Principal Social Worker (Court Work)

Contract Type:

Contract

Hours:

Full time

Disability Confident:

No

Closing Date:

07/02/2026

About this job

Neway International are seeking a Principal Social Worker to join our client based with Cardiff Council.

Location: County Hall Hours: 37 hours per week Start Date: 26/01/2026 End Date: on-going Start/End Time: 09:00 - 17:00

About the Client: Cardiff Council's People & Communities Directorate is committed to delivering high quality, child centred social care services that promote safety, stability and positive outcomes.

Their Locality Teams work collaboratively to ensure children and families receive timely, evidence based support, with a strong emphasis on reflective practice, professional development and multi agency partnership.

Key Responsibilities

• Hold a small caseload of children subject to care proceedings, typically 10-11 children across 4-5 families.
• Lead on all aspects of case management including statutory visits, care planning, reviews and court work.
• Complete high quality assessments using the DOH Framework and informed by the NSPCC Reunification Framework.
• Analyse risk, protective factors and capacity for sustained change within the child's timescales.
• Work directly with children and families to support safe decision making around remaining or returning home.
• Draw on multi agency information and informal support networks to inform assessments and planning.
• Supervise Social Work Assistants and less experienced staff, providing monthly supervision and practice oversight.
• Chair strategy meetings, attend joint visits and ensure robust quality assurance of care plans and written work.
• Attend relevant meetings including Child Looked After Reviews.
• Take temporary allocation of cases where risks escalates for children allocated to your supervisees, until safe to step down.

Candidate Requirements

• Qualified Social Worker with current HCPC registration.
• Significant experience working with children and families subject to care proceedings.
• Strong understanding of trauma informed practice and its impact on parenting capacity and child development.
• Skilled in producing high quality, evidence based assessments and court reports.
• Experience using the DOH Framework of Assessment and knowledge of the NSPCC Reunification Framework.
• Ability to engage parents with differing learning styles and overcome barriers to participation.
• Confident in supervising and supporting staff within a strengths based, reflective environment.
• Excellent communication, analytical and organisational skills.