Senior Social Worker

Senior Social Worker – Southampton City Council

Salary: £48,738 – £53,052 per annum (plus market supplement)
Location: Southampton City Centre, Civic Centre, SO14 7LY
Employer: Southampton City Council
Job Type: Permanent, Full-time
Working Hours: 37 hours per week
Working Pattern: Flexible, remote and home working available
Vacancies: 1
Job Reference: 17328
Closing Date: 26 November 2026
Visa Sponsorship: Not stated in the job advert.

Job Overview

Southampton City Council is recruiting a Senior Social Worker to join its Children and Learning Service within the Family Safeguarding team.

This is an opportunity for an experienced social work professional to support children, young people and families while contributing to the continued improvement of children’s social care services.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Team Manager and colleagues to strengthen practice, support families and help ensure children are safe, supported and able to achieve positive outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Undertake complex statutory social work with children and families.
• Support children under Child in Need and Child Protection arrangements.
• Work with children looked after by the local authority.
• Build meaningful relationships with children, families, colleagues and partner organisations.
• Apply trauma-informed, compassionate and evidence-based approaches.
• Promote children’s safety, wellbeing and permanence.
• Support reflective discussions and learning across the team.
• Contribute to practice improvement through audits and feedback from families.
• Share professional knowledge and help develop the skills of colleagues.
• Work collaboratively with domestic abuse, substance use and mental health practitioners.

Requirements and Qualifications

Applicants should have:

• A Diploma or Degree in Social Work.
• Registration with Social Work England.
• At least two years of post-qualification experience in statutory children’s social work.
• Significant experience handling complex statutory social work cases involving children.
• Experience in Child in Need, Child Protection and children looked after by the local authority.
• Strong knowledge of relevant legislation, national good practice and evidence-based approaches.
• The ability to support families using trauma-informed and compassionate practice.
• Good communication, relationship-building and partnership-working skills.
• A commitment to inclusive, culturally competent and anti-racist practice.
• The ability to support professional development and reflective learning within a team.

An enhanced DBS check will be required.

Salary and Benefits

The salary is £48,738 – £53,052 per annum, plus a market supplement.

The starting salary is £48,738, with annual progression through the salary bands.

Additional benefits include:

• Local Government Pension Scheme with a 15.2% employer contribution.
• 25–34 days of annual leave, depending on service.
• Flexible working options where the role allows.
• Family-friendly policies and support for carers.
• Learning, development, coaching and mentoring opportunities.
• Health and wellbeing support, including an Employee Assistance Programme.
• Staff discounts and savings through the benefits platform.
• Cycle-to-work scheme and season ticket loans.
• Death-in-service benefit and salary sacrifice schemes.
• Two paid volunteering days each year.

Working Location

The successful candidate will be based in Southampton city centre, within the East Locality, working from the Civic Centre and local hubs.

Flexible, remote and home-working arrangements are available.

About Southampton City Council

Southampton City Council is committed to building a child-friendly city through supportive leadership, workforce development and high-quality children’s services.

The council was rated Good overall by Ofsted in June 2023, with Outstanding leadership.

Employees benefit from a supportive but challenging working environment, opportunities for career progression and access to professional learning and development.

Application and Selection Process

Interested applicants should review the official job description for the full essential and desirable criteria before applying.

The council reserves the right to close the vacancy early if it receives a high volume of applications. Early applications are therefore encouraged.

Informal enquiries: Kayla Styles, Team Manager
Email: kayla.styles@southampton.gov.uk

Recruitment enquiries:
Email: recruitment@southampton.gov.uk
Telephone: 023 8083 4033

Closing date: 26 November 2026

How to Apply

To apply, visit the official Southampton City Council recruitment page and complete the online application.