Senior Social Worker – Child Protection (Edinburgh)

About the role

We are seeking a Senior Social Worker to lead complex child protection cases within Edinburgh City Council’s Children and Families Team. The role involves direct work with children, young people and families facing high‑risk situations, requiring advanced social work expertise and strong leadership.

Key responsibilities

• Undertake direct work with children, young people and families on highly complex, high‑risk cases.
• Conduct and review detailed child protection and risk assessments, balancing protective and risk factors.
• Lead the planning, implementation, review and evaluation of Children’s Plans in line with GIRFEC guidance.
• Prepare comprehensive reports for Children’s Hearings and other statutory forums.
• Act as Lead Professional, coordinating with Police Scotland, NHS, education and other partner agencies.
• Provide expert advice, modelling best practice and mentoring less experienced staff.
• Deliver professional supervision and support to team members, including newly qualified social workers.
• Contribute to referral screening, prioritisation and allocation in line with council policies.
• Deputise for the Team Manager/Field Work Manager, chair multi‑agency meetings and represent the service externally.

Required profile

• Qualified social worker with extensive experience in child protection.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex, high‑risk cases and lead multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Strong knowledge of statutory frameworks such as GIRFEC.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for report preparation and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to provide supervision, mentorship and professional development to colleagues.

Required skills

• Advanced social work practice.
• Risk assessment and case planning.
• Multi‑agency collaboration.
• Report writing for statutory hearings.

What we offer

• Hybrid working arrangement.
• Competitive hourly rate (£40‑£45).
• Mileage reimbursement.
• Weekly pay.
• Supervision and professional development.
• Referral incentive – £300 voucher per successful referral.
• Access to free training, discounts via Hapi App, and health, medical and financial advice.