Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service)
Qualified Children's Social Worker - Child focused courts
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Qualified Children's Social Worker - Child focused courts
Role and location: Information and Screening Team based in Birmingham
Salary: £45,749 - £49,886
A once-in-a-generation opportunity to practice social work differently
Family justice is changing, and Cafcass is at the heart of that change. With the national rollout of Child Focused Courts, we are leading a transformation in how children’s voices are heard and how decisions are made in family proceedings.
Child Focused Courts place children’s safety, wellbeing and lived experience at the centre of decision-making from the very start of proceedings. This problem-solving, less adversarial approach allows decisions to be informed earlier by a clear understanding of children’s experiences, including through the preparation of Child Impact Reports.
The role at a glance
Family Court Advisors in the Information and screening position play a central role in ensuring a consistent and child-focused response at the earliest stage of involvement. This is fast-paced, short-term work that requires timely analysis and clear decision-making. You will undertake an initial, expert review of all incoming families, assessing risk, identifying safeguarding concerns, and determining the most appropriate next steps for children and families within private law proceedings. You are required to gather clear information, collaborate with partners, and at times may be required to complete direct work with families.
What You’ll Be Doing
As a FCA at Cafcass, you will:
- Complete high quality assessments, engaging directly with children to understand their experiences, wishes and feelings — and ensure these are clearly and powerfully represented to the family court.
- Apply your expertise in risk assessment, analysis and mediation, advocating for solutions that place the child’s safety, wellbeing and long term interests at the centre of decision making.
- Work with adults, local authorities, and a wide range of professionals to help resolve complex issues and influence better outcomes for children.
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Who We Are Looking For
We welcome applications from qualified and experienced Children’s Social Workers who share our commitment to child-centred practice.
You will need
- A recognised Social Work qualification
- To be registered with Social Work England
- An understanding of family court processes and private and/or public law
- Strong analytical, organisational and communication skills
- Resilience, professional curiosity and confidence in working independently
We recognise that social workers bring experience from a wide range of settings, including local authority, court, voluntary, safeguarding and therapeutic roles. If your background aligns with our purpose, we encourage you to apply.
In addition to the job description, we've created a factsheet providing some extra information on Child Focused Courts. Both documents - and any others we think you may want to view - are a 'vacancy document' you can access when you are on our recruitment system and available to you before you start to apply.
Where you’ll work
Our Social Workers work flexibly across multiple settings — including the office in Birmingham, home, courts, schools and other appropriate, safe locations, and we ensure you have the technology to do this.
Shared learning is very important to us, and we bring our teams together regularly, both remotely and in-person, for team meetings and group supervision, which creates space to connect with peers and managers, reflect on practice, and feel supported.
Why work for Cafcass?
At Cafcass, you will be supported to do your best work for children. We offer:
- Opportunities to contribute to nationally significant reform in family justice
- Strong professional supervision and reflective practice
- Access to learning from ongoing Child Focused Court pilots and national rollout activity
- A competitive salary and Local Government pension
- Generous annual leave and wellbeing support
- The resources, equipment and flexibility needed to work effectively, connect with children and your colleagues
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Together, we work to ensure that children and young people are heard when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures.
Inclusion and belonging
Cafcass is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the children and families we serve. We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds and value professional diversity, lived experience and different career pathways.
We are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and in the workplace. If you need support at any stage, we encourage you to tell us.
Application process and next steps
We aim to run a fair, transparent and supportive recruitment process. Indicative timescales are outlined below and may be subject to change.
Closing Date
20 July 2026
Telephone interviews:
We'll offer dates / times as close to when you apply as we can.
Final Interview
Once you’ve had your telephone interview, we’d hope to be able to offer dates / times quite quickly.
If you have any questions about the role or recruitment process, please contact Michelle Berridge / michelle.berridge@cafcass.gov.uk in the first instance.
Successful applicants will complete several pre-engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. If any criminal offences are disclosed, we will conduct an individual assessment in line with the DBS code of practice and the Cafcass DBS policy.
We look forward to receiving your application!
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