Senior Social Worker for Adolescents
Closing date: 30 July 2026
Senior Social Worker for Adolescents – Maternity Cover (until 24 September 2027)
Join UCLH as a Senior Social Worker for Adolescents and help deliver high‑quality, age‑appropriate support to young people with complex health, social, emotional and safeguarding needs. Based within our specialist adolescent service, this maternity cover post offers the opportunity to work with a skilled multidisciplinary team in a nationally recognised acute and specialist trust.
You will need strong social work assessment skills, confidence managing risk and safeguarding concerns, and a commitment to improving outcomes for adolescents and their families. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced social worker who is passionate about adolescent health, complex care and collaborative practice.
Main duties of the job
You will provide specialist social work input for adolescents aged 13‑19 admitted to the unit, including young people arriving via A&E and those with long‑term complex conditions. You will undertake timely assessments, contribute to risk management and discharge planning, respond to safeguarding concerns, and work closely with families, ward staff, CAMHS, adult mental health teams, local authorities and community services across the UK.
The role also includes supporting vulnerable young adults, contributing to best‑interest and multi‑agency meetings, maintaining high‑quality records, offering expert advice to colleagues, and deputising for the Lead/Consultant Social Worker when required.
Person Specification
1. Knowledge & Qualifications
- UK‑recognised qualification in Social Work
- Completed/completing Masters Degree
- Registered Social Work England
- Knowledge and understanding of child & adolescent development, parenting capacity, environmental factors and risk and protective factors
- Knowledge of childcare legislation, statutory guidance and the London safeguarding children procedures
- Knowledge and understanding of a range of social work interventions and methodologies
- Knowledge & understanding of sickness and disability benefits
2. Experience
- Minimum of 2 years post‑qualifying experience working with children, young people and families with complex needs including child protection cases
- Experience of working with young people with long‑term health conditions/disabilities
- Experience of working with young people with complex emotional/mental health needs
- Experience of working with young vulnerable adults
- Experience of working as part of a multi‑disciplinary team
3. Communication
- Demonstrates a high level of consultative, interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills, including the ability to deal with complex issues in a sensitive and appropriate manner
- Communicates effectively verbally, in writing and in electronic formats
- Has ability to create a rapport and build relationships with young people, parents & carers
- Communicates with young people and carers in an empathetic manner
- Demonstrates understanding of good practice in customer care
4. Assessment & Care Planning
- Ability to gather information quickly and effectively to inform judgement for interventions including in crises
- Ability to use assessment frameworks, including risk assessments, discerningly
- Ability to summarise, analyse and evaluate complex information
- Ability to make timely, realistic and safe care plans in conjunction with young people, carers, other members of the multidisciplinary team and outside agencies
5. Liaison and working in partnership with other agencies
- Ability to develop and maintain effective inter‑agency working relationships
6. Personal And People Development
- Evidence of comprehensive and up‑to‑date continuing professional development
- Reflective practice
- Expects supervision that covers practice, organisational aspects of the role and the impact of work on self
- Experience of contributing to training programmes and delivering teaching to colleagues and other agencies
- Models the social work role and able to provide expertise and specialist social work advice, guidance and consultation to other staff
7. Quality
- Understands importance of and own role in clinical governance and risk management
- Understands importance of quality assurance processes
8. Information processing
- Willingness to work with electronic patient records (EPIC)
- Able to perform basic database interrogation as requested
- Able to collate simple datasets and present in a logical format
- Willingness and ability to manage small sums of money from charitable funds
10. Resilience
- Ability to thrive in a complex and at times emotionally challenging environment and demonstrate resilience
- Ability to work well under pressure and or in times of crisis
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and, as such, it will be necessary for a submission to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Salary
£58,133 to £65,261 a year (per annum inclusive of HCAS)
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