Social Worker - Children with Disabilities

Children with Disabilities Team | Herefordshire Council | £33.30 per hour

Herefordshire Council is looking for an experienced Social Worker to join its Children with Disabilities Team on a locum basis. This is a strong opportunity for someone who enjoys relationship-based practice, understands the complexities of disability-focused social work, and is confident managing safeguarding, planning, and multi-agency work with children and families who need specialist support.

You’ll be joining a service focused on delivering purposeful intervention, clear planning, and better long-term outcomes for children with disabilities and their families.

Role Overview
As a Social Worker in the Children with Disabilities Team, you will work with children and young people with a range of complex needs, ensuring they receive the right support, protection, and planning at the right time. The role will involve completing assessments, managing plans, coordinating multi-agency support, and building strong working relationships with families, education, health professionals, and partner agencies.

This team supports children and young people with disabilities who require statutory social work involvement, including Child in Need, Child Protection, and Children Looked After processes where appropriate. You will need to be confident in assessment, safeguarding, care planning, and direct work, while maintaining a child-centred approach that takes account of each child’s communication needs, developmental needs, and family context.

Herefordshire’s approach is centred around restorative and relationship-based practice, with an emphasis on working alongside families, understanding lived experience, and creating realistic plans that improve outcomes for children.

Key responsibilities

• Hold a caseload of children and young people with disabilities requiring statutory intervention
• Complete Child and Family Assessments, Child in Need plans, and Child Protection work where required
• Undertake direct work with children, adapting communication to meet individual needs
• Work closely with parents, carers, schools, health services, and wider professionals to coordinate effective support
• Prepare clear, evidence-based assessments, reports, and care plans within statutory timescales
• Contribute to strategy discussions, reviews, planning meetings, and multi-agency decision-making
• Identify and respond to safeguarding concerns, ensuring risk is assessed and managed appropriately
• Support children and families to access services that promote stability, safety, and wellbeing
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date case recordings in line with statutory and local requirements

Benefits

• Opportunity to work in a specialist Children with Disabilities service
• Relationship-based practice with a strong child-centred focus
• Supportive team environment within an established local authority service
• Chance to make a meaningful impact with children and families requiring specialist intervention
• Competitive locum rate with a well-regarded council

Requirements

• Social Work England registration
• Qualified Social Worker status
• Previous statutory children’s social work experience
• Experience working with children with disabilities and their families
• Strong understanding of safeguarding, assessment, and care planning
• Ability to work effectively in a multi-agency setting
• Confident written skills and ability to manage a varied caseload

Interested?

For more information, please contact Emily Cooper on 07745 200325 or email ecooper@sheldon-phillips.com

Know someone who could be a good fit? We offer a referral bonus for any successfully placed candidate.