social_careCloses in 22 days

Social Worker - SEND Family Help Service

London Borough of Sutton

England

Salary

£42,060 to £50,085

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time

Closing date

22 September 2026

22 days left

In plain English

What this job actually involves

This job involves working with families of children with special educational needs, providing support and guidance to help them maintain independence and access services. You'll work closely with other teams and agencies to ensure the best outcomes for these families. This role suits someone who is passionate about supporting vulnerable children and families, and is able to work in a team to achieve this goal.

What you'll need

  • You'll need to be a qualified social worker with experience of working with statutory duties, such as Child in Need and Child Protection.
  • You'll need to have knowledge of legislation related to social work, including court procedures.
  • You'll need to be able to work with families who may have experienced trauma or adversity.
  • You'll need to be able to communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
  • You'll need to be able to work in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities.

How to boost your chances

  • Consider volunteering or working in a similar role to gain experience of working with children with special educational needs.
  • Develop your knowledge of legislation related to social work, including court procedures.
  • Practice your communication skills by working with people from diverse backgrounds.
  • Join a professional body, such as the British Association of Social Workers, to stay up-to-date with best practices and network with other social workers.
  • Be prepared to work in a team and be flexible with your workload.

Written by AI to help you understand this advert in plain English. It can get things wrong — always check the original advert before you apply.

Job description

About the BoroughThe London Borough of Sutton is situated less than 30 minutes by train from Central London, with direct connections to London Victoria and London Bridge. Found in zone 5 with good transport links in and out of London, Sutton boasts award winning parks and open spaces, low crime rates, affordable housing and great schools. As well as high levels of resident engagement and satisfaction, providing quality services and success in addressing our financial challenges, whilst involving residents in key issues and high street changes.Sutton is continuously investing in the health, wellbeing and education of our residents and the future generation, as set out in the “Ambitious for Sutton” corporate plan. We are home to the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together with the development of the London Cancer Hub, Sutton will be the world’s leading life-science district, specialising in cancer research and treatment. Our vision will create around 13,000 jobs while contributing £1.2bn to the UK economy each year, a vibrant community of scientists, doctors and innovative companies intended to deliver real benefits for cancer patients and drive economic growth. With the regeneration of the local areas with new homes and schools, Sutton is passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.The Council is seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment. As we strive to improve our services and spaces for our residents as set out in the ‘Ambitious for Sutton’ corporate plan, Sutton aims to shape the future of the borough and adapt to the needs of its residents to make our Borough a great place to live, work and raise a family.About the Service and TeamAn exciting opportunity has arisen for a Social Worker position in the SEND Family Help Service (formerly the Children and Young People's Disability Service) We are seeking a qualified social worker, with experience of working with statutory duties, including Child in Need, Child Protection and Children Looked After. This role will also include Court work, therefore the candidate will require legislative knowledge and experience. The SEND Family Help Service consists of a social work team and two teams with alternatively qualified workers who support children with disabilities and their families. We provide support to children with significant needs, including family networks, short breaks, direct work, preparation for adulthood and statutory social work services such as child protection and children looked after.We believe in restorative and trauma informed work with the whole family rooted in robust multi-agency networks of support.Our service has developed alongside the principles of the Families First approach, with workers retaining relationships with their families, bringing in other services/professionals to support as needed.We are incredibly ambitious both for our young people achieving and thriving into adulthood and also for our service and are embarking on a new journey to develop a physically located multi-agency SEND Family Hub and Help Service - becoming a place that all families can come to for the right support and care, at the time that they need it.About the Role and Our Ideal CandidateSocial Workers on selected pay grades are eligible for our Welcome and Retention Bonus: £1000 paid in your first month salary and £1000 paid at the end of your 1st completed year in service. £2000 paid after your 2nd completed year in service. £3000 paid in your 3rd completed year in service and every completed year thereafter. Reimbursement of the Social Work England Registration. Social Workers within this service area are able to work flexibly between home and work to meet the needs of the service whilst recognising the benefits that a hybrid model of working can bring.Our Offer to YouAs an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:A generous annual leave entitlement of 26-32 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade Enhanced Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leaveTwo volunteering days per yearFlexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role) Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google ChromebooksLearning and development portal offering a range of coursesDiscounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centresInterest free season ticket loansLocal Government Pension SchemeBicycle loan facilities and cycle to work schemeElectric vehicle leasing schemeConfidential health & wellbeing and counselling supportApplication ProcessApply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections.We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities. However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Sutton we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our PRIDE values. Here at Sutton we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. As part of our award winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.Additional InformationWe are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.

How to apply

Applications are handled entirely by the employer on the original advert. We do not collect CVs, supporting statements or application data.

Provenance

Source

LG Jobs

First seen

12 August 2026

Last checked

26 August 2026

Salary, closing date and description are taken from the employer's advert. The original advert always takes precedence.

About the employer

LBO
London Borough of Sutton

social_care

This listing was structured from LG Jobs. Vacancy details and the application process remain the responsibility of the original source.

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