Social Worker - Leaving Care and Children Looked After

Posted 21st Oct, 2025
Location
Sutton
Salary/rate
£42,060 – £50,085
Working pattern
Full-time – 36 hours per week
Working arrangements
Blended
Contract type
Permanent
Closing date
31st Dec, 2025
About the role

Join Children Social Care as a Social Worker on selected pay grades and be eligible for our Golden Hello and a Recruitment and Retention Bonus as follows:

£1000 paid in your first month's salary
£1000 paid for your first completed year in service 
£2000 paid for your second completed year in service 
£3000 paid for your third completed year in service and every year thereafter

We've got an exciting opportunity for you to work as a Social Worker within our Leaving Care and Children Looked After Service within Children’s Social Care. Our mission is to empower children to live independently as possible and provide the necessary support in safeguarding their well-being. We need your expertise to make it happen. 

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

  • Undertake care proceedings.
  • Assess the needs and situations of children in care to develop specialised individual care plans that address their well-being and development.
  • Advocate for children and young people in care, making sure their voices are heard and their rights are protected in meetings, court hearings, and other discussions.
  • Collaborate with professionals like teachers, healthcare providers, and community groups to provide coordinated support and review the well-being of children in care

As a Social Worker,  your role is vital to promoting stability, supporting transitions to independence, and working towards long-term, positive outcomes for each child. Your knowledge and expertise will help to provide a stable and safe environment, advocating for children’s voices to be heard and ensuring their rights are upheld in all aspects of their care. You will collaborate with foster carers, families, and a range of professionals to provide consistent and effective support. If you are an experienced social worker, empowered by making a meaningful impact on the lives of children and young people, we would like to hear from you. We are dedicated to ensuring the safety, well-being, and development of children in care.

About you

This position offers an excellent opportunity for individuals with outstanding communication skills and a compassionate manner capable of effectively managing high levels of emotional distress. We encourage applications from candidates with experience in childcare and those passionate about delivering person-centred care. You'll join a welcoming, supportive, and energetic team dedicated to providing first class supervision and ongoing professional development opportunities.

In addition, we would expect the following from all suitable candidates:

  • To be registered with Social Work England and hold a degree in Social Care or similar.
  • Have experience of working in a multidisciplinary team setting.
  • Have sound knowledge and ability to deliver social work support to service users and their families.
  • Ability to communicate complex social issues clearly to both patients and professionals.
  • Ability to plan and coordinate social care plans and aspects of patient discharge.

Please note: Social Workers may be required to travel outside the Borough to visit clients as part of their caseload. Further details regarding the caseload and travel expectations will be provided during the interview process.

About Sutton

Sutton combines a high quality of life, green and spacious, with distinctive town centres providing access to jobs and culture the capital has to offer.

Ofsted rated us as ‘Good’, with 'Outstanding' leadership, in December 2021. However, we have not rested but continue to strive to do more for families, strengthen practice and bring innovative ways of working across our systems.

Our offer to you

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across - however big or small - will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

  • Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)

  • Flexi-time (Please note, this applies to roles at grades 1-9 only)

  • Comprehensive learning and development programme

  • Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities

  • Interest free season ticket loans

  • Local Government Pension Scheme

  • Car parking scheme

  • Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme

  • Zip car scheme

  • Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses

  • Confidential wellbeing and counselling support

  • Subsidised gym membership

Interested in working in Sutton? Hear from our staff below on why they think Sutton is a great place to be a Social Worker.

If you have any questions about applying for this role, please contact recruitment@sutton.gov.uk