Newly Qualified Social Worker

Job Description

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.

Due to the nature of this role, you must be able to work outside normal office hours e.g. evenings on occasion if required.

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 demons