Job Description

Job Title: Senior Social Worker – NRPF Team (PO5)

Location: Newham, London

Salary: £53,919 - £57,150 (PO5) plus £5k Retention

Contract: Full-time, Permanent

Closing Date: 10th Nov at 23:59

About Newham

At London Borough of Newham, we are committed to Building a Fairer Newham—a borough where every child, family and resident can thrive.

We are proud to be one of the most diverse boroughs in the country, and we are ambitious about delivering the best possible outcomes for our communities. Our children’s services have been recognised by Ofsted for strong leadership and a culture where good social work can flourish.

We are committed to anti-discriminatory practice, tackling inequality and disproportionality through our Tackling Racism, Inequality and Disproportionality (TRID) programme. Our practice is rooted in relationship-based, restorative approaches.

Our No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) service supports children and families who would otherwise be at risk of destitution. We work in partnership with families to build resilience, promote independence, and achieve sustainable outcomes.

A central part of our approach is Newham’s Circle of Support—a strengths-based model that brings together family networks, communities and professionals to create lasting change.

About the Role

As a Senior Social Worker in our NRPF team, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality services to children and families with complex needs, including those with NRPF status and those who have been made intentionally homeless.

You will hold a caseload of complex cases, lead on practice within the team, and support the development of others through coaching, mentoring and supervision. You will work within a restorative, relational practice framework, ensuring that interventions are strengths-based and focused on achieving the best outcomes.

You will also contribute to service development, quality assurance, and the embedding of Newham’s Circle of Support approach across the team.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a complex caseload involving families with NRPF and those who are intentionally homeless, ensuring children’s safety and wellbeing.
• Undertake NRPF visits to families mainly based outside of London in areas such as Slough, Dover, Southend, Wolverhampton, etc
• Complete high-quality statutory assessments, including Child in Need and Human Rights Assessments, in line with legal frameworks.
• Develop and deliver strengths-based, outcome-focused plans that promote independence and reduce long-term reliance on services.
• Work proactively with families facing housing instability, including those deemed intentionally homeless, to secure sustainable solutions.
• Build strong partnerships with housing, legal services, Family Hubs, the Home Office, and voluntary organisations to provide coordinated support.
• Respond to duty and crisis situations, ensuring timely interventions to prevent destitution and safeguard children.
• Provide mentoring, coaching and supervision to social workers, ASYEs, and project workers, supporting their development.
• Lead on quality assurance, including audits and performance monitoring, using data to drive improvement.
• Champion anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring equity is embedded in all aspects of work.
• Embed the Circle of Support model, ensuring work with families is relational, collaborative and community-focused.

About You

You are an experienced and reflective practitioner with a passion for improving outcomes for children and families.

You will bring:

• A recognised Social Work qualification and registration with Social Work England.
• Significant post-qualifying experience in statutory children’s social care, including complex casework.
• Strong knowledge of NRPF, immigration and housing legislation and safeguarding frameworks.
• Experience of working with families facing destitution and housing instability, including intentionally homeless households.
• The ability to lead practice, coach colleagues and contribute to a high-support, high-challenge culture.
• Strong analytical and assessment skills, with the ability to make sound decisions in complex situations.
• A clear commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and addressing inequality.
• Experience of, or commitment to, working within strengths-based models such as Circle of Support.

Why Join Newham?

• Be part of an Outstanding local authority delivering meaningful change.
• Work within a strong, supportive practice framework where social work can flourish.
• Access excellent learning, development and career progression opportunities.
• Benefit from flexible/hybrid working arrangements.
• Work in a service that values innovation, including our award-nominated Circle of Support model.
• Make a real difference to children and families at risk of destitution.

TO APPLY

To apply please submit your CV and a supporting statement (1-2 sides of A4).

Shortlisting decisions will be based on candidates' relevant experience and on candidates' suitability for the role in line with the person specification, as described in their supporting statement and CV.

Please view JD here

Closing date: 10.11.26 at 23:59

For an informal discussion, please contact:

Rosina Sibasa – Rosina.Sibasa@newham.gov.uk or Shipa Hussain – Shipa.Hussain@newham.gov.uk

Additional Information

We are committed to creating an inclusive, anti-racist environment for all. When you apply for a job at Newham, your application is considered on its merits regardless of your age, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender identity or sexual orientation. If you share our vision and values, and you bring the experience and skills we need, that’s all that matters to us.

The London Borough of Newham has important responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. If you are appointed to a job that involves working with these groups, you may be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Please attach your supporting statement, explaining in no more than x2 A4 sides why and how you meet the criteria for this role.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found by https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.

The London Borough of Newham is located only 5 miles east of London. It is well positioned with access to all major networks in London and the south east. It is well connected by public transport with, bus, tube and DLR. When the Crossrail service opens it will call at Custom House close to our council offices and also Stratford station and from there to central London. The London City Airport which serves major European cities is located at Royal Albert Dock. Newham has the youngest overall population in the country. It was one of the six host boroughs for the 2012 Summer Olympics and contains most of the Olympic Park including the London Stadium. It has a thriving arts quarter with the Theatre Royal Stratford East offering excellent entertainment for all the family. There is the University of East London which has two campuses in Newham, one in Stratford and another next to the regenerated Royal Albert Dock. It also has a large Westfield shopping Centre in Stratford which has all the major retailers there.