Locum Child Protection Senior Social Worker

Senior Practitioner – Children’s Services (Staffordshire Moorlands District Council)

Job Overview

We are recruiting an experienced **Senior Practitioner (Qualified Social Worker)** to join **Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s Children’s Services team**. This senior role combines managing complex child protection and safeguarding cases with providing professional support and guidance to colleagues.

As a Senior Practitioner, you will help to ensure that children are safeguarded, families are supported, and statutory duties are fulfilled. You will also contribute to service development, mentoring, and reflective practice within the children’s social care team.

Key Responsibilities

– Lead on complex children’s social care cases, including safeguarding, child protection enquiries, and court work. – Carry out detailed assessments of children and families, ensuring the child’s voice is central to all planning. – Develop, implement, and review outcome-focused care and support plans. – Provide professional guidance, supervision, and mentoring to social workers and support staff. – Prepare high-quality, evidence-based reports for court, statutory reviews, and multi-agency panels. – Work in partnership with schools, health services, police, and voluntary sector organisations to ensure effective support. – Ensure compliance with the Children Act and relevant safeguarding legislation. – Support continuous improvement, service audits, and reflective practice across the team.

About You

You are an experienced and resilient social worker with significant practice knowledge in children’s services. You have the leadership skills to mentor colleagues while confidently managing complex and high-risk cases. With strong decision-making and communication abilities, you are committed to safeguarding children and achieving positive outcomes for families.

Requirements

– Qualified Social Worker (QSW) with registration to **Social Work England**. – Substantial post-qualification experience in **Children’s Services**, including safeguarding and child protection. – Strong understanding of child development, family dynamics, and relevant legislation. – Experience of supervising, mentoring, or providing professional support to colleagues. – Excellent report-writing, assessment, and analytical skills. – Ability to manage competing priorities and make evidence-based decisions under pressure.

Contract & Salary

– Employer: **Staffordshire Moorlands District Council** – Service: **Children’s Services** – Contract type: **Full-time, locum/temporary contract via Tripod Partners** – Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience

How to Apply

If you are a Qualified Social Worker with the skills and experience to take on a Senior Practitioner role with Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, we would like to hear from you. Please **apply using the form on the page**.