Senior Social Worker – Children’s Social Care / Locality Team (Social Work)
Location: Various locations across Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill, Stowmarket, West Ipswich
Rate: Up to £42.50 per hour (locum social work contract)
Working Pattern: Full-time, condensed 4-day option available
Hybrid Working: 3 days office-based required
Sanctuary Personnel are recruiting for an experienced Senior Social Worker (Children’s Social Care / Child Protection / Locality Team) to join a high-performing service on an improvement journey. This is an excellent opportunity for a skilled practitioner with strong experience in children’s safeguarding, child protection, and complex case management.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage a complex children’s social work caseload (approx. 40 cases), ensuring high-quality, timely intervention and safeguarding outcomes
- Make autonomous professional decisions in cases involving high risk, complexity, and uncertainty, with appropriate managerial oversight
- Lead on child protection (Section 47) enquiries, ensuring robust, evidence-based investigations where significant harm is suspected
- Undertake comprehensive assessments of need and risk for children and families
- Develop and deliver targeted interventions in children’s social care to reduce risk and improve outcomes
- Work collaboratively with multi-agency safeguarding partners including health, education, police, and early help services
- Prepare and present analytical social work reports, care plans, and court-ready documentation where required
- Participate in multi-agency meetings, case conferences, and legal planning forums
- Contribute to a reflective team culture and support the development of good social work practice
Key Requirements / Experience
- Proven experience as a Senior Social Worker / Qualified Social Worker in Children’s Services
- Strong background in child protection social work, safeguarding, and statutory social work practice
- Demonstrable experience managing a complex caseload in frontline children’s social care
- Skilled in risk assessment, child and family assessments, and intervention planning
- Experience in Section 47 investigations and safeguarding enquiries
- Ability to produce high-quality analytical reports for court and multi-agency settings
- Experience supporting or supervising colleagues within a social work team desirable
- Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively in multi-agency environments
Working Arrangements
- Hybrid working model: 3 days per week in office required
- Condensed working pattern available (4-day week option)
- Locum social work contract within children’s services
Why Choose Sanctuary Personnel?
Sanctuary Personnel is a trusted, award-winning recruitment agency with an “Excellent” Trustpilot rating. We specialise in placing candidates into the best locum social work jobs, offering competitive pay, dedicated consultant support, and access to exclusive opportunities.
SocialWorkLocum
Pay: £42.50 per hour
Benefits:
Experience:
- children's social worker: 3 years (required)
Licence/Certification:
- registration with Social Work England (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Suffolk
