Job summary
Join Our CAMHS for Cared for Children (STARLAC) service as a Therapeutic Social Worker!
Are you passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and young people, and their carers? Do you thrive in trauma-informed, multi-agency environments where emotional wellbeing and mental health are at the heart of everything you do?
Salford CAMHS for Cared for Children (STARLAC) is looking for a Therapeutic Social Worker to join our innovative partnership between Salford Childrens Services and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) CAMHS. This is a unique opportunity to apply social work skills in a specialist area of practice focusing on emotional wellbeing and mental health, using an attachment and trauma-informed approach. The post holder will be employed by the Fostering Service and situated within STARLAC as part of the multi-disciplinary clinical team, including psychologists, psychotherapists and mental health practitioners.
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Interviews will be Tuesday 25th November 2025. The interview date is not changeable due to the nature of the panel. For those successful at short listing and invited to interview, you will be asked to complete a short presentation as part of the interview process.
Main duties of the job
What You will do:
- Deliver high-quality therapeutic services to cared-for children, families, and carers.
- Support placements in crisis and prevent breakdowns.
- Lead emotional wellbeing consultations and parenting groups for foster carers.
- Provide training, reflective practice, and supervision to colleagues and carers.
- Collaborate with partner agencies to ensure robust mental health and safeguarding support.
What You will Bring:
- A recognised social work qualification and 3+ years post-qualifying experience.
- Expertise in trauma-informed practice and therapeutic caregiving models.
- Strong assessment, formulation, and report-writing skills.
- A commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
- Passion for professional development and reflective practice.
What We Offer:
- Clinical supervision from CAMHS and line management from Fostering Service.
- Specialist training opportunities specific to mental health, therapeutic caregiving and trauma-informed practice.
- Access to over 200 online courses via Me-Learning.
- Tailored development including Practice Educator training, mentoring, and digital skills programmes.
- Opportunities to lead foster carer training and recruitment campaigns.
- A values-driven workplace built on Pride, Passion, People, and Personal Responsibility.
About us
Want to know more about Salford?
As an authority we are dedicated to improving the lives of our residents, and as an employer we are passionate about helping individuals to thrive in their work. We are committed to developing a diverse and inclusive culture and are proud of our professional accreditations which champion this.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Support placements in crisis to become stable and prevent placement breakdown.
- Support the emotional wellbeing of children and young people and support their carers to meet the emotional wellbeing needs of their children.
- Have a good understanding of Cared for Children processes.
- High quality assessments that result in robust, analysis and recommendations.
- Provide support and guidance to front line social workers and support workers whilst supporting the management of the most challenging and complex case work.
- Committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Support placements in crisis to become stable and prevent placement breakdown.
- Support the emotional wellbeing of children and young people and support their carers to meet the emotional wellbeing needs of their children.
- Have a good understanding of Cared for Children processes.
- High quality assessments that result in robust, analysis and recommendations.
- Provide support and guidance to front line social workers and support workers whilst supporting the management of the most challenging and complex case work.
- Committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- As a Therapeutic Social Worker you will have a recognised social work qualification: DipSW, BASW, MASW, CQSW, CSS. Level 3 social worker. Minimum of 3 years post qualifying experience in a statutory childcare setting, including knowledge and understanding of trauma informed practice.
- The co-ordination and delivery of parenting groups for foster carers (Therapeutic Caregiving/ PACE, Circle of Security and Foundations for Attachment).
- The co-ordination of EWMH (Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health) consultation to foster carers and residential home staff teams.
- Contribution of EWMH workshops to the foster carer training programme.
- The assessment, formulation, and delivery of therapeutic EWMH services to cared for children, young people, their families, and carers.
- To model and demonstrate our values and behaviours.
- Thorough knowledge of the legislative framework in relation to children and families, fostering and adoption, and relevance to the placement setting.
- Understanding of current social work theory and research and its application in practice.
- Demonstrated ability to manage a complex caseload and to work at an appropriate level of independence.
- Demonstrated ability to assess needs and risks and formulate plans based on best welfare.
- Demonstrated ability to make effective decisions and adhere to agreed lines of accountability.
- Effective communication skills and ability to work in partnership with service users, colleagues, and other agencies.
- Demonstrable commitment to anti-discriminatory practice
- Ability to reflect upon and develop own professional practice.
- Ability to present information effectively and compile written reports.
- Excellent report writing and analytical skills
- Excellent recording and time management skills.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of or willingness to learn electronic systems such as Liquid Logic and the CAMHS Electronic Patient Record (PARIS).
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- As a Therapeutic Social Worker you will have a recognised social work qualification: DipSW, BASW, MASW, CQSW, CSS. Level 3 social worker. Minimum of 3 years post qualifying experience in a statutory childcare setting, including knowledge and understanding of trauma informed practice.
- The co-ordination and delivery of parenting groups for foster carers (Therapeutic Caregiving/ PACE, Circle of Security and Foundations for Attachment).
- The co-ordination of EWMH (Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health) consultation to foster carers and residential home staff teams.
- Contribution of EWMH workshops to the foster carer training programme.
- The assessment, formulation, and delivery of therapeutic EWMH services to cared for children, young people, their families, and carers.
- To model and demonstrate our values and behaviours.
- Thorough knowledge of the legislative framework in relation to children and families, fostering and adoption, and relevance to the placement setting.
- Understanding of current social work theory and research and its application in practice.
- Demonstrated ability to manage a complex caseload and to work at an appropriate level of independence.
- Demonstrated ability to assess needs and risks and formulate plans based on best welfare.
- Demonstrated ability to make effective decisions and adhere to agreed lines of accountability.
- Effective communication skills and ability to work in partnership with service users, colleagues, and other agencies.
- Demonstrable commitment to anti-discriminatory practice
- Ability to reflect upon and develop own professional practice.
- Ability to present information effectively and compile written reports.
- Excellent report writing and analytical skills
- Excellent recording and time management skills.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of or willingness to learn electronic systems such as Liquid Logic and the CAMHS Electronic Patient Record (PARIS).
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
