Are you a Senior Social Worker ready to embrace the fast-paced world of emergency practice?
Do you enjoy working independently but still value being part of a supportive team?
Are you seeking a role that encourages your professional growth - whether you’re already an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) or working towards it?
If yes, we have the perfect opportunity for you!
We are looking for an experienced Senior Social Worker to join our Out of Hours Emergency Duty Team and make a lasting difference. Come and be part of our team!
Salary Range: £48,618 to £57,726 per annum (SCP 11 + 2 increments)
About the Team/Service
Our Out of Hours Emergency Duty Team is a small, close-knit group of highly skilled and compassionate Senior Social Workers. We manage urgent and complex cases with professionalism, empathy and care. Operating during evenings, weekends, and public holidays, we play a key role in safeguarding children, supporting vulnerable adults and responding to mental health crises.
We provide emergency social work support for urgent situations outside of normal working hours, including:
We are committed to supporting our team with the training, guidance and resources needed to thrive in this challenging and rewarding environment.
About the Role
This is a unique and fulfilling role in a fast-paced and varied setting - no two shifts are the same. Our service operates outside standard office hours (weekdays from 5:00pm to 9:00am, and 24 hours on weekends and Bank Holidays), covering both Children’s and Adult Social Care emergencies.
You’ll work independently as a ‘stand-alone’ practitioner while coordinating with multi-agency partners as needed. Support and consultation from the team manager will be available for complex cases.
Key responsibilities include:
We welcome applications from qualified social workers with experience in either Children’s or Adult Social Care. If you are not yet an AMHP, we offer full support, including training and academic development, to help you achieve this qualification.
About You
We’re looking for a confident and experienced Senior Social Worker with strong post-qualification experience in managing complex, crisis-driven cases. You should be resilient, calm under pressure, and capable of working independently during out-of-hours shifts.
Depending on your background, we’ll support your continued professional development:
To be successful in this role, you will need to:
For detailed qualifications and requirements, please review the job description and person specification located at the bottom of the advert.
If you are an AMHP in Adult Social Care or an experienced Senior Social Worker in Children’s Social Care with a proven ability to manage urgent, high-risk situations, we would love to hear from you!
Contact Information:
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Kate Windows via email at Kate.Windows@southwark.gov.uk
Additional Information:
Recruitment Timeline:
The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme:
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
We are the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues and social enterprises and we have a young, diverse and growing population.
At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities.  Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities. Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do.
At Southwark Children’s Services, we pride ourselves on doing our vital job differently. Our systemic, holistic, family-centred approach sits at the core of our values. And our endlessly supportive, collective, culture underpins everything we do to protect vulnerable children across our borough.
Southwark is a great place to grow and develop as a social worker. We continue to provide fantastic career progression opportunities. Supported by great partnerships and resources we are always growing and developing what we do through innovation, investment in our workforce and, most importantly, listening to children and families, and those that work with them.
Our offer to staff includes:
competitive remuneration packages
the opportunity to work in a vibrant borough in the heart of London with excellent access to Central London and easy transport links to the South East
a multi-cultural and diverse working environment, which provides excellent opportunities for enhancing your skills
modern digital plan with technology to support flexible working arrangements
professional development and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities through an established and extensive learning and development plan and opportunities.
opportunities to train as a Practice Educator and develop experience with student
clinical practitioners attached to every team to support you as an individual and your work with children and families.
culture of innovation and a ‘can do’ approach to problem solving in Social Care
stable, supportive leadership; Southwark has a lower ratio of workers to managers than most local authorities
small teams with supportive managers and manageable caseload
travel season ticket loans, cycle scheme, essential user care parking permits and local government pension
family friendly, flexible and agile working, from home or on-site
wellbeing programme, HSF Health plan and eye care scheme, EAP employee assistance programme, confidential counselling and support, and access to subsidised HSF health plan
If you are interested in having an informal discussion about this role, or working in children’s social care in Southwark, please contact Dan Comach, our Principal Social Worker at daniel.comach@southwark.gov.uk