Assessing Social Worker - Kinship Team

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall Glenfield LE3 8RA

Salary: £37,642 - £45,982 (inclusive of market premia at £3,283)

Working Hours: 37hrs

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 23rd August 2026

Interview Date(s): 1st September 2026

Are you looking for a rewarding career where you can make a difference?

Do you want a job where no two days are the same?

About the Role

We have a fantastic opportunity for a qualified and suitably experienced Social Worker to join our Kinship Assessment team, on a full-time permanent basis. This is an ideal opportunity to develop specialist knowledge within the fostering service. You will have autonomy and responsibility and really make a difference. If you are enthusiastic and passionate about supporting carers and children with the very best outcomes and supporting them to remain in the care of their family (where safe and appropriate) then we would like to hear from you.

As an assessor in our team, you will work closely with our children's social work teams to secure the best outcomes for the children we care for. In doing so, we work with and assess relatives and friends both as foster carers and/or special guardians to enable children to live within their wider family and friends network – through the completion of comprehensive and analytical Friends and Family assessments (both initial viability assessments and the full Form C Kinship/SGO assessments).

Our team are committed to creating a safe, compassionate and reflective environment demonstrated through relationship-based practice built on trust, respect, support, and empathy. We achieve this through a spirit of curiosity, by nurturing connections through relationships, making a conscious effort to know and understand people, and by providing hope for growth and recovery.

We support and empower our staff to be the best that they can be. We will give you the support and resources that you need to work in collaboration with children and their families. In return we can offer flexible working, supportive and approachable manager, continued professional development, as a great team who are welcoming and encouraging.

A DBS enhanced check for a regulated activity is required for this post.

For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement [https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2023-04/recruitment-of-ex-offenders-policy-statement.pdf].

About You

To apply for this post, you must be able to evidence in your application how you meet the following criteria:

• A Social Work degree or equivalent, e.g. CQSW, DipSW (with specialism in children’s services), and experience in UK statutory safeguarding practice, with a sound understanding of relevant legislation, policy, and procedures.
• A proven experience of coordinating multi-agency work to support children using formal outcome-focused plans, and experience of applying an evidence-based approach to practice, such as the Signs of Safety approach.
• An in-depth knowledge and ability to apply relevant policies appropriate legislation government guidance and best practice in all aspects of social work including LSCB procedures – with specific awareness of the Fostering Regulations and guidance.
• An awareness of the cultural, racial, linguistic and religious background of children, young people and families and how to build effective responses into service delivery. You will need to comprehensively assess, anticipate, and support carers to manage risk, developing child-focused therapeutic parenting skills to achieve positive outcomes for children to remain within their birth family – where-ever safe to do so.
• A proven ability to communicate (both verbally and written using Microsoft Office and database applications relevant to the department) thoughtfully, confidently, and with purpose across all levels of service users (including children, young people, parents/carers, colleagues, and other multi-agencies and professionals), sustaining engagement with people in fluctuating circumstances and capacities.
• Have comprehensive knowledge of the factors and influences which can impact on families and children achieving positive outcomes including child development, attachment and neglect, and parental factors such as substance misuse, domestic abuse, and mental health.
• Use your initiative, be able to prioritise, and offer flexibility to manage competing workloads and deadlines to ensure effective team working, with an ability to travel to locations throughout the County (and where needed across the country) working outside of office hours when required.