Social Worker-First Response

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall, Glenfield, LE3 8RA

Worker Category: Field Based Worker

Salary: (Entry level of Grade 9 (£32,070) until full social work registration is granted. Increasing to the top level of Grade 9 (£37,642 -£42,448 inclusive of market premia at £3,283))

Working Hours: 37 hours per week & 18.5 hours per week

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 1st February 2026

Interview Date(s): 12th February 2026

Previous applicants need not re apply as all prior submissions have been reviewed

Come and be part of our Outstanding First Response Children’s Duty.

It’s an exciting time to be a part of Children and Family Services at Leicestershire County Council, our staff are at the heart of delivering excellent services to children and families across Leicestershire. Come and join us and make a difference in the lives of children and families in Leicestershire.

Our recent Ofsted inspection praised Leicestershire’s work to build “strong and long-lasting relationships” with children and families which lead to many families achieving “positive changes” in their lives. They highlighted an “ambitious and child-focused senior leadership that has successfully created a culture where the experiences and progress of children are at the heart of social work practice”.

You can read more about our Ofsted Outstanding rating here

Our First Response Children’s Duty comprises a screening and assessment team. The screening team is responsible for incoming information regarding children and families, considering support needs, safeguarding and assessing risk. The assessment team is responsible for Section 17, assessment of need across the county, as well as safeguarding Section 47 enquiries.

You will need to be adaptable, to work well under pressure both individually and as part of a team and work to tight timescales.

In Leicestershire, we have a fantastic package to provide our workers. This includes hybrid working, celebrating diversity with a range of events throughout the year, recognition of our staff in annual Pride In Practice events, fantastic learning and training opportunities – enabling our staff to develop and progress within their roles and committed wellbeing support.

We are proud of our continuous improvement plan – ‘Achieving Excellence through Purposeful Practice’ which sets out our key values, behaviours and ambitions. We have embedded the Signs of Safety approach throughout our services and this approach mirrors our values of Aspiration
, Being Curious and Collaboration
. We are focused on working with families and the networks of family, friends and professionals around children, to work in collaboration to achieve shared goals.

We are committed to our vision of becoming a trauma-informed responsive department where we believe we are “stronger together”. Our culture is one of partnership, where we look for solutions and recognise the potential impact of trauma on the children and families we work with and on our staff. We will strive to create a safe, compassionate, healing environment demonstrated through relationships based on trust, respect, hope and empathy.

We will achieve this through a spirit of curiosity, by nurturing connections through relationships, making a deliberate effort to know and understand people, and by providing hope for growth and recovery.

Learn more about how we are responding to trauma, taking pride in practice and celebrating our achievements in social work here.

We support and empower our staff to be the best that they can be. We will give you the support and resources that you need to work in collaboration with children and families.

To apply for this post, you must respond to and evidence the following 7 essential criteria within your personal statement. This should be no more than 1,000 words.

• Be a qualified Social Worker holding a Social Work degree or equivalent, e.g., CQSW, DipSW (with specialism in children’s services) and be registered with Social Work England, hold a valid driving licence and access to a vehicle.
• Extensive knowledge and application of social work legislation, methodologies, social care…