Experienced Social Worker (Job Ref: 4055)

Children in Need (CIN), Children, Young People’s Disability Service (CYPDS) & Family, Friends & Fostering

Salary: £49, 167.50 - £52, 329 (based on experience) + Travel Allowance, SWE Reimbursement & Retention Payments of £2, 000 in Years 3 & 4

Location: 5 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG / Hybrid

Hours per week: 36

Contract Type: Permanent / Full Time

Closing Date: Wednesday 25^th March 2026 at 23: 59

Interviews: TBC

** AGENCY STAFF, PLEASE CLICK HERETO APPLY **

** We are recruiting for experienced Qualified Social Workers. You must be registered with SWE and have at least two years post-qualifying experience and you’ll receive the following fantastic benefits;

• SWE Reimbursement

• Travel Allowance

• Retention Payments of £2, 000 in Years 3 & 4**

About Camden

Camden is changing on the inside to make life better for everyone. Our residents and communities are at the heart of everything we do. We’re home to the most important conversations happening today and we’re making radical social change a reality, so that nobody gets left behind. Here’s where you can help decide a better future for us all.

We’re recruiting for two areas in Children’s Services: Children in Need (CIN) and Children, Young People’s Disability Service (CYPDS) and Family, Friends and Fostering Services.

CIN Service

As a Social Worker supporting and monitoring children in need and those subject to child protection plans, you will be skilled in identifying and addressing risk, and work alongside families to ensure the children’s safety, development and wellbeing are paramount.

CYPDS Service

The Children and Young People’s Disability Service (CYPDS) works in an integrated way with MOSAIC the integrated children’s health service for disabled children and young people who have complex developmental needs and with the Camden Learning Disability Service.

Family, Friends & Fostering Service

The Camden Fostering Service provides alternative accommodation for looked after children ‘LAC’. The team is part of an integrated service comprising of a Looked After Children’s and Leaving Care team, a virtual Looked After Children Academy, a specialist health team, targeted CAMHS provision and Permanence team.

Please kindly specify which area/s you’re applying for on your supporting statement in your application.

Our Children's Family Help and Safeguarding Service values are that we put children and families at the heart of our practice, which is the core of relational practice.

We use a unique way of working within Camden’s Relational Practice Framework, which is a relationship-based practice, where relationships are at the heart of what we do. It is based on strong relationships between social workers and families and informed by their experiences. Being relational means Camden children, young people, parents and carers, networks, residents and communities experience a workforce that is curious, kind, courageous, honest and collaborative.

Our staff are central to our success and are involved every step of the way. Their work supports improved outcomes for children, their families, and care leavers.

Join our Children's Family Help and Safeguarding team and be part of a team implementing real social change, who are committed to making children’s and families' lives better within the borough.

Our Children's Family Help and Safeguarding Service works with people living in Camden, under the age of 18 and their families who may need some support to achieve this. We also work with care leavers and children with disabilities up to the age of 25.

We have been rated outstanding by Ofsted and are continually looking to innovate and maintain these standards.

This is an opportunity to join a thriving & dynamic service with an OFSTED rating of OUTSTANDING.

What You’ll Be Doing / How You’ll Be Involved

You will be a versatile, agile, and experienced Social Worker. You will have experience in dealing with children, young people and their families with complex needs. Your remit will include taking responsibility for a caseload including child in need work, child protection, where required initiate court proceedings and undertaking a range of duties and responsibilities on behalf of the Department.

As a Social Worker within Children's Family Help and Safeguarding Service, you will have a manageable caseload comprising of Child Protection, Children in Need cases and some court work.

You will have the skills and ability to undertake complex assessments of children and their families and formulate intervention plans that address the identified needs.

You will provide direct social work intervention to children and families in need, undertaking direct work with children ensuring their views and wishes are obtained and are incorporated into the care planning and intervention provided.

As a Social Worker supporting and monitoring children in need and those subject to child protection plans, you will be skilled in identifying and addressing risk, and work alongside families to ensure the children’s safety, development and wellbeing are paramount.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and will require an Enhanced DBS. Please note Camden also offers the DBS update service.

To view the CIN Job Profile, please click HEREor copy and paste the below URL into your Microsoft Edge browser (please note the attached will not open in other browsers):

http: //camdocs.camden.gov.uk/HPRMWebDrawer/Record/11646423/file/document?inline

To view the CYPDS Job Profile, please click HEREor copy and paste the below URL into your Microsoft Edge browser (please note the attached will not open in other browsers): http: //camdocs.camden.gov.uk/HPRMWebDrawer/Record/11646420/file/document?inline

To view the Family, Friends & Fostering Job Profile, please click HERE or copy and paste the below URL into your Microsoft Edge browser (please note the attached will not open in other browsers): http: //camdocs.camden.gov.uk/HPRMWebDrawer/Record/11646428/file/document?inline

All About You

To find out more about what it is like to work at Camden, meet some of our People by visiting 'www.camdenjobs.co.uk/our-stories'.

To be considered for one of these fantastic opportunities it is essential the successful candidate is a fully qualified and accredited Social Worker with current Social Work England (SWE) registration and has at least two years post qualifying experience.

The post holder must have previous demonstrable experience writing complex assessments of a child's needs and/or risk, including designing and implementing care/protection plans and completing court work as well as of monitoring and reviewing such plans over a period of time.

The successful candidate will have sound knowledge of the legislative framework relating to children, particularly the Children Act 1989 and all legislation related to Children in Need.

For CYPDS, the above is required, as well as knowledge relating to disabled children legislation, SEND statutory guidance and knowledge of the Leaving Care Act 2000.

We strongly encourage applicants to write their applications themselves. While we understand the growing use of AI tools, we believe that personal reflection and authenticity are key to a strong application. Please avoid using AI-generated content when applying.

**We have an upcoming Social Work Open Day Recruitment Event on Thursday 26^th March. Please click HERE to learn more about it and confirm your attendance on the day

What We Offer

At Camden, you’ll receive a host of benefits including:

• 27 days annual leave for new starters, rising to 31 days after 5 years
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Flexible working opportunities
• Interest free loans
• Access to our incredible staff networks
• Career development and training
• Wellbeing support and activities

Visit 'www.camdenjobs.co.uk/staff-benefits' for more details.

What makes us different – why Camden?

We believe Camden is one of the best places you can develop your career in Children's Family Help and Safeguarding. Here are some of the reasons why:

Additional benefits for Social Workers at Camden:

• Competitive Salary based on experience.
• Reimbursement of the cost of Social Work England Fees for all qualified social work staff.
• Payment of a travel allowance equivalent to the cost of a Zone 1 and 2 Travel card - currently £1, 788.
• Retention Payments for CIN, CYPDS & LAC:
  • £2, 000 at the end of Year 3 Your continued commitment to Camden’s social work services will be recognised with a retention payment of £2, 000 at the conclusion of your third year of service. This payment will be pro-rated for part time workers.
  • £2, 000 at the end of Year 4 A further retention payment of £2, 000 will be awarded at the end of your fourth year of service to further acknowledge the valuable work you do each day. This payment will be pro-rated for part time workers
• Vibrant central London location with excellent transport links
• A comprehensive core social work training offer provided in partnership with the Learning and Development Service.
• Opportunities for post-qualifying study including The Tavistock Clinic or the Institute Working in the heart of London in a vibrant location with brilliant transport links.
• Care experience recognised as a ‘protected characteristic’ by Camden.
• Camden Children’s Safeguarding and Social Work Learning Academy that provides a framework to deliver workforce development activity and our learning and development programme.
• Opportunity to progress to an Advanced Social Worker Role, which will include developing an area of specialism and support team development.
• Strong values and ethos informed by our Relational Practice Framework, based on strong relationships between social workers and families and informed by their experiences.

Relational practice forms the basis of many working relationships within Camden, including Camden’s well-being offer to social work staff. This includes:

• Support for social workers from managers, who can refer staff to clinicians at the Tavistock Clinic for counselling if needed.
• Camden’s comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme that also offers counselling.
• A regular social work “health check” to measure the wellbeing of the workforce.
• Listening boxes and surveys to gather feedback from staff.
• Wellbeing passport for carers, disabled staff (with both visible and non-visible disabilities), staff with long-term health conditions, and staff experiencing mental ill health.

To see our fantastic benefits on offer please click HERE

**Please click below for the full Social Worker Service Spotlight and read about Camden’s continued Outstanding Ofsted rating Work in Children's Social Care - Camden Careers - Camden Council**

If you would like to have an informal conversation or to arrange a time to visit our offices for a walk through, please contact:

childrensocialworkrecruitment@camden.gov.uk

Inclusion and Belonging

At Camden, we want every colleague to feel they belong and can thrive. We welcome applications from all parts of our community, and particularly encourage people from Black, Asian and Other Ethnic Heritage communities, LGBTQ+ people, disabled and neurodiverse people, survivors of domestic abuse, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds or with care experience. We know that different voices and perspectives make us stronger, and we are committed to providing the support, adjustments and flexibility people need to succeed.

To discover more about Camden and our commitment towards diversity, equality and safeguarding, please visit https: //www.camdenjobs.co.uk/inclusion-and-diversity

Asking for Adjustments

Camden is committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and as accessible as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments or changes for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions. If you would like us to do anything differently during the application, interview or assessment process, including providing information in an alternative format, please contact us on 020 7974 6655, at resourcing@camden.gov.uk or post to 5 Pancras Square, London, N1C 4AG.

Anonymised Application – in keeping with Camden’s commitment to inclusion the recruitment to this role is anonymised and supports the objective of reducing the impact of unconscious bias.