Experienced Social Workers – Support & Protection Children's Services
Full-time
Mid
Description
Experienced Social Workers Support & Protection Children’s Services
Location - Borough-wide, main office locations Trafford Town Hall or Sale Waterside
Salary range - £40,777 - £42,839 per annum
Trafford council is a Living Wage Employer.
Working Pattern Full Time
Working Hours 36.25 hours per week
We will offer flexibility where we can if you are interested in a role, please speak to the recruiting manager about what flexibility they might consider.
Many of our colleagues can work from home for one or more days a week and/or they flex the hours they work. We call this SMART working, and it gives you the option to flex your days and hours so you can fit your work around your life and life around your work.
Contract type Permanent
Application deadline 9 February 2026
Interview type In person
About the Role
Here in Trafford Children’s Services our vision is that our teams are offering the right help at the right time, and that at all levels our interventions make life better for children and families. We are ambitious for our children and for our practitioners - and our core value is ‘would this be good enough for my child’
We want to have practitioners and managers who are confident and brave in their practice and are supported by strong leaders at all levels. As a relatively small local authority, we pride ourselves on our friendly teams, manageable caseloads, creative approach and colleagues who support each other. We were pleased to see this recognised in the Ofsted report that followed our ILACS inspection in late 2022, which highlighted that “social workers in Trafford are overwhelmingly positive about both the local authority and the support they receive.”
In Trafford our approach is strengths-based, using relational and restorative practice. Our recent Ofsted report referred to our "relational model of social work practice, which is well regarded by the wider workforce, has been successfully implemented.”
We believe that a culture and environment in which our managers and social workers can thrive is an essential element of improving outcomes for children and families. Our 2023 Ofsted report recognised this, noting a “cultural shift (that) has been underpinned by a strong training offer to support social workers to develop the skills they need to provide a better service to children”.
We are currently recruiting Experienced Social Workers (in line with PCF), with at least 2 years post qualifying experience to our First Response Service and would love to hear from you;
Support and Protect (locality based)
We have developed our Support and Protect Service to support children and families who need longer term support and achieving permanence this might be through Child Protection Planning or if required in the Court arena.
We are looking for social workers who are passionate about making a difference for children and are able to work creatively to ensure the best outcomes and support children to stay within the family wherever it is safe to do so.
We have already work closely with our multi agency partners and have started to further build on this in line with the current reforms.
Our teams work well together to ensure the safety of children and are supported to do this by experienced and passionate team managers.
You will be working in a busy and friendly team and will work predominantly with children in need, child protection, care proceedings and private law applications, working on a longer-term basis with children, young people and their families, providing help and support to help families make effective change.
We are looking for social workers who are strong team players who work in a person centred way which is seen across all written reports, assessments, plans and written and verbal evidence for court.
Are you a creative and knowledgeable social worker able to support our most complex families supporting them through effective intervention, direct work and assessments in line with children who are being worked at threshold of child in need, Child protection and children who are being supported through Care proceedings.
You will be working in a busy and friendly team and will work predominantly with children in need, child protection, care proceedings and private law applications, working on a longer-term basis with children, young people and their families, providing help and support to help families make effective change.
You will work in partnership with children, young people and parents, some of whom can be difficult to engage due to their life experiences
You will ensure the delivery of a high quality and effective social work service to facilitate, empower and promote independence, strengths and assets of both individuals and local communities.
You will have a holistic approach to work, with a keen focus on reducing inequalities and supporting individuals to develop their resilience and improve outcomes.
Roles currently available in the following teams:
· South (based in Altrincham)
. West (based in Stretford)
· North (based in Stretford)
Our commitment to you
We know that when you come to work in Trafford, we have a responsibility to provide you with the right tools and support to flourish in your new role.
Induction
We have recently updated our induction programme for new colleagues joining us at all levels. During your first two weeks you will have protected time to get to know your team, our systems and other parts of the service.
Workload
We are absolutely committed to ensuring that your workload is manageable. This isn’t necessarily a specific caseload number, as we all know that numbers don’t necessarily reflect the complexity of the children and families you are working with. But we believe that manageable workloads are critical, and managers will support you and confirm priorities through discussion and supervision. We have performance management reporting of caseloads and therefore at all levels we are responsible for monitoring workloads across the service.
There will be times where there is a level of flexibility required to meet the needs of the service or for individual children you work with, particularly in times of crisis. We will ensure that you are able to take additional hours back quickly to give you balance between your work and home life.
Supervision
One of our practice-led improvements has been to refresh our supervision framework, which has been a really exciting piece of work. We commit to offering monthly formal supervision that is both reflective and supportive and provides you with clear advice, guidance and direction. We also offer peer supervision as part of our refreshed framework, with practitioners involved in deciding the topics of discussion.
Opportunities for progression
A number of Trafford social workers have recently had the opportunity to undertake project secondments and DfE pilot work. We’re always on the lookout for new initiatives that will benefit our service and our practitioners, and we will support you to step up and develop your skills in new ways wherever possible.
It is always wonderful to see colleagues progress within the service and we are keen to support our social workers to reach their full career potential here at Trafford.
A note from Pamela Wharton, Director of Early Help and Social Care.
“Thank you for showing your interest in a role here in Trafford. I hope that you find the information we have provided helpful and that you feel that Trafford is somewhere you want to come and work.
“Trafford is a great place to work and we are striving to make it even better. We believe the service structure we now have in place is working well and is enabling children and families to get the right help at the right time. You will find more information directly from colleagues about working at Trafford on our website. We hope you will like what you see and hear - and will be inspired to join us.
“I look forward to receiving your application. I firmly believe together we can truly make a difference.”
About us
Trafford Council and its partners in the public, private and third sectors have a Vision which sees us working together to close inequality gaps and maximise Trafford’s huge potential.
Our vision: Trafford where all our residents, businesses and communities thrive.
Trafford is a lively, prosperous place to put down roots and build a career. The council and Trafford schools employ around 8,000 people, who are central to making the area great. In return for their commitment, the council offers its employees development opportunities, as well as a fair and flexible workplace. The council is a Living Wage Employer.
Additional Information
Please note the advert may close early if we receive a high number of applications so, please do not delay in submitting your application.
DBS required
Car User and willingness to travel outside of the Trafford area, if required
Out of hours evening and weekend work, if required
About the benefits
You will be welcomed into a friendly environment where your personal and professional development will be encouraged. You will have the opportunity to work and grow in a people-centered and values-based organisation that promotes a positive permission culture. Your opinions matter so you will have the opportunity to shape how we do things here at Trafford.
To learn more about Trafford as a place to work visit and to view more about our awards and benefits please visit: Trafford - Benefits | www.inploi.com (greater.jobs)
If you are applying under the Guaranteed Assessment Scheme then you need to show that you meet the essential requirements of the job as set out in the ‘About You’ section of the role profile. You may be given the opportunity to demonstrate your skills, talent and abilities at an interview or other form of assessment.
OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment - greater.jobs | www.inploi.com
For this opportunity, you must be able to prove you have the right to work in the UK - if in doubt please visit the following link Employers' right to work checklist - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Please note we are not a licensed sponsor and we won't be able to support with your work visa.
Privacy Notice - The Council needs to hold and process information about employees, workers and other individuals as appropriate, for various reasons. With the General Data Protection Regulations coming into force we have in place a new privacy notice for staff, contractors, volunteers, trainees, those on work experience and job applicants. To find out more, please click here: Recruitment & Employment Privacy Notice (trafford.gov.uk)
Supporting Documents
↗ Experienced Social Worker role profile
Calculate your take home pay. Use this service to estimate how much Income Tax and National Insurance you should pay for the current tax year.
Employment could affect your benefits, find out more here. Turn2us Benefits Calculator.
Location - Borough-wide, main office locations Trafford Town Hall or Sale Waterside
Salary range - £40,777 - £42,839 per annum
Trafford council is a Living Wage Employer.
Working Pattern Full Time
Working Hours 36.25 hours per week
We will offer flexibility where we can if you are interested in a role, please speak to the recruiting manager about what flexibility they might consider.
Many of our colleagues can work from home for one or more days a week and/or they flex the hours they work. We call this SMART working, and it gives you the option to flex your days and hours so you can fit your work around your life and life around your work.
Contract type Permanent
Application deadline 9 February 2026
Interview type In person
About the Role
Here in Trafford Children’s Services our vision is that our teams are offering the right help at the right time, and that at all levels our interventions make life better for children and families. We are ambitious for our children and for our practitioners - and our core value is ‘would this be good enough for my child’
We want to have practitioners and managers who are confident and brave in their practice and are supported by strong leaders at all levels. As a relatively small local authority, we pride ourselves on our friendly teams, manageable caseloads, creative approach and colleagues who support each other. We were pleased to see this recognised in the Ofsted report that followed our ILACS inspection in late 2022, which highlighted that “social workers in Trafford are overwhelmingly positive about both the local authority and the support they receive.”
In Trafford our approach is strengths-based, using relational and restorative practice. Our recent Ofsted report referred to our "relational model of social work practice, which is well regarded by the wider workforce, has been successfully implemented.”
We believe that a culture and environment in which our managers and social workers can thrive is an essential element of improving outcomes for children and families. Our 2023 Ofsted report recognised this, noting a “cultural shift (that) has been underpinned by a strong training offer to support social workers to develop the skills they need to provide a better service to children”.
We are currently recruiting Experienced Social Workers (in line with PCF), with at least 2 years post qualifying experience to our First Response Service and would love to hear from you;
Support and Protect (locality based)
We have developed our Support and Protect Service to support children and families who need longer term support and achieving permanence this might be through Child Protection Planning or if required in the Court arena.
We are looking for social workers who are passionate about making a difference for children and are able to work creatively to ensure the best outcomes and support children to stay within the family wherever it is safe to do so.
We have already work closely with our multi agency partners and have started to further build on this in line with the current reforms.
Our teams work well together to ensure the safety of children and are supported to do this by experienced and passionate team managers.
You will be working in a busy and friendly team and will work predominantly with children in need, child protection, care proceedings and private law applications, working on a longer-term basis with children, young people and their families, providing help and support to help families make effective change.
We are looking for social workers who are strong team players who work in a person centred way which is seen across all written reports, assessments, plans and written and verbal evidence for court.
Are you a creative and knowledgeable social worker able to support our most complex families supporting them through effective intervention, direct work and assessments in line with children who are being worked at threshold of child in need, Child protection and children who are being supported through Care proceedings.
You will be working in a busy and friendly team and will work predominantly with children in need, child protection, care proceedings and private law applications, working on a longer-term basis with children, young people and their families, providing help and support to help families make effective change.
You will work in partnership with children, young people and parents, some of whom can be difficult to engage due to their life experiences
You will ensure the delivery of a high quality and effective social work service to facilitate, empower and promote independence, strengths and assets of both individuals and local communities.
You will have a holistic approach to work, with a keen focus on reducing inequalities and supporting individuals to develop their resilience and improve outcomes.
Roles currently available in the following teams:
· South (based in Altrincham)
. West (based in Stretford)
· North (based in Stretford)
Our commitment to you
We know that when you come to work in Trafford, we have a responsibility to provide you with the right tools and support to flourish in your new role.
Induction
We have recently updated our induction programme for new colleagues joining us at all levels. During your first two weeks you will have protected time to get to know your team, our systems and other parts of the service.
Workload
We are absolutely committed to ensuring that your workload is manageable. This isn’t necessarily a specific caseload number, as we all know that numbers don’t necessarily reflect the complexity of the children and families you are working with. But we believe that manageable workloads are critical, and managers will support you and confirm priorities through discussion and supervision. We have performance management reporting of caseloads and therefore at all levels we are responsible for monitoring workloads across the service.
There will be times where there is a level of flexibility required to meet the needs of the service or for individual children you work with, particularly in times of crisis. We will ensure that you are able to take additional hours back quickly to give you balance between your work and home life.
Supervision
One of our practice-led improvements has been to refresh our supervision framework, which has been a really exciting piece of work. We commit to offering monthly formal supervision that is both reflective and supportive and provides you with clear advice, guidance and direction. We also offer peer supervision as part of our refreshed framework, with practitioners involved in deciding the topics of discussion.
Opportunities for progression
A number of Trafford social workers have recently had the opportunity to undertake project secondments and DfE pilot work. We’re always on the lookout for new initiatives that will benefit our service and our practitioners, and we will support you to step up and develop your skills in new ways wherever possible.
It is always wonderful to see colleagues progress within the service and we are keen to support our social workers to reach their full career potential here at Trafford.
A note from Pamela Wharton, Director of Early Help and Social Care.
“Thank you for showing your interest in a role here in Trafford. I hope that you find the information we have provided helpful and that you feel that Trafford is somewhere you want to come and work.
“Trafford is a great place to work and we are striving to make it even better. We believe the service structure we now have in place is working well and is enabling children and families to get the right help at the right time. You will find more information directly from colleagues about working at Trafford on our website. We hope you will like what you see and hear - and will be inspired to join us.
“I look forward to receiving your application. I firmly believe together we can truly make a difference.”
About us
Trafford Council and its partners in the public, private and third sectors have a Vision which sees us working together to close inequality gaps and maximise Trafford’s huge potential.
Our vision: Trafford where all our residents, businesses and communities thrive.
Trafford is a lively, prosperous place to put down roots and build a career. The council and Trafford schools employ around 8,000 people, who are central to making the area great. In return for their commitment, the council offers its employees development opportunities, as well as a fair and flexible workplace. The council is a Living Wage Employer.
Additional Information
Please note the advert may close early if we receive a high number of applications so, please do not delay in submitting your application.
DBS required
Car User and willingness to travel outside of the Trafford area, if required
Out of hours evening and weekend work, if required
About the benefits
You will be welcomed into a friendly environment where your personal and professional development will be encouraged. You will have the opportunity to work and grow in a people-centered and values-based organisation that promotes a positive permission culture. Your opinions matter so you will have the opportunity to shape how we do things here at Trafford.
To learn more about Trafford as a place to work visit and to view more about our awards and benefits please visit: Trafford - Benefits | www.inploi.com (greater.jobs)
If you are applying under the Guaranteed Assessment Scheme then you need to show that you meet the essential requirements of the job as set out in the ‘About You’ section of the role profile. You may be given the opportunity to demonstrate your skills, talent and abilities at an interview or other form of assessment.
OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment - greater.jobs | www.inploi.com
For this opportunity, you must be able to prove you have the right to work in the UK - if in doubt please visit the following link Employers' right to work checklist - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Please note we are not a licensed sponsor and we won't be able to support with your work visa.
Privacy Notice - The Council needs to hold and process information about employees, workers and other individuals as appropriate, for various reasons. With the General Data Protection Regulations coming into force we have in place a new privacy notice for staff, contractors, volunteers, trainees, those on work experience and job applicants. To find out more, please click here: Recruitment & Employment Privacy Notice (trafford.gov.uk)
Supporting Documents
↗ Experienced Social Worker role profile
Calculate your take home pay. Use this service to estimate how much Income Tax and National Insurance you should pay for the current tax year.
Employment could affect your benefits, find out more here. Turn2us Benefits Calculator.