Job Description:

Social Worker – Family Safeguarding and Family Help Service About Enfield’s Family Help and Family Safeguarding Service

Enfield has launched its new Family Help Service and Family Safeguarding practice model, reflecting national reforms that place greater emphasis on early intervention, strengthened multi-agency working and helping children safely remain within their families wherever possible.

Family Safeguarding is Enfield’s whole-system, strengths-based approach to working with children, young people and families. The model brings together Family Help, Children’s Social Care and specialist adult services, enabling practitioners to work with the whole family and address the interconnected issues that can affect children’s safety and wellbeing.

This includes domestic abuse, parental mental health, substance misuse, trauma and exploitation, supported through a coordinated and purposeful safeguarding response.

This is an exciting opportunity to join an innovative, evidence-informed service that places children’s lived experiences at the centre of practice while delivering timely, joined-up support that creates lasting change for families.

The Role

We are looking for dynamic, enthusiastic and committed Social Workers to join our Family Help and Family Safeguarding service.

As an experienced practitioner, you will be responsible for managing a varied and complex caseload and will work confidently and independently to assess need, manage risk and deliver effective interventions. You will use your professional judgement and social work expertise to understand the experiences of children and families, identify strengths and risks, and develop plans that achieve sustainable outcomes.

You will undertake high-quality assessments, develop and review Child in Need (CIN) plans, and contribute to and lead long-term child protection work where required. You will build strong, purposeful relationships with children, young people and families and work alongside colleagues and partner agencies to ensure that children receive the right support at the right time.

The role requires practitioners who are confident in adapting their approach to complex or unusual circumstances and who can work from first principles when responding to emerging risks and changing family circumstances.

Key Responsibilities

• Undertake high-quality, child-centred assessments that identify strengths, needs, risks and protective factors.

• Ensure children’s lived experiences, wishes and feelings remain central to assessment, planning and decision-making.

• Develop, implement and review effective Child in Need plans that promote positive and sustainable outcomes.

• Undertake long-term child protection work, including the assessment and management of complex safeguarding concerns.

• Manage a complex caseload effectively, prioritising work according to risk, need and statutory requirements.

• Assess and manage risk independently, using professional judgement and evidence-informed practice.

• Build and maintain effective relationships with children, young people, parents, carers and wider family networks.

• Work collaboratively with colleagues across Family Help, Children’s Social Care and specialist adult services.

• Develop strong multi-agency relationships and contribute effectively to coordinated safeguarding responses.

• Address the wider factors affecting children and families, including domestic abuse, parental mental health, substance misuse, trauma and exploitation.

• Identify and build on family strengths, protective factors and existing support networks.

• Deliver purposeful interventions that promote safety, stability, resilience and improved outcomes for children.

• Ensure that practice is timely, proportionate and focused on achieving lasting change.

• Maintain accurate, analytical and high-quality case records and reports.

• Participate effectively in supervision, reflective practice, professional meetings and decision-making processes.

• Ensure that practice complies with relevant legislation, statutory guidance, local procedures and professional standards.

• Contribute positively to the development of Enfield’s Family Help and Family Safeguarding model.

About You

You will be an experienced and confident Social Worker with at least three years’ experience in direct employment within local authority children’s social care.

You will have proven experience of:

• undertaking assessments of children and families;

• developing and reviewing Child in Need plans;

• undertaking long-term child protection work;

• managing complex and demanding caseloads;

• assessing and managing risk appropriately;

• working independently and exercising sound professional judgement;

• building effective relationships with children and families;

• working effectively within multi-agency teams; and

• delivering interventions that result in improved outcomes for children.

You will be able to adapt your approach from first principles when dealing with complex, unusual or rapidly changing situations. You will demonstrate curiosity, resilience and a commitment to reflective practice, while maintaining a clear focus on children’s safety, wellbeing and lived experience.

Essential Skills and Experience

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• A recognised Social Work qualification and current registration with Social Work England.

• At least three years’ experience working directly in local authority children’s social care.

• Substantial experience of assessment and intervention with children and families.

• Proven experience of Child in Need planning and long-term child protection work.

• Strong knowledge of safeguarding legislation, statutory guidance and social work practice.

• The ability to independently manage complex cases and competing priorities.

• Strong analytical and risk-assessment skills.

• The ability to make sound professional decisions in complex and challenging circumstances.

• Excellent communication, relationship-building and report-writing skills.

• Experience of effective multi-agency working.

• A strengths-based, trauma-informed and child-centred approach.

• Commitment to anti-discriminatory and inclusive social work practice.

• The resilience and professional confidence required to work with families experiencing complex and multiple difficulties.

Our Practice Approach

At Enfield, we believe effective social work starts with understanding the whole family and listening carefully to the experiences of children and young people.

Our Family Safeguarding model provides an opportunity to work differently: bringing together expertise across services, identifying the factors affecting family functioning and creating coordinated plans that address risk while building on strengths.

You will be supported to develop your practice within an environment that values professional curiosity, evidence-informed decision-making, reflective supervision and continuous learning.

 

Why Join Enfield?

This is an opportunity to be part of a significant transformation in how children and families are supported in Enfield.

You will join a service committed to early intervention, whole-family working and strong multi-agency safeguarding. Your practice will contribute directly to creating safer, more stable and more positive futures for children and families across the borough.

If you are an experienced Social Worker who is passionate about children’s social care, confident working with complexity and motivated by achieving lasting change, we would welcome your application.