Assessing Social Worker – Fostering Kinship Assessment Team

Assessing Social Worker – Fostering Kinship Assessment Team (Bradford)

• Position: Kinship Assessing Social Worker

• Partner Agency: Supportive Bridge Staffing Agency

• Client: Bradford Children and Families Trust

• Salary: Grade PO3, £42,839 - £46,142 per annum (SCP 32-35) + Annual retention payment (paid monthly)

• Hours: Permanent, Full-time (37 hours per week)

• Location: Bradford District (with a flexible hybrid working option available)

• Closing Date: Sunday 19th July 2026

• Interviews: TBC

Introduction

At Supportive Bridge Staffing Agency, we pride ourselves on matching exceptionally skilled practitioners with career-defining opportunities. We are delighted to partner with Bradford Children and Families Trust to recruit a permanent Assessing Social Worker for their specialist Fostering Kinship Assessment Team.

As the largest fostering provider in the district, Foster for Bradford is dedicated to keeping children safely connected to their extended families. Bradford is a young, dynamic metropolitan district with over 30% of its population under the age of 20 and a richly diverse cultural landscape. The Trust operates with a stable senior leadership team and a practice model deeply rooted in restorative and relational values. If you are passionate about permanency, trauma-informed care, and securing the absolute best outcomes for children within their family networks, this role offers a highly rewarding path.

About the Role

In this specialist role, you will play a vital, active part in identifying, assessing, and establishing family placements where local children can truly thrive.

You will work closely with family networks following initial viability checks, taking primary responsibility for completing comprehensive, high-quality kinship and Special Guardianship Order (SGO) assessments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Comprehensive Assessments: Complete thorough, analytical, and timely kinship and SGO assessments following viability clearances, ensuring statutory timescales are met.

• Trauma-Informed Evaluation: Assess prospective carers through a lens of attachment, trauma, and therapeutic parenting capacity.

• Relationship Building: Establish and maintain trusting, respectful, and open relationships with extended family members, children, and multi-agency professionals.

• Safeguarding Excellence: Apply sound safeguarding knowledge to evaluate potential risks, protective factors, and support needs within the family network.

• Care Planning & Collaboration: Contribute to robust matching decisions, transition planning, and post-order support planning to foster long-term placement stability.

• Report Writing: Produce high-quality, evidence-based assessment reports for panels and court proceedings.

What You Will Need to Succeed

We are looking for a dedicated social worker with refined assessment skills, a strong grasp of safeguarding, and a heart for kinship care.

• Qualifications:

  • A degree in Social Work (CQSW, DipSW, BA/MA Social Work, or equivalent).

  • Active registration with Social Work England.

• Skills & Knowledge:

  • Good working knowledge of fostering regulations, national minimum standards, and the local SGO offer.

  • A solid understanding and/or practical experience of therapeutic parenting and supporting fostering families.

  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to write analytical, court-ready reports.

  • Excellent interpersonal skills to engage with diverse family networks across Bradford's multicultural communities.

• Requirements:

  • An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

What’s in it for You?

Bradford Children and Families Trust is a National Living Wage employer that values its staff, offering an outstanding benefits package:

• Financial Incentives: Eligibility for an annual retention payment (paid across 12 convenient monthly instalments).

• Flexible Working: A modern, hybrid model of working that helps you balance office, community, and home-based tasks.

• Generous Leave: 31 days of annual leave, rising to 34 days with continuous service (plus bank holidays).

• Pension Scheme: Excellent Local Government Pension.

• Work-Life Balance: Family-friendly working policies, enhanced parental leave, and access to Occupational Health and confidential counselling.

• Professional Development: Abundant training, dedicated supervision, and clear pathways for career progression.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

Bradford Children and Families Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All preferred candidates will undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (including the Children’s barred list) and will be required to disclose relevant criminal history prior to interview.