Job Description

Shape the Future. Change a Life. Build Your Career in Cornwall

Want to know what it’s really like to relocate and join our social work team? In this video, one of our social workers talks about his relocation journey and what makes working here so rewarding, you can find the video here - Interview - Social Worker Recruitment on Vimeo

The Service and Team :

We are seeking committed, compassionate Social Workers to join our high‑performing 16 Plus and Separated Children Seeking Asylum service, supporting young people in and leaving care through relationship‑based pathway planning.

We work closely with Carefree, a young‑person‑led, award‑winning local charity, alongside a wide network of partner agencies to provide holistic, joined‑up support that transforms lives. You’ll work within a multi‑disciplinary team of Social Workers, Personal Advisors, youth workers, housing specialists, and mental health professionals—all dedicated to helping young people thrive.

Our service was recognised as Outstanding by Ofsted in 2024, who noted: ‘Care leavers receive an impressive level of support in Cornwall and the local authority’s partnership with a specialist commissioned service to young people is exemplary’ .

You can access Cornwall’s Ofsted inspection report here Cornwall Council - Open - Find an Inspection Report - Ofsted

The Role

In this rewarding role, you will place young people at the heart of your practice. You’ll build trusted relationships that empower 16–18‑year‑olds to make positive decisions about their education, employment, housing, health, and wellbeing.

You will support young people who are in care, leaving care, and those seeking asylum, helping them feel secure and ready for independence. Through collaborative pathway planning, you’ll work alongside young people, carers, families, and key partners in housing, health, education, and the community to ensure each young person has the right support to prepare for adulthood.

Building strong, trusting relationships is central to the role—enabling young people to achieve their goals and move forward with confidence.

This role comes with a £4,000 welcome bonus alongside a generous relocation package of up to £8,000 to help support your move to Cornwall (for eligible candidates).

This is a public/customer-facing role, where the statutory English language requirement for public sector workers applies.

This position will be subject to an enhanced criminal record disclosure check.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of an Outstanding service that truly changes lives.
• Work in a supportive, collaborative team with access to specialist expertise, including psychologist, housing, youth justice and SCSA
• Enjoy a role that’s varied, rewarding, and impactful.

• Benefit from ongoing training and development and progression opportunities.

What you’ll need to succeed:

We’d love to hear from you if you:

• Hold a Social Work qualification (DipSW, BA Social Work, or equivalent) and are Social Work England registered.
• Have experience or an understanding of working with children in care and/or care leavers.
• Are able to build strong and supportive relationships with young people and understand the challenges they face.
• Can work independently and manage a busy caseload.
• Have strong assessment and risk management skills.
• Are I.T. literate and hold a full driving licence.
• Experience or an understanding of working with Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children is desirable.

Please note: If you have qualified within the last 2 years, but not completed your Assessed and Supported Year of Employment (ASYE) we would welcome your application as a Newly Qualified Social Worker (NQSW) in order to access Cornwall’s ASYE programme which runs twice yearly. You will need to apply for our separate NQSW advert via the link here

Please read the role profile for the full details of this role attached below in this advert

What you’ll get in return:

We actively encourage and enable our practitioners to progress and reward them for their commitment and expertise. If you are committed to continuing professional development, can demonstrate learning in your practice and in improved outcomes for the children you help and protect, we will provide you with the career options and remuneration that match your expertise.  We support our social workers to stay in front line practice as advanced practitioners or move to front line management, both of which attract the same pay.

As part of our commitment to outstanding practice, we have put in place a comprehensive core curriculum and career and qualification pathway for our social workers to develop their knowledge and skills to deliver the most effective social work intervention with children and families.

Cornwall is one of the best places in the country to live, work and bring up a family. It’s location and landscape offer unique opportunities for a healthier, happier way of life.  We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our staff and we recognise that resilient Social Workers need a good work/life balance as well as supportive leadership and support in the workplace.

In recognition of the vital contribution you make, we offer an attractive package of benefits including:

• A competitive starting salary and the opportunity to increase your pay further as you progress
• Welcome bonus of £4000 for qualified Social Workers who are new to social work in Cornwall and have completed their ASYE
• £3000 Annual Market Supplement for Advanced Practitioners
• A generous relocation package
• An excellent core curriculum to support your ongoing development and a outstanding career and qualification pathway, recognised by Ofsted as a foundation of Cornwall’s good practice, which will support your progression.
• Supportive management and leadership with regular, high-quality case and reflective supervision
• Access to a Cornwall Council lease car and pool car scheme
• 26 days paid annual leave per year (rising with length of service), plus bank holidays
• Flexible working opportunities, including part-time hours, compressed hours and homeworking

• Payment of your Social Work England registration fees.

Additional Information:

Cornwall Council is unable to offer visa sponsorship or transfer existing sponsorship for this role.

The full role profiles are attached here:

Social Worker (NQSW)

Advanced Social Worker

Experienced Social Worker

For more information or an informal chat about the role please contact Charlotte Trevenna on Charlotte.Trevenna@cornwall.gov.uk

Application Process

Please attach a supporting statement to your application, you can add your Education & Qualifications details manually using the application form timeline or you can upload your CV. Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points marked as ‘Application’ on the Role Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had. Guidance on how to complete your application can be found here – The application process

Please note that applications cannot be edited after they have been submitted, please contact careers@cornwall.gov.uk if you have any queries or require assistance with your application.

Existing employees must apply using their Cornwall Council email address through the Opportunity Marketplace on Oracle.

Cornwall Council deliver services to more than half a million local people and over five million visitors a year. Working here - Cornwall Council

We are happy to talk about flexible working options such as part-time or compressed hours. More examples of our flexible working opportunities can be found here - flexible working options

Fairness and inclusion are at the heart of our vision for Cornwall. In order to best serve our communities, we are striving to achieve a diverse workforce that is inclusive of all backgrounds, cultures and identities; e.g., race, disability, sex, gender reassignment status, age, religion and sexual orientation. We are an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer, and we will assess applicants on their merits.

Cornwall Council is committed to safeguarding and following safer recruitment principles to help make sure our staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children, young people and adults at risk. It’s a vital part of creating a safe and positive environment and making a commitment to keeping all service users safe from harm.