Wiltshire Council

Social Worker

The closing date is 12 January 2026

Job summary

Support and Safeguarding Service - Empowering Families, Protecting Futures

Our North team, based in Chippenham, invites qualified social workers to embark on a rewarding journey where you'll make a meaningful impact on the lives of vulnerable children and families.

Our Social Workers are pivotal in supporting Wiltshire's vulnerable children, from pre-birth to age 18. We operate on a patch-based model, matching families with your expertise and chosen patch.

We prioritise flexibility, offering various work locations and hotdesking opportunities to facilitate collaboration with safeguarding teams and services.

At our core, we believe in a 'one journey, one worker' approach, providing consistent support through dedicated relationships. Our diverse team includes ASYEs, Experienced Social Workers, Family Keyworkers, and an Assistant Team Manager.

Collaboration is central to our work, as you'll partner with professionals and multi-agency teams. You will take on a leadership role, serving as a role model, sharing expertise with the team, and managing more complex cases individually. We care about your well-being, offering flexible work arrangements such as a 9-day fortnight, compressed hours, full or part-time positions, and job shares. Social workers registered with Social Work England are welcome, and we support returning professionals with a supportive program to facilitate your transition. A full driving license and access to a car are essential due to Wiltshire's rural nature.

Main duties of the job

As a Social Worker, you will hold primary case responsibility for children in need, those requiring protection, and looked-after children, depending on team function. Operating within council policy, you will stay informed on current social work methods, practice developments, legislation, and procedures, including the Children Act 2004.

You will interpret and implement statutory duties and departmental policies in delivering services to children and young people. Allocated cases by the Team Manager, you will complete timely assessments of needs and risks, considering the views of children and families, and undertake S47 enquiries and single assessments in various settings such as homes, schools, and hospitals. You will take appropriate action to minimise risks in line with child protection procedures and legislation, develop and implement plans with families to address issues, and ensure interventions are necessary and proportionate.

Regular reviews, outcome-focused planning, and convening meetings such as core groups will form part of your role. You will prepare reports for conferences, reviews, legal meetings, and court hearings, attending as required. Collaboration with Keyworkers, Senior Keyworkers, and Local Partnership Advisors is essential to achieve shared family goals and deliver positive outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.

About us

Wiltshire Council is the unitary local authority for the county of Wiltshire, England, established in 2009 to provide both county-level and district-level services. The council's vision is to foster strong communities where residents can achieve their potential through empowerment and inclusion. The council focuses on long-term challenges, community engagement, and delivering services that support independent living, reduce inequalities, and promote overall well-being.

Key Responsibilities and Services

Community Services

The council provides a range of essential services to residents, including waste management, public planning, and support for vulnerable populations, such as older adults and people with disabilities.

Governance

The council consists of elected councillors who form a cabinet to set the council's direction and priorities. A system of overview and scrutiny ensures accountability for the cabinet's decisions.

Strategic Planning

The council engages in long-term planning, such as its household waste management strategy, focusing on new approaches and opportunities to manage waste over the next decade and beyond.

Infrastructure

The council uses Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds to support local infrastructure projects, including roads, schools, and recreational facilities, to manage the impact of development.

Date posted

03 December 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£49,265 to £51,855 a year Inclusive of 15% market supplement

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

F0041-6176

Job locations

Wiltshire Council

Monkton Park

Chippenham

Wiltshire

SN15 1ER

Job description

Job responsibilities

Care job family overview

Support and assist the well-being of individuals and groups to assure their protection, security and development

Safeguarding, protection and care.

Community, residential, day or field settings.

Ongoing risk/needs assessment of and advice for individuals/groups.

Specification of any non-council provision.

Individual or small group emphasis.

May involve personal care activities.

Likely to involve immediate response to client.

Service and Function Context

The overall responsibilities of the Family & Childrens Support and Safeguarding Service are:

To prevent family breakdown

To prevent children and families needing more intensive statutory services

To deliver an effective family-based and relationship-based approach to enable children and families to achieve positive outcomes

To meet all relevant statutory responsibilities The Family & Childrens Support and Safeguarding Service has social workers, senior keyworkers, keyworkers and local partnership advisors delivering or supporting evidence-based direct work with vulnerable children and families (working complex level 2b [CAF] cases, Child in Need and Child Protection cases).

Social workers, senior keyworkers, keyworkers and local partnership advisors work together in pods within existing geographical hubs with appropriate supervision, management oversight and clear local referral pathways.

A relationship-based model of practice is followed by all staff in the service. Training reflects this model of practice and include skill-stretching for staff to be able to do more without referring on for specialist support.

All staff in the service provide advice, consultation and guidance to other local professionals who are supporting children and families with lower level needs/risks.

The service runs Local Allocation Groups (or similarly named group) in each hub attended by key partner agencies. These discuss and agree resource/case allocation in each locality and facilitate the sharing of expertise and advice.

The service supports the Troubled Families programme including in relation to identifying eligible families and assisting with tracking outcomes.

All staff in the service work constructively, collaboratively and effectively with a broad range of key agencies delivering, for example, housing, domestic abuse, substance misuse, mental health, education, finance, employment and/or emotional wellbeing support.

Job purpose

To be the primary worker with case responsibility for children in need, children in need of protection and children looked after - depending upon the function of the dedicated team.

To operate within the council policy and keep up to date with social work methods, practice developments, new legislation and procedures, including the Childrens Act 2004.

To be responsible for the day to day interpretation of and implementation of statutory duties and departmental policy and procedures in the provision of services to children and young people.

To be allocated work from the team manager or any person delegated to act on their behalf based on eligibility criteria and to hold case management responsibility for this work.

To complete enquiries and assess, the needs of and risks to vulnerable children and young people in a timely manner giving due consideration to the wishes and views of the child and the childs family. This will include the completion of S47 enquiries, single assessments and engaging service users and other relevant persons in the work base, homes or any other appropriate venue e.g. hospital, school etc.

To take appropriate action to assess and minimise any identified concern or risk to children/young people in accordance with the requirements and timescales of assessment frameworks, child protection procedures and looked after children legislation and procedures.

To draw up and implement, with the child/young person and their family/carers, an appropriate plan to address identified issues and to maximise the participation of service users and carers in this process ensuring that social work intervention is ongoing only when necessary in peoples lives.

To carry out regular reviews of individual plans, record outcomes and formulate revised plans which are outcome focused.

To convene meetings e.g. core groups to assist in the implementation and review of plans for vulnerable children.

To write reports for child protection conferences, planning meetings, looked after children reviews, legal meetings and court hearings and attend these as appropriate.

To work collaboratively and effectively with Keyworkers, Senior Keyworkers and Local Partnership Advisors on achieving shared family goals,

To have a creative approach to meeting need and to ensure local provision, wherever possible, in order to meet identified need within available resources.

To have a clear understanding of and ability to manage within financial constraints in service delivery.

To work proactively and in partnership with other agencies to plan and deliver coordinated services to children, young people and their families/carers which promotes and focuses on positive outcomes.

Actively engage and contribute, when necessary, to Local Allocation Group case discussions (or other similarly named mechanisms/panels).

To maintain accurate and effective electronic recording of information and action taken in the course of casework.

To understand the need for and contribute to the achievement of team and departmental performance targets in order to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people

To maintain confidentiality of information acquired in the course of undertaking duties for the department whilst operating in the fullest cooperation with other agencies to ensure that children are appropriately safeguarded.

To contribute to team processes in a positive and appropriate manner, by attending team meetings and undertaking any necessary and appropriate team duties.

To make an active contribution to the development of service delivery through the sharing of knowledge, information and skills.

To take responsibility for personal professional development through the utilisation of relevant practice research/developments, legislation, participative supervision and appraisal processes.

To undertake further training which is consistent with the needs of the individual and the organisation, as agreed with the manager.

To work within an equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory framework. Value diversity within the team and in contact with other professionals, children, young people and families.

Working within a legislative framework

Operating within relevant policy, legal, ethical and professional boundaries when working with children and families.

Effectively delivering all statutory requirements.

Following local practice standards and protocols. Supervision and continual development

Actively engaging in individual and group supervision and embed learning in practice.

Maintaining up to date knowledge and skills as required by the role.

Participating in appraisal and team meetings and contribute to individual and team development.

Flexible working

There will be a requirement to occasionally work with children and families when they most need it which may be outside of normal working hours, including weekends. The number of out of hours worked will not exceed 10% of the total contracted hours per week.