day.

If you would like an informal chat or a tour of the office prior to submitting your application, please contact [e-mail] to arrange a suitable time.

Salary:In addition to the salary quoted, this role attracts a one-off Welcome Payment of £7,000 and a Retention Payment of 4% of Annual Salary after 2 years, subject to terms and conditions.Please see attached Welcome Payment T&Cs for details.

About you…

You must hold current Social Work England registration and have substantial post-qualification experience in statutory children’s social care, including children and family social work, covering areas such as child protection and children in need.

To succeed in this role, you will have knowledge of relevant legislation, guidance, policies and thresholds. You will be able to demonstrate strong assessment and analytical skills with experience of working in partnership with children and their families, and other professionals, to produce needs-led plans for children and young people. You will have the ability to work both independently and effectively as part of a team.

Experience of working with children with disabilities and complex needs is desirable but not essential as we will support you to develop this specialist knowledge.

About the team…

The Children’s Specialist Support Team (CSST) is a highly skilled team working with children who have disabilities and/or complex health needs. We are an experienced, friendly and supportive team who focus on ensuring that children are at the centre of all we do. We provide a range of services for children with additional needs and those who are assessed to have additional vulnerability. This includes the council’s statutory responsibilities for disabled children in need in the community (including care packages and short breaks).

The team is an eclectic mix of different service areas covering a wide breadth of work with children with disabilities, Occupational Therapy and Short Breaks (including Larchwood, our short break respite unit). Taking a child first and social model approach, partnership and collaborative working is the key to our success.

The team is well integrated with local partners and works alongside specialist workers in domestic abuse, mental health and substance misuse, often in co-located settings.

• To hold a caseload and provide assessment, care planning, intervention and family support in line with expertise commensurate to a senior practitioner.
• To promote listening to children at every opportunity, ensuring their views are heard, recorded and acted upon in an appropriate and timely manner and to ensure life journey work is completed with children and young people in accordance with their age and understanding.
• To assess and identify the needs of children and families referred and negotiate delivery of services by determining how these needs can be best met in accordance with statutory responsibilities and council policies using best value principles.
• To work alongside partner agencies e.g., voluntary and statutory and within the context of the care plan for children and families to ensure the provision of appropriate and effective services.
• To develop and maintain accurate case records and comply with the department's policies, procedures and guidelines including data protection and GDPR.
• To participate in regular reflective supervision and be able to set clear goals and intervention strategies.
• To support and mentor less experienced colleagues including newly qualified Social Workers, Family workers and Social Work Students.
• 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.
• 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.

At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us.Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities.We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you.

Interviews will be held on 19th January 2026.

Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment.

We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.

Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.

Want to ask us a question?

For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:

Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of working within the current Social Care System and Framework.

We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.

Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.

No agencies please.

Bracknell Forest Council – Working for Equality. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

How to apply

Please apply online via the link provided.

Please note, we do not accept CVs submitted without a fully completed online application form.