Children's social work roles

Join our children's social work team

We are currently expanding our amazing team to bring more children in external agencies into our own provision.

We have opportunities for:

Newly qualified social workers
Social workers
Senior social workers

View our job advert for more information and to apply.

Children’s social workers play a pivotal role in safeguarding vulnerable children and young people, ensuring their safety, and promoting their wellbeing. Our dedicated social workers provide responsive and compassionate support to children and families in need, working tirelessly to address complex issues and navigate challenging situations.

At the heart of our approach is a commitment to partnership working, recognising that effective collaboration with families, communities, residential services and partner agencies is essential to achieving positive outcomes for children. Through early intervention, assessment, and ongoing support, we aim to empower families to overcome adversity, strengthen their resilience, and build brighter futures for their children.

Our team is guided by a robust framework of legislation, policies, and best practices, ensuring that our interventions are child-centred, evidence-based, and sensitive to cultural and individual differences. We prioritise the voice and agency of children and young people, actively involving them in decision-making processes and advocating for their rights and interests. Learn about our wider children and families team here.

Why choose Leeds?

As a compassionate employer, we’re focused on your health and wellbeing, work-life balance and money and finances. We're here to support you whenever you need it. Our employees talk about the pride they feel in making a difference, and in return for their dedication and contribution we offer a workplace where people feel supported, that celebrates difference and encourages everyone to grow.

Our strong values run through everything we do. We work as a team for Leeds to meet challenges head on and deliver outstanding outcomes with compassion and commitment.

This is a unique time for Leeds and a chance for you to be part of something special as we aim to be the best place to work in the best city in the UK.

Full descriptive text transcript

[The Leeds city council logo on a white background appears for 1-2 seconds, followed by the Child Friendly Leeds logo on a white background for 1-2 seconds.

Tom Riordan, Chief executive of Leeds City Council appears on screen and begins to speak. He sits in front of a backdrop of Leeds city centre, the Civic Hall is visible even though the background is blurred. Tom is dressed in a brown jumper with the blue collar showing from his shirt.]

“Well thousands, literally thousands, of young people and families in Leeds have challenges you know, whether that’s drug or alcohol problems whether that’s temporary problems caused by mental health issues or whether it’s just the circumstances that they’re in more permanently and what we want to do is be there for everybody and make sure that we can make a difference to the people who need our help the most and that’s putting the child at the heart of what we do, asking the really simple questions what is it like to grow up in Leeds and how can we make it better?”

I think the best thing is that you’re part of something bigger, Leeds is a big city it’s the third biggest in the country so it’s got scale, it’s very diverse but it’s also small enough to put your arms around so you’re part of very strong teams. Working in Leeds we’ve got a strong set of values around working with people, working with other social work teams, working with other partners comes very naturally to us and if we can do that, a generation of young people in Leeds will have grown up under a fantastic cohort of social workers supporting them over a long period of time. I’m from a family that benefitted from social work and I was in care as a toddler four times.

We had a very loving family and upbringing but my mum had bipolar, my dad had alcohol problems and we needed intervention at times and that worked for us. It made a difference. We got back into the family environment. My gran gave up her job, so I understand exactly what families are going through in the city at the moment. What a difference social work makes, and it’s why I come into work and why a lot of us want to be in Leeds because we really believe and live for the child friendly city ambition. And you can be at the heart of that. If you’re in Leeds, you can be right at the cutting edge of innovative practice, and you’ll get fully supported in doing that and developing yourself professionally so that you can be the best you can be.”

[Fades to white background with the Leeds City Council logo.]

Video ends.

Our colleagues say:

Aimee, Team Manager, Children’s Social Work

“I loved my previous job in a children’s centre and the children’s social workers there inspired me to get my social work degree. What makes my job worthwhile is knowing I’ve advocated and done my best to help a vulnerable child. It’s a privileged and rewarding career with excellent training and development to bring you opportunities and progression.”

Joe, Newly Qualified Social Worker

“I wanted to make a difference in my career. Social work keeps me connected to my community and I feel that I have a positive and meaningful impact in my role. Leeds is a large city and we know our diverse communities, their strengths and challenges. I’m proud of the clear values throughout the service and our commitment to building supportive relationships with families.”