Social Worker - Children in Care

Children in Care Team | Knowsley Council | £39 per hour

About the role

This is a Children in Care role within a statutory children’s service, working with children and young people subject to care proceedings, care orders, and long-term care planning. You’ll hold cases from care entry through to permanence, working closely with carers, IROs, schools, health, and wider professionals to ensure children’s needs are met and plans progress without drift.

The role requires strong care planning practice, direct work with children, and clear recording. Confidence around court-related work, statutory visits, and placement stability is important.

Key responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of children and young people in care, ensuring all statutory duties are met.
• Complete statutory visits and direct work, keeping the child’s lived experience central to planning.
• Develop and progress care plans that are outcome-focused, realistic, and regularly reviewed.
• Work toward permanence planning (reunification, long-term fostering, kinship, or adoption where appropriate).
• Monitor and support placement stability, identifying risks early and taking action to reduce disruption.
• Prepare high-quality reports for Looked After Reviews, court, and other statutory meetings.
• Work closely with IROs, foster carers, residential settings, schools, and health professionals.
• Participate in multi-agency meetings and ensure plans are progressed within timescales.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date case recordings in line with statutory requirements and local policy.
• Escalate safeguarding concerns appropriately and take timely action where risk increases.

Benefits

• £39 per hour locum rate
• Well-established statutory team with a clear focus on children in care
• Good fit for social workers with strong care planning and permanence experience
• Meaningful, relationship-based work with children and young people

Requirements

• Social Work qualification (Degree/DipSW/CQSW or equivalent)
• Social Work England registration
• Recent statutory children’s social work experience
• Experience in a Children in Care / Looked After Children / Corporate Parenting team
• Confident with care planning, permanence planning, and statutory processes
• Strong assessment, recording, and multi-agency working skills

Interested?

For more information or to apply, contact:

Emily Cooper
ecooper@sheldon-phillips.com | 07745 200325

Know someone suitable? We offer a referral bonus for successful recommendations.