Social Worker (No Recourse to Public Funds)

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: Grade H. Scale 29 - £39,862 to Scale 34 - £45,091 with a professional bar at Scale 31 - £41,771**

Hours Per Week: 36

Base Location: Tameside One, Market Place, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 6BH and other locations

Assessment Date: To be arranged

The Role

Are you passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and families facing some of the most complex barriers to safety, stability and support? Do you bring compassion, curiosity, collaboration, conversation, and courage to your practice? If so, Tameside is looking for you.

We are looking for a dynamic and motivated Social Worker to work exclusively with families subject to No Recourse to Public Funds conditions, who are navigating both hardship and uncertainty. This is a specialist role where you will combine strong relationship-based practice with a clear understanding of the legal, financial and immigration-related challenges that shape family’s lives.

At the heart of this role is our Heart of Support Practice Approach, underpinned by the 5 C’s Compassion, Curiosity, Collaboration, Conversation and Courage. These values are the golden thread in how we work with children, families and each other. You will champion the Heart of Support and play a pivotal role in embedding systemic practice across the service.

If you’re looking for a role where your support can create safety, stability, and real change for families facing exclusion and hardship, this is it.

You will be supported by the Service Lead for the Families Valued service with a comprehensive induction, specialist training, and regular supervision to help you develop confidence and expertise in this challenging and rewarding area of practice.

About You

We are looking for an experienced Social Worker to support children and families in Tameside who are living with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) and facing the significant challenges that accompany this status. You will take the lead on safeguarding decisions, managing risk in situations of destitution or instability, and ensuring that children receive the right intervention at the right time. This is a specialist role for someone who can think clearly in crisis, navigate complex legal and immigrationrelated frameworks, and bring both compassion and confident authority to every interaction.

You will also play a pivotal role in embedding systemic practice across the service and strengthening our response to families affected by No Recourse to Public Funds.

We’re looking for someone who:

• Is passionate about highquality, childcentred practice and improving outcomes
• Can champion and embed the Heart of Support Practice Approach and the 5 C’s
• Will work systemically with families experiencing destitution, homelessness, or risk due to NRPF restrictions
• Is able to carry out high quality Child in Need assessments under Section 17 of the Children Act
• Can balance empathetic practice with robust analysis of eligibility, risk and safeguarding
• Can build effective partnerships with legal advisors, housing, voluntary sector organisations, and immigrations specialists
• Will support families to navigate complex systems while ensuring children’s needs remain central

If you want to help shape practice, culture and learning across Children’s Services, this role offers a genuine opportunity to make a lasting impact.

About Us

Message from Jill Colbert, Director of Children’s Services

“I joined the council at the beginning of 2025 and was instantly charmed by the warmth, openness, and energy of colleagues.

“I came to Tameside for one reason; because I know we can do fantastic things for our families here.

“We’re a children’s service on a significant improvement journey. We know what needs to be different for our children and families and we’re ambitious to deliver that change.

“We have a growing range of specialist services for children, where you can test and grow your skills and practice. We have a Social Work Academy that is led by people who bring passion to learning and who know that the DCS’ of the future are right in front of them. We are working on our progression pathways so that staying in Tameside is rewarded and recognised. We have investment in innovation and improvement from the council so that we can grow services and support for families that we can sustain, from family hubs through to complex safeguarding.

“I am so certain that we can build a proud, inclusive and safe climate for great practice to flourish in Tameside. I’d love you to join me on the journey here at Team Tameside.”

Our Heart of Support Practice Approach

At Tameside, we believe in:

• Compassion understanding the lived experiences of children and families.
• Curiosity asking questions that lead to deeper insight and better outcomes for children.
• Collaboration working together across services to deliver joined-up support.
• Conversation listening and engaging meaningfully with children, families and professionals.
• Courage leading with courage, making bold and compassionate decisions that put children first.

At Tameside, we are committed to ensuring all our Citizens lead long, fulfilling and healthy lives. We are committed to supporting economic growth, providing high quality health and care services, protecting our most vulnerable and creating strong and supportive, self-sufficient communities.

We recognise that our people drive our success and enable the organisation to deliver on its vision, purpose and priorities, and that our people are our most important resource and asset. Our values underpin our practice and behaviours, and are at the heart of everything that we do; and we understand that how we do things is just as important as what we do. We pride ourselves on living by our STRIVE values of Support, Trust, Respect, Integrity, Value Diversity and Engage. Our values underpin our practice and behaviours and are at the heart of everything that we do. How we do things are just as important as what we do.

Our employees’ skills, experience and knowledge are essential to our success along with their happiness, wellbeing, commitment, enthusiasm and motivation to be the best they can be.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults and expect all staff to share this commitment. This position is subject to Enhanced with Barred List Disclosure Procedures.

All appointments will be to the bottom salary point in the grade with annual incremental progression each April until the grade maximum is reached. Where an individual can provide evidence that their existing salary in a relevant role surpasses the grade starting salary, a higher entry salary will be considered, subject to the professional grade development criteria also being met if that point is higher than the bar point.

** This post is classified as being in a professional job category. As such the grade for the job has a professional grade development bar which employees can progress through subject to meeting the following criteria:

1. Relevant professional qualification for the job role at Level 6 or above, AND

2. Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience in the role, AND

3. Maintained membership of a regulated body where this is a requirement to practice in the role where applicable, AND

4. Professional standards practised to the highest expected level.

This post is a designated customer facing role under the fluency duty and requires a specified level of spoken English.

Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to offer sponsorship.

We are committed to developing a culture which respects individuals, appreciates difference and allows everyone regardless of background to reach their full potential. We are proud to be an accredited disability confident employer. Reasonable Adjustments will be considered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 in relation to the Job Role Criteria.

Our rewards and benefits package can be viewed here

We have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers, carers, and ex-military personnel. Please click here for more information on our guaranteed assessment scheme.

For further information about this role please contact Alice Kasperowicz, Service Lead for Families Valued on 0161 342 2945 or email alice.kasperowicz@tameside.gov.uk