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Senior Practitioner - Assessment Team

Cambridgeshire County Council
£46,956 - £50,157 per annum
Permanent | Full Time, 37 hours
Hybrid working | Cambridge

Caritas Recruitment is working with Cambridgeshire County Council to recruit an experienced Senior Practitioner to join their Children's Assessment Team on a permanent basis.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Children's Social Worker ready to take on greater responsibility, managing complex cases while providing practice support, mentoring and guidance to colleagues. The role involves highly complex casework, professional leadership, risk management and supporting the Team Manager when required.

The Role

The Assessment Team is the first point of contact for statutory intervention, working in a fast-paced environment to deliver timely and proportionate responses for children and families.

As Senior Practitioner, you will:

Manage a complex and varied children's social work caseload.Lead statutory assessments, strategy discussions and Section 47 enquiries.Undertake complex safeguarding, risk assessment and court work.Produce high-quality analytical reports, including work for court.Support, coach and mentor colleagues, modelling strong social work practice.Provide professional leadership around complex cases and risk management.Support the Team Manager with workload planning, allocation, supervision and the development of the team. What We're Looking For

You'll need to be an experienced Children's Social Worker with:

A recognised Social Work qualification.Current Social Work England registration.Extensive experience working with children, young people and families.Strong experience of complex case management, safeguarding, child protection investigations and court work.The ability to assess and manage complex risk and make sound professional decisions.Experience supporting colleagues through coaching, mentoring or practice leadership.A full UK driving licence and the ability to travel across the county.Salary & Benefits

£46,956 - £50,157, dependent on complex case experience.

There is also an additional retention payment scheme:

After 1 year: £1,174After 2 years: £3,522After 3 years: £4,696After 4 years: £1,500 each year thereafter

A relocation package is available, along with a sponsorship swap option.

Location

Hybrid working with a mix of home and office working, currently requiring 3-4 days in the office. The stated base is Fawcett House, Trumpington, Cambridge, although this may change as part of the Council's Asset Review.

Interested?

If you're an experienced Children's Social Worker looking to step into or continue at Senior Practitioner level, I'd love to hear from you.

Lisa Hallinan
Principal Consultant | Caritas Recruitment
[email protected]
07469 676076

📍 Location & Working PatternCambridgeHybrid working - 2-3 days in the office💷 Pay Rate£39 per hour (umbrella)🧩 The Role🔎 Key ResponsibilitiesCompleting statutory visits for CIN, CP and CIC casesHolding a caseload including CIN, CP, CIC, with some cases within PLO and S31 Care ProceedingsPreparing and completing court reports, parenting assessments and risk assessmentsAttending court hearings with support from Senior Practitioners or Team ManagersChairing CIN Meetings and Core GroupsAttending and contributing to ICPCs and RCPCs, including writing conference reportsSupporting team duty rotaEffectively managing and assessing risk to safeguard children and families✅ What We're Looking ForQualified Social Worker with current Social Work England registrationStrong experience across CIN, CP and CICConfident with court work and assessmentsAbility to manage a varied caseload and prioritise effectivelyA collaborative and organised approach to safeguarding🤝 A Straightforward, Supportive Approach (Davina & Caritas)23 years' recruitment expertise - calm, experienced guidance you can rely onHonest, human approach - no pressure, just clear advice and realistic role matchingStrong market insight & relationships - access to roles not widely advertisedOngoing support - from first conversation through to placement and beyond🌟 Why Work With Caritas?Strong local authority partnershipsExcellent compliance and support standardsA reputation for quality over volume recruitment💬 Referral Bonus📞 Let's Talk