Social Worker

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Riverside, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0EQ - Hybrid working
• Salary: £38,510 - £42,123 per annum pro rata, plus, a retention payment of up to £4,000 per year pro rata
• Hours: 32.5 hours per week, flexible working options available
• Contract: Permanent

Do you want to make a lasting difference to children in care by supporting the foster carers who provide them with safe, stable and nurturing homes? We’re looking for a Social Worker to join our Fostering Team North, providing supervision, support and guidance to foster carers and helping them achieve the best possible outcomes for the children in their care.

Reimagine the possibilities

Your role and responsibilities

You will:

• Work directly with foster carers

• Provide statutory supervision and support to foster carers to ensure they are able to provide good quality care which can meet the needs of our children in care.

• Work within the fostering standard regulations and support foster carers to demonstrate that they can meet all national minimum standards.

• Facilitate support groups and learning opportunities for foster carers. have the opportunity to contribute creative and innovative ideas to improve practice in a well-established and supportive team.

• Work closely with the Therapeutic team to promote trauma informed care alongside our Therapeutic social workers and our Clinicians.

• Work in partnership with the Home Finding team to match and place children needing fostering households and ensuring maximum use of in-house foster care.

• Provide occasional supervision and unannounced visits to fostering households outside of usual office hours.

You will need

• A relevant social work qualification and Social Work England registration
• To hold a full and current driving licence and have access to personal transport or meet the mobility requirements of the role through other reasonable and suitable means.

Take a look at what makes our Ideal Worker (pdf), shaped by the voices of young people.

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profiles below, if you believe you can succeed in this role, please apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

Additional Benefits

• Up to 29 days annual leave plus bank holidays per annum, pro rata for part time.
• An uplift of 3 additional annual leave days, pro rata for part time.
• 3 protected CPD days per annum.
• Access to a relocation package of up to £8,000, a car leasing scheme and a welcome loan of £2,000 for all new social workers moving to Suffolk.
• Free on-site car parking in all council buildings.
• Flexible working options and our commitment to supporting health and wellbeing.
• Detailed induction programme, including mandatory Signs of Safety training.
• Staff networks which are open to staff, councillors and partners that share similar characteristics, life experiences, values and beliefs.

The team

You will join Fostering Team North, part of our Fostering Service, supporting and supervising foster carers across Suffolk to provide safe, stable and nurturing homes for children in care. The team works with fostering households providing short-term, emergency, short-break and permanent fostering arrangements, helping carers achieve the best possible outcomes for the children they care for. You will work closely with colleagues across the Fostering Service and in partnership with Parenting Together and Next Steps social workers to support care planning and help children achieve permanence, whether through reunification, fostering, special guardianship or adoption. This role provides the opportunity to deliver a holistic service to fostering families, supporting carers and helping children and young people to thrive and reach their full potential.

Empowering Everyone

We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report.

For more information

Please contact Lorraine Abblett, she/her, for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling 07710 064801 or emailing Lorraine.Ablett@suffolk.gov.uk

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word).

Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application.

Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement answering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the Supporting Statement template (Word).

1. Tell us about your experience of supporting children, families or carers to achieve positive outcomes. What was your role and what difference did you make?
2. Give an example of when you identified and managed a safeguarding concern or risk. What action did you take and why?
3. Describe a time when you worked effectively with other professionals or agencies to achieve the best outcome for a child or family.

Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.

For guidance on completing your application, please see our How to Apply page.

Planning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Please ensure your application still reflects your own skills, experience and ideas. If used inappropriately, your application may not be processed. Please read our guidance for using AI to understand what’s acceptable.

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team at recruitment@suffolk.gov.uk or 03456 014412. You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages.

Closing date: 26 November 2026

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid

As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We’re driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.

In return, you’ll enjoy:

• up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days
• membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
• performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase
• training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
• a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
• diverse and active staff networks
• flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day

If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk).