About Hounslow

The London Borough of Hounslow is a vibrant, exciting place to visit, stay and explore, with many hidden gems.  Miles of rivers – including the Thames, canals, nature reserves and parks, bustling town centres, and a fantastic leisure offer.

Bordering with Richmond, Ealing, and Heathrow Airport in Hillingdon, the borough boasts some of the most historic and biodiverse open spaces in London and a diverse population that ensures an incredible selection of specialist shops and cuisines from around the world. 

The borough features modern housing estates, quiet suburbs, green belt villages like Heston and bustling and fashionable cosmopolitan districts such as Chiswick.

The borough has excellent transport links: the A4 and M4 run through the borough and the area has eight London Underground stations and seven mainline railway stations.

Experience incredible heritage from Highway Men, the Rothschild’s first Country House, the Battle of Brentford, and boat building on the Thames; to being the home of Hogarth, Mo Farah, and Freddie Mercury.

We are proud that Hounslow is a real community of communities and one of the most culturally diverse areas in the UK. Over 250,000 people live in the borough. Hounslow was in 2021 recognised & named the best Council in the country for consistently delivering high quality services and making significant improvements to the lives of its residents.

About children's social work in Hounslow

Social Work in Hounslow is underpinned by a culture of systemic and strengths based practice with high quality relationships at the heart of what we do. We have strong links with colleagues in adult services, and other specialist services linked to children with special educational needs and disabilities and a clear focus on developing Early Help services and Family Hubs, furthering our commitment to community based and accessible support.

Hounslow was in 2021 recognised & named the best Council in the country for consistently delivering high quality services and making significant improvements to the lives of its residents.

Our workforce is our greatest asset. Together we will achieve the best outcomes for children and families.

Children, young people and families are at the heart of all we do here in Hounslow. We listen to what children, young people and families have to say about what we do and how and where we do it because their say matters. Putting children, young people and families first is at the heart of our Family Friendly vision and we are committed to developing and supporting our workforce to deliver excellent services using resilience-based approaches.

We want our children, their families, and the communities that they live within to thrive and achieve, and you will be key in helping us achieve that aim.

We are looking for skilled, dynamic and motivated professionals who are aspirational for children and young people with the ability to drive change in the families and professional systems they work within. If you thrive in a child-centred and creative environment – Hounslow could be for you.

Our offer to you

We know that to recruit passionate, dedicated social workers - where there’s simply more demand than the available resource - we must show our appreciation in more tangible ways. That's why we have put together an attractive package for all our social workers.

In return for your skills, knowledge, and experience, you will receive an appropriate starting salary and a friendly, kind, positive and supportive working culture. We also offer:

  • Annual leave â€“ Generous annual leave entitlements starting from 22 days and rising to max 30 days.

  • Christmas closure – Up to 3 days, between Christmas and New Year, if your office is closed. This is at the discretion of the council.

  • Employee benefits â€“a range of discounts and benefits across a range of companies which you can access as an employee of Hounslow.

  • Enhanced maternity leave â€“ Up to 52 weeks’ leave after the birth of the baby and the option of a phased return over 3 months.

  • Flexible working arrangements - our focus is on the outcomes you deliver and we are flexible about where and how this is best achieved.

  • Local Government Pension Scheme â€“ Open to all employees, this is a tax approved, occupational pension scheme. Your contributions are based on a sliding scale according to your salary band.

  • Learning and development â€“ we want you to learn everyday.  We have a fantastic range of resources and opportunities and are committed to your development throughout your career with us.

  • Premature baby leave and pay â€“ where a baby is born prematurely.  We are proud to have The Smallest Things Charter mark.

  • Paternity Leave â€“ Up to two weeks paid leave Parental Leave â€“ Up to 18 weeks’ unpaid leave.

  • Parental Bereavement leave - two weeks’ paid leave following the death of a child or a stillbirth.

  • Pool cars â€“Pool bikes â€“available for our employees to use for work.

  • Shared parental leave â€“ Up to 50 weeks’ shared parental leave.

  • Season ticket loans â€“ Interest free loans for British Rail, Underground and Bus season tickets.

  • Staff wellbeing services - Including access to Occupational Health, an Osteopath/Chiropractor and Employee Assistance Programme.