Children's Social Worker Allocation Hub
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Job Summary
The Vacancy
At Cafcass were recruiting Childrens Social Workers professionally known as Family Court Advisers (FCAs) who share our passion commitment and ambition to facilitate positive outcomes for children involved in private and public law family court proceedings. This Particular role in within the Allocation Hub
TheAllocation Hubmaintain safe oversight of our work for children and familiesprior to allocatinga Family Court Advisor (FCA) or when our report to court for children has been completedbut there is no court hearing listed within 6 weeks or at all.
Whatever the team you join the underlying role is the same to speak on behalf of children and young people to ensure their thoughts wishes and feelings are not just understood but heard.
As the only organisation that does this kind of work FCAs can make recommendations leading to lasting change for children and families which is why this it is responsibility we take seriously. And why were committed to creating a safe healthy and supportive environment for our colleagues to practice.
What youll be doing
As a FCA at Cafcass you will:
- Complete highquality assessments engaging directly with children to understand their experiences wishes and feelings and ensure these are clearly and powerfully represented to the family court.
- Managing tight deadlines and prioritising incoming cases rapid case screening and allocation management.
- Apply your expertise in risk assessment analysis and mediation advocating for solutions that place the childs safety wellbeing and longterm interests at the centre of decisionmaking.
- Work with adults local authorities and a wide range of professionals to help resolve complex issues and influence better outcomes for children.
Who were looking for:
Were looking for practitioners who are confident curious compassionate and committed to excellent social work practice.
To join us youll need:
- A Social Work qualification is essential.
- Have the Right to Work in the UK (we dont sponsor people to work in the UK).
- Registered with Social Work England (or likely to be able to register quickly if practising outside England).
- Recent relevant experience of working directly with children and families.
- Its desirable youll have experience in family court proceedings or knowledge of Private and/or Public Law.
- For applicants with limited postqualifying experience relevant prequalifying experience supporting children and families may be beneficial.
- Strong organisational skills professional resilience and the ability to work independently while effectively managing a varied caseload.
You can view the full job description in the vacancy documents.
Where youll work
Our Social Workers work flexibly across multiple settingsincluding the offices in either Bristol Swindon Reading or Oxford homeand other appropriate safe locations and we ensure you have the technology to do this.
Shared learning is very important to us and we bring our teams together regularly both remotely and in-person for team meetings and group supervision which creates space to connect with peers and managers reflect on practice and feel supported.
Youll also have regular 1:1 time with your manager especially during your induction and again there will be a balance between doing this remotely and in-person so you have opportunities to form in-person connections.
If shortlisted the hiring manager will be able to give you more insight into what a typical week or month might look like should you join us.
How we support you
As the largest employer of Childrens Social Workers in England were uniquely placed to support your professional growth and wellbeing.
At Cafcass youll benefit from:
- Highquality equipment and technology to help you work efficiently and engage with families effectively.
- Access to specialist resources guidance and training to strengthen your practice.
- A strong commitment to wellbeing reflective supervision and healthy worklife balance.
- An inclusive environment that values diversity encourages learning and constantly strives to improve outcomes for children families and colleagues alike.
You can find more about how we support our practitioners on our website and well share more during the selection process.
Next steps
Below we have set out an indicative timetable we are hoping to work towards although dates are subject to change.
| Closing date: | 31st May 2026 |
| Telephoneinterviews: | 2nd & 5th June 2026 |
| Final Interview: | 9th & 12th June 2026 |
If you have any questions about the role or recruitment process please contact
Before applying we encourage you to read about our offer and preemployment checks. Any questions or concerns can be confidentially raised through your application.
Successful applicants will complete several preengagement checks including a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. If any criminal offences are disclosed we will conduct an individual assessment in line with the DBS code of practice and the Cafcass DBS policy.
Where youll work
In this role you will play a key role in supporting our teams and colleagues when they are in the office like our Social Workers seeing children and families or our teams being together for team meetings or supervision. Therefore whilst you will benefit from working flexibly including some remote working you will also be required to be in the office on a regular basis.
If you join us you expect to have regular 1:1 time with your manager especially during your induction and again there will be a balance between doing this remotely and in-person so you have both flexibility and opportunities to form connections.
If shortlisted the hiring manager will be able to give you more insight into what a typical week or month might look like should you join us.
We look forward to receiving your application!
Be Their Voice
We are Cafcass the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service and we represent children in family court cases in England.
Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests we speak up for overchildren every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures ensuring their needs wishes and feelings are heard.
Watch our video to find out we dont just listen to childrens voices but we can be their voice.
If our purpose resonates with you and you share our ambitions for children - exceptional experiences for every child everywhere and every time - then if you join us you will work alongside like-minded people in a diverse inclusive and supportive organisation.
You will be trusted to work flexibly and independently using outstanding technology (e.g. touchscreen laptops iPhone all with first class support including IT Trainers) with access to substantial resources (e.g. Cafcass Library has over 27000 resources on social work child protection and related topics). You will also have opportunities to develop whatever team you join wherever you are in the country and at whatever stage you are at in your career.
Whether you join us in one of our social work roles that work directly with children and families or our corporate and business services teams who provide technology support and expertise you will have the chance to make a difference for children and families. You can also find out more at Wellbeing
The wellbeing of our colleagues is something we are truly passionate about as demonstrated by everyone having four dedicated additional days per year when they are encouraged to spend time focusing on their health and wellbeing.
Colleagues can also have a health and wellbeing cash plan for which Cafcass pays the basic premium (you can upgrade to include family members) which allows them to claim back some costs of routine health expenses including dental check-ups eye tests physiotherapy sessions and more.
Overall we foster a holistic approach to supporting our colleagues benefitting physical mental and financial health. This is led by a dedicated in-house team the benefits of which include meaning support is targeted and specific to what colleagues need. Our team can also offer support and guidance when it comes to specific health conditions such as neuro-diverse conditions cancer and the menopause.
Our wellbeing offer is further strengthened by an external Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) which provides a free confidential support service 24 hours a day. This means access to clinical and professional expertise which gives you a chance to talk about all kinds of work and personal issues.
If this wasnt enough we are especially proud that over 125 colleagues have completed training and receive ongoing support to act as Health and Wellbeing Champions. Furthermore we have nearly 100 people that have trained to be Mental Health Allies.
Diversity
We represent children and families from diverse backgrounds and having a diverse workforce helps us to fulfil this responsibility authentically.
It also helps us to grow evolve and innovate so we particularly welcome applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds as we strive to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the children and families we work with.
We are proud to be a disability confident leader we invite you to join our team we are committed to actively attract and recruit individuals with disabilities including non-visible disabilities and mental health conditions. Our inclusive and accessible recruitment process means we aim to accommodate reasonable adjustments as needed. This commitment highlights our dedication to employing training retaining and developing the careers of our colleagues with disabilities.
Our Diversity Networks provide a safe space for colleagues with shared aspects of identity and lived experience supported by allies across the organisation. The networks help ensure we provide an inclusive working environment and a service which promotes the diversity and uniqueness of children and families from all backgrounds.
For more information watch our video here.
Our current networks include:
Kaleidoscope Network
Colleagues from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
Mental Health Network
Colleagues who experience or have an interest in Mental Health issues.
Pride
Network
Colleagues who identify as Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Trans LGBT.
Neurodiversity Network
Colleagues who are neurodivergent or support someone who is.
Together
Together with Children and Families (which we just call Together) is the name of our relationship-based practice framework. It applies to the work of every individual in Cafcass from Social Workers to Leaders and includes our Corporate and Business Support teams.
It is at the heart of what we do and is made up of our values how these values work in practice the tools to use to incorporate these values in our work and the impact this will have on the children and families we serve.
This framework encourages us to be pro-active and to look for the strengths in ourselves and others. It also enables us to build positive relationships with our colleagues our partners and most importantly with the children and families with whom we work.
We look forward to telling helping you learn more about Together should you join us.
Benefits
We know if you join us you want to be rewarded in a variety of ways including time away from work to spend time with those important to you manage your financial present and future whilst also be trusted to manage your work/life balance.
Therefore in addition to our unique holistic approach to supporting your health and wellbeing we also provide:
Generous holidays
28 days holiday (including three for Christmas) rising to 33 days with five years continuous service which could include your current employment. You can also sell any you do not need.
This list is just a selection of main benefits and we have a range of policies and processes that allow us to support our colleagues - and their families and we look forward to providing you with further information about these in due course.
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