Senior Social Worker – Child Protection Service – Children & Families Service

An exciting new opportunity has come to be a Senior Social Worker in Hackney Children and Families – Child Protection Service. 

Are you an experienced, qualified social work professional who is keen to deliver, support and develop exceptional practice in a supportive and creative environment? If so then we want to hear from you.

As a Senior Social Worker in Hackney’s Child Protection Service, you will be working at the forefront of best practice in a social work team led by a Team Manager You will be provided with high level administrative support by a Unit Coordinator. This supportive environment enables you to deliver high quality interventions to children and families. You will provide supervision to qualified social workers and support your Team Manager with the leadership and development of staff within your social work team. We will help you to develop excellent social work practice, providing leadership training leading to career advancement at your own pace.

Hackney is proud of its organisational learning culture and strives to find innovative ways of engaging and facilitating change with young people and their families. We provide a wide-range of excellent training and development opportunities, including through our partnerships with the North London Social Work Teaching Partnership, City and Hackney Safeguarding Children’s Partnership, Making Research Count and Research in Practice.

Dynamic, innovative, committed and passionate, you will bring a comprehensive knowledge and skill-base to the challenge of working with vulnerable children and families. You will be able to access an outstanding range of local support services, enabling you to make a real difference for children and families.

Over recent years we have become renowned for innovation. From Anti-Racist Practice, Contextual Safeguarding, Safe and Together, to Reclaiming Social Work, we have challenged norms and carved new paths. We value systemic leadership and encourage devolved decision-making at all levels – with senior managers working alongside front-line staff. Our teams are given excellent development opportunities and we are proud to be the first local authority to provide post-graduate qualifications in systemic practice. This is an exciting time to join Hackney Children and Families Service, as we embed our Systemic, Trauma Informed and Anti-Racist practice model (STAR).

Hackney’s Children and Families Senior Social Worker role provides an opportunity to shape children’s social work within a high profile local authority. Our service seeks to actively contribute to organisational learning through recognising, promoting and supporting best practice and service development where required, retaining a clear focus upon positive good outcomes for children and families across the borough.

Hackney is one of London’s most vibrant and diverse boroughs. As part of our journey to be Anti-Racist, at Hackney we want our workforce to represent the community we serve, that’s why we encourage applications from Black and Global Majority Ethnic backgrounds.

Our refreshed Children’s Action Plan includes 7 ambitious future focused priorities for our service:

-Proud to be Hackney

-Proud to keep children safe and listen to Children and Families

-Proud to work with partner agencies to keep children safe and to help children and families get the right support at the right time

-Proud to work with partners to improve safety for children during adolescence in all contexts

-Proud to be Anti Racist

-Proud to promote a learning culture focused on outcomes for children, where great practice can flourish

-Proud to support our workforce to do their very best for children in Hackney

Hackney is one of the most sought after areas to live in London with good schools, parks and local amenities, as well as great transport links. We offer a great place to work in an environment which is stimulating, creative, fast moving and supportive.

Permanent staff can access a range of benefits including:

-An outstanding range of local support services supporting you to make a difference for children and families

-The opportunity to build/shape your career in social work through our excellent training offer to staff including Mentoring and Coaching programmes, an Advanced Study Programme, our systemic training offer, our online learning hub and annual Hackney Stars awards

-Financial support for staff through our Tenancy deposit loan scheme, low cost loans, early access to pay and Childcare vouchers

-An excellent location with the ability to travel easily and cycle around the borough, accessing our Cycle to Work scheme

-Flexible working options including working remotely, buying annual leave scheme and flexible working

-Staff discount scheme (vectis card and local discounts across the borough including gyms, theatres and restaurants)

-An outstanding focus on Health and Wellbeing including discounted gym membership, eye tests, Employee Assistance Programme and a range of carer and family friendly leave options. 

You must hold a Social Work England recognised social work qualification or equivalent, be registered with Social Work England and have evidence of continuing professional development.

An enhanced DBS check is required.

Hackney is one of the most dynamic and progressive local authorities in the UK. We are a resilient, vibrant, and creative borough in the heart of London, with strong, diverse communities and a powerful set of shared values.

Over the past twenty years, the Council has built up first-class services, outstanding public infrastructure, and a reputation for excellence, innovation, and ambition. We are leading the way on essential work such as our fight for equity in Hackney with a particular focus on becoming an actively anti-racist borough. But the work doesn’t stop there, we are proactive in our approach to bringing fairness to all aspects of life including gender, neurodiversity and across the poverty divide.

As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.

If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV’s.

To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.

As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge and experience outlined in the job description.

We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

Closing date for applications: 15 June 2025 (22:59)

Interview date: W/c 30 June 2025

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. In order to achieve this, we look for people who are: Proud; Ambitious; Pioneering; Open; Proactive; Inclusive.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk