Children's Senior Social (ROTH)

About the Team

The Risk Outside the Home Team has been established to coordinate Sheffield's response to harm occurring in peer groups, schools, neighbourhoods, public spaces and online environments. The approach is underpinned by contextual safeguarding, relationship‑based practice, child‑centred intervention, trauma‑informed approaches, community safeguarding, early intervention and prevention, strong multi‑agency partnership working, and strengths‑based practice with families and communities.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex statutory cases involving exploitation, serious youth violence, missing episodes, online harm and extra‑familial risk.
• Complete high‑quality assessments that analyse family strengths, contextual risks, peer relationships, locations and online environments.
• Develop and progress Child in Need, Child Protection and Care Planning interventions.
• Deliver direct work with children, young people and families using relationship‑based and trauma‑informed approaches.
• Work collaboratively with police, education, health, youth justice and community partners.
• Contribute to contextual mapping, disruption activity and safety planning.
• Ensure children and young people are actively involved in assessment, planning and decision‑making.
• Chair or contribute to multi‑agency meetings where appropriate.
• Maintain clear, analytical and timely recording and reporting.
• Support reflective discussion and shared learning within the team.

Essential Requirements

• Qualified Social Worker with Social Work England registration.
• Relevant post‑qualifying experience in Children’s Social Care.
• Experience working with adolescents affected by exploitation, missing episodes, contextual safeguarding concerns or serious youth violence.
• Strong risk assessment and analytical skills.
• Excellent relationship‑building and engagement skills.
• Sound knowledge of statutory safeguarding responsibilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Commitment to anti‑oppressive and inclusive practice.

Desirable Requirements

• Experience of contextual safeguarding approaches.
• Experience of disruption planning and multi‑agency safeguarding activity.
• Experience supporting colleagues, students or newly qualified social workers through informal mentoring.
• Knowledge of community safeguarding and place‑based approaches.

Success Indicators

• Improve outcomes for children affected by exploitation and extra‑familial harm.
• Support children to develop safer relationships and stronger support networks.
• Contribute to earlier identification of risk and vulnerability.
• Strengthen multi‑agency safeguarding and disruption activity.
• Help reduce exploitation, missing episodes and serious youth violence.
• Support families and communities to play an active role in safeguarding.

Benefits

• Be part of a specialist and innovative service.
• Receive high‑quality supervision and professional support.
• Develop specialist expertise in contextual safeguarding and adolescent practice.
• Work alongside highly skilled professionals and partner agencies.
• Flexible working opportunities, including reduced‑hour contracts, part‑time or job‑share.
• Generous holiday entitlement.
• Support for staff with unpaid caring responsibilities.
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, with a focus on increasing representation of BAME, disabled and LGBTQ+ staff.
• Guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants, care leavers and armed forces veterans who meet essential criteria.
• Opportunity to deliver lasting change for children, families and communities.

Pay

The starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade, with consideration for a higher starting point if payslip evidence shows a basic pay greater than the bottom of the grade. Equality of pay is a priority, and all roles are subject to a pay‑evaluation process that may result in changes from 2026.

Schedule

Full‑time employees work 37 hours per week for 52 weeks of the year and receive a generous holiday entitlement. Flexible working options such as reduced‑hour contracts, part‑time or job‑share are available.

For further information, contact Craig Campbell at Craig.Campbell@sheffield.gov.uk.