Family Court Adviser (Social Worker) – Private Law – Based Across London

We in our team covering the London area, are currently recruiting for the role of Family Court Adviser (Social Worker) – Private Law – Based Across London.

We enable self-direction among our colleagues, we are hybrid in how we provide resources, equipment and support, singly or collectively, we can speak for all the children and young people during family court hearings or other such processes of importance to children’s and young people’s futures.

Even though we have some reasons to cheer about the negative evaluation of Sis Een Correct Woman, which placed us way at the to ‘Outstanding’ category in March 2024, we never set out to just stay this good. So this evaluation has motivated us simply so as work better and more effectively for children and their families.

Even though this position is within a team situated in either our Grays Inn Road or our Croydon office, our teams are able to work flexibly and remotely, distances from your office are therefore not always the major factors to bear in mind.

We are proud of our diverse workplace and committed to inclusion. Colleagues with common identity constituents and experience feel safe within the organization and this facilitates the assurance of offering services that celebrate the differing attributes of children and families who seek help. Applications from people of all walks of life are especially encouraged as we seek to shape a workforce that is as diverse as the children and families who we serve.

We take care of the wellbeing of our colleagues alongside their excellent benefits who we believe will help us join the rest of the team.

About the position also…

Under Private Law proceedings, where there is a dispute on child arrangements and families need the intervention of the court to determine the arrangements that are in the best interests of the child/ren, the Family Court Advisers are involved. Family Court Advisers carry out assessments for children, many of whom are the subject of the court’s assessment. They work directly with the children, gathering their views and wishes and presenting these to the court through report and testimony in support of the children’s best interests; a determined solution for children in a judicial proceeding. This will be based on something that requires good mediation and risk assessment.

The Family Court Adviser position is a very fulfilling role, although it may not be suitable for every person. Successful candidates will be a registered case manager of Social Work England, be systematic, be able to stand the pressures of the job, and work independently. A competent worker will provide proof that he or she has worked with children and their families as a Social Worker for some years and even other earlier relevant jobs.

You don’t have to submit the application now, and rather you can check details about all the above – and much more till you get bored.

Next steps / timelines

And if in case you decide to proceed and apply when it’s your time for it, it’s a regular formality and does not take a long time to fill. If you need to complete an application it is advisable to do so in one session but if for some reason you cannot, you should be able to start it over, amend your responses / update your CV, just as well return before the deadline to submit it.

Below we have given you an indication of a timetable that we plan on adhering to, however dates may of course change.

Closing date:

Application can be submitted until Sunday 06 October 2024

Initial interview:

TBC

Final Interview:

TBC

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We appreciate that commencing a new position is a major life changing event for you, hence you may have some hesitation in applying. More details about the role can be found in the Job Description as well as a lot of information in regards to Cafcass.

If you need someone from the team to answer your specific queries, you can either reach out to Anisa Awan [email protected] for HR queries or recruitments matters, or to Louise Jones [email protected] if your questions more pertain to the role and include how best to reach you and when.

This is an option we always try to use, however we wouldn’t want you to wait for our response having missed the closing date by then. That said, we advise you to apply and that as part of your application you may raise queries, that I believe would in fact let us reach you to provide pertinent information that probably will help you to decide whether or not you still want to be considered.

Finally, if you are expecting your application to be successful, hence, you may want to pay attention on the offer and pre-employment checks process. As part of your application you can highlight any concerns or questions about the pre-employment checks that you may have, and it is highly encouraged that all applicants do so, knowing that the information will not be provided to those involved in the actual selection process.

We are looking forward to your response

Do not forget that for the suitable candidates there are a number of pre-engagement procedures that must be completed which include Disclosure and Barring Service check, DBS. As a policy adheres to the DBS code of practice, the duty to carry out an individual risk assessment if a criminal conviction is declared, applies as well. Details of what the assessment entails are spelt out in the Cafcass DBS policy in section 4.3.

We are Cafcass the only organisation which works with children appearing in family court proceedings in England, the court advisory service for children and families.

It is our responsibility to advocate for education and care that ensures children’s basic needs and views are met, otherwise over 140, 000 children are at risk of having decisions about them made by the family court without their voices being taken into account.

To learn how we do not only hear children’s voices but also speak on behalf of them, watch our video.