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Senior Social Worker - Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children
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Senior Social Worker - Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children
Children’s Senior Social Worker – Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children Service
About the Role
At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are dedicated to providing outstanding care and support to children and families across Birmingham. We seek a passionate and experienced Children’s Senior Social Worker to join our Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) service.
Our mission is to ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive in a safe, nurturing environment. You will play a crucial role in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people, addressing their unique needs, supporting them through the immigration system, and creating lifetime opportunities.
Key Features of the Role:
- Hybrid role based in Birmingham
- Ofsted-rated “Good” organisation
- Focus on trauma-informed, holistic support for vulnerable young people
Responsibilities
Your role will involve:
- Safeguarding and welfare support: Assessing needs, developing care plans, and providing ongoing support to ensure children and young people are safe, happy, and healthy.
- Safeguarding duties: Ensuring rigorous monitoring of wellbeing, risk management, and robust care planning compliance.
- Trauma awareness: Supporting children who have experienced significant loss, challenge, or trauma, whilst empowering them through a safe and nurturing pathway.
- Age assessments: Facilitating age assessments where necessary, reflecting appropriately in care planning decisions.
- Navigating the immigration system: Guiding children and young people through complex bureaucratic and legal processes, including applications, appeals, and evidence gathering.
- Case management: Leading on complex case files from initial identification to completed permanence planning.
- Advocacy: Bringing the child’s voice to the forefront of decision-making, ensuring their experiences, preferences, and aspirations profoundly shape.
Desirable Skills:
- Experience in writing high-quality, analytical court reports within strict deadlines.
- Experience with placement stability and permanence planning.
- Understanding and application of child development needs in intersectional contexts.
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Requirements
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Must have:
- A degree in Social Work or equivalent qualification.
- Registration with Social Work England (SWE)—in good standing.
- At least 3 years’ post-qualified experience (PQE) as a registered Social Worker.
- Experience working in children’s social care, specifically preferential experience within fostering or higher-risk safeguarding contexts.
- Ability to provide outstanding service continuously to children and carers.
- Exceptional analytical, evidence-based report-writing skills, demonstrating professional curiosity and respectful challenge.
- Strong interpersonal and teamworking skills with capacity to manage antennae and own practice innovatively.
- Solid knowledge of care planning legislation including fostering regulation, national minimum standards, and safeguarding standards.
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Desirable:
- Court report experience.
- Demonstrated capacity to lead on challenging, multi-agency assessments.
Additional Role Requirements:
- Must reside within commutable distance of Birmingham.
- Willingness to hold/retain a valid CAS (Child Arrangements Schedule)/DBS check appropriate to the role.
- Proof of right to work in the UK.
Benefits
At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we value your professional growth, well-being, and work-life balance. You’ll enjoy:
- £1,000 One-Off Welcome Payment: Paid as part of your first salary month.
- Retention Payment: Up to £5,000 per annum, paid monthly (subject to tax/NI deductions).
- Registration Fees: Full payment of your Social Work England registration fee.
- DBS Support: Payment of your DBS application fee, plus reimbursement of DBS Update Service subscription.
- Generous Leave: 30-day leave allowance (+ bank holidays), increasing to 33 days after 5 years and 35 days after 10 years.
- Flexible Working: Hybrid model with an early finish every Friday to enhance work-life balance.
- Car Scheme: Salary sacrifice scheme offering all-inclusive lease packages with no deposit or credit checks.
- On-Site Parking: Free parking and electric vehicle charging points at Birmingham offices.
- Employee Benefits Package:
- Occupational Health support.
- Reward and recognition schemes.
- Blue Light Card discounts.
- Health, fitness, and wellbeing support.
- Salary Sacrifice Car Lease: Full flexibility to choose a new vehicle.
- Pension: Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme, offering competitive career average revaluation terms.
- Discounted Gym Memberships: Free access to PureGym or Nuffield Health through work.
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Why Join Us?
- Transform Lives: Make a profound and lasting impact on vulnerable children and families.
- Collaborative Environment: Work within a supportive, mission-driven culture that values innovation and individual support.
- Career Development: Access to tailored training, mentorship, and professional advancement opportunities.
- Flattening Workloads: Enjoy structured time off and benefits that prioritise your well-being, ensuring sustainable career progression.
Our Values
- Listen and Learn: Actively engage children and young people in decisions that affect them.
- Protect Every Child’s Future: Champion their voice, interests, and agency with full regard.
- Collaboration: Foster strong partnerships with professionals across healthcare, education, and law enforcement – together, we thrive.
Safeguarding Commitment
At Birmingham Children’s Trust, safeguarding is non-negotiable. You will be required to:
- Undergo a refreshed DBS check (Standard/Enhanced levels, dependent on role level).
- Support the Trust in fair recruitment practices, including efficient handling of criminal records (where circumstances are considered against existing safeguarding measures).
We may close the recruitment early due to response volume, so apply promptly to meet eligibility.
Join us and be part of a team dedicated to building a brighter future for Birmingham’s children.
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