Organisation: Leicestershire County Council
Work Location: Various locations across the County
Salary: Level 1/Newly Qualified Social Worker (ASYE) - £37,642 (inclusive of market premia of £3,283) (Entry level of Grade 9 (£32,070) until full social work registration is granted. Increasing to the top level of Grade 9 with market premia (£37,642) once full social work registration is granted and for the duration of the ASYE program (Pay award pending).
Working Hours: 37 hours per week
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date: 18th August 2026
Interview Date(s): 30th September 2026
Have you been qualified as a Social Worker or are you due to qualify? Do you want to work with Leicestershire’s “Outstanding” Children and Family services? We are welcoming applicationsfrom candidates with the enthusiasm to learn and a passion for working with children and families.
Read more about our Outstanding Ofsted rating here and find out more from our staff here
About the Role
We value and support our Newly Qualified Social Workers. We believe the foundations of the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) are paramount to building confident Social Workers and so we are really proud of our ASYE Program and the support we offer to Newly Qualified Social Workers in helping them develop and advance their careers with us.
As a Newly Qualified Social Worker on our ASYE Program, you will receive:
- Entry-level pay at Grade 9 (£32,070) until full Social Work England registration is achieved, with an increase to the top of Grade 9 (£34,359), plus Market Premium of £3,283) upon registration. (Pay award pending).
- Protected and reduced caseloads during the ASYE year.
- Dedicated support from the ASYE Co-ordinator, regular network meetings with other ASYEs.
- Monthly reflective supervision with a practice mentor, in addition to supervision with your team manager.
- Intensive induction and tailored ASYE training.
- Working as part of the social work teams to increase knowledge and understanding including co-working with experienced colleagues.
For further information about our ASYE Program, including helpful videos and testimonials, please visit our website here.
We currently have vacancies across various service areas, which will be discussed with you at interview.
An enhanced with barred list DBS check is required for this post.
For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement.
About You
To apply for this post, you must respond to and evidence the following 7 essential criteria within your personal statement. This should be no more than 1,000 words.
Please note that previous applicants need not re-apply as all prior submissions have been reviewed
- Hold a Social Work degree or equivalent (e.g. CQSW, DipSW) specialising in children’s services within the last two years or expect to qualify within the next year. You must also be registered with Social Work England or expect registration upon qualifying.
- You must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence (or be able to convert your current licence) AND have access to a vehicle.
- Have experience of working with children and families, knowledge of childcare legislation and Local Safeguarding Children Partnership procedures, particularly in relation to child protection and child in need. Be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the theoretical underpinning of social work practice and models used.
- Have an awareness of the cultural, racial, linguistic, and religious backgrounds of children, young people, and families applying inclusion principles in practice across your work.
- Hold strong assessment skills, capable of analysing information to make sound decisions which offer support and are impactful and be able to demonstrate this via examples.
- Have excellent prioritisation and time management skills to ensure the successful delivery of competing and changing work demands and be able to demonstrate this via examples.
- Be proficient in IT, with sound knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word and database applications to ensure clear, accurate and age-appropriate communication with children, families, carers and external agencies/other service providers that support collaborative ways of working both orally and in writing.
In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.
Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.
Leicestershire Children and Families Services
In all service areas you are expected to work closely with colleagues across team and agency boundaries to ensure that families get the most appropriate level of support. Staff workloads are manageable and are monitored and managed closely. Managers and staff all have regular monthly supervision, and you will be supported in your practice by an experienced management team.
As an organisation, we are committed to a strong and skilled workforce providing high quality services to the children and families of Leicestershire, following our relationship-based Signs of Safety practice approach.
We are committed to doing our very best for vulnerable children and families; working to make a positive impact on their lives so they can achieve their potential and flourish.
We are proud of our continuous improvement plan - ‘Achieving Excellence through Purposeful Practice’ which sets out our key values, behaviours and ambitions. We have embedded the Signs of Safety approach throughout our services and this approach mirrors our values of Aspiration, Being Curious, and Collaboration. We are focused on working with families and the networks of family, friends, and professionals around children, to work in collaboration to achieve shared goals.
We are committed to our vision of becoming a trauma informed responsive department where we believe we are “stronger together”. Our culture is one of partnership, where we look for solutions and recognise the potential impact of trauma on the children and families we work with and on our staff. We will strive to create a safe, compassionate, healing environment demonstrated through relationships based on trust, respect, hope, and empathy. We will achieve this through a spirit of curiosity, by nurturing connections through relationships, making a deliberate effort to know and understand people, and by providing hope for growth and recovery.
We support and empower our staff to be the best that they can be. We will give you the support and resources that you need to work in collaboration with children and families.
We want all our staff to be inspired to go the extra mile. We are doing our best to create a culture where practice excellence can flourish. We want to learn from what works, as much, if not more, than from when things go badly. We are ambitious to create a true learning organisation, so …
- We run several conferences each year for staff to come together, reflect and learn.
- Every team sets aside time for team learning each month.
- You will receive consistent, regular, and reflective supervision including group supervision support.
- Twice a year our senior leaders take a week out and spend time with Social Workers, observing practice and talking to young people, parents, and carers about their experience of services.
- All Social Work England registered workers have three extra Continuous Professional Development days each year.
- Our highly valued training offer supports career progression and includes Practice Educator Awards and Aspiring Managers Program.
- We have an experienced team dedicated to supporting practice excellence.
- Our Practice Development Group is well established for practitioners to collaborate on practice development.
- We have a Critical Incident Response service for staff which provides independent therapeutic support within 48 hours.
- We have an excellent Wellbeing Service providing specific support to staff when needed, but also offer events throughout the year.
For further information, please visit:
Interested in Flexible Working?
We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.
For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:
Resourcing Co-ordinator: Jennifer Neville
Tel: 0116 305 7690
Email: cfs-recruitment@leics.gov.uk
How to Apply
At Leicestershire County Council we’re looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just what’s on your CV. That’s why we’ve designed a recruitment process that’s fair, accessible, and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life, we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.
If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire, we’d love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application, ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. Without this information, we won’t be able to assess your suitability for the role, and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement, see the How to Apply section on our career site.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support.
By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.
About Leicestershire County Council
At Leicestershire County Council, we're committed to making a real difference in people's lives. Our aim is to work with communities and partners to deliver public services that make Leicestershire the best possible place to live and work for everyone.
Our employees play a key role in supporting this goal and helping us deliver the vital services we provide to the people of Leicestershire. Whether you're starting your career or looking for your next challenge, you'll find a place with us where your ideas are valued, and your work has purpose.
For further information on what it’s like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following:
Our Recruitment Process
Our Organisational Values
Our Employee Benefits
Working for Us
