Senior Social Worker

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Job Description

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Endeavour House, Ipswich, IP1 2BX - Hybrid & Community working in Suffolk
• Salary: £41,502 per annum (pro rata if part time)
• Hours: 37, flexible working options available
• Contract: Permanent

Sensing Change is a specialist team within Adult Social Care at Suffolk County Council, dedicated to supporting individuals with sight and/or hearing loss across the county. We deliver a comprehensive range of services, including Social Work & Assessment, Vision Rehabilitation and tailored Sensory Support. Our focus is on early intervention and prevention, enabling people to maintain and enhance their independence.

We are pleased to announce that we are looking for a Senior Social Worker to lead our Social Work & Assessment Team.

Your role and responsibilities

• In this role, you will provide guidance and support to social workers and other professionals, helping them to grow and develop.
• You'll take the lead in supervising and mentoring the team, ensuring everyone feels supported and confident in their work.
• Alongside supporting the team, you'll manage a caseload of complex cases, making sure everything meets performance standards and follows best practice.

You will need

• We're looking for someone who has a qualification in British Sign Language and is willing to continue training to reach an advanced level.
• An understanding of Deaf culture and identity is essential, as it's a key part of the work we do.
• An awareness of the issues facing individuals with sight loss will also be valuable to bring to the role.
• An understanding of the needs of people with dual sensory loss and either hold the Deafblind Assessor Qualification or be prepared to work towards it.

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (Word). If you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The team

• As a well-established and highly skilled and experienced team, we combine expertise with a genuine commitment to improving lives.
• We are passionate about promoting the needs of people with sensory impairments and pride ourselves on delivering exceptional, person-centred support.
• Joining us means becoming part of a collaborative and supportive environment where your existing skills will be nurtured and developed.
• There is a strong culture of learning and development within the team, and we actively encourage staff to undertake training opportunities to enhance their roles.

Empowering Everyone

We're big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We're always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report.

For more information

Please contact Caroline Carr for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling 01473 260030 or emailing caroline.carr@sensingchange.org.uk.

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word).

Step 2 - Click 'Apply Now' to start your online application.

Step 3 - Upload asupporting statement indicating how you meet each of the criteria in the 'Person Profile' section of theJPP.

• You should use the Supporting Statement template.
• Please use Arial font size 11 and keep your statement to a maximum of two sides of A4.

We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences. Applications suspected of being generated by AI may be rejected. We ask you to present your own work and ideas throughout the application process.

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team at recruitment@suffolk.gov.uk or 03456 014412.

You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages. If you're invited to the next stage, you'll have another chance to request adjustments.

Closing date:11.30pm, 11 January 2026

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid

About Us

As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We're driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.

In return, you'll enjoy:

• up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days
• membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
• performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase
• training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
• a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
• diverse and active staff networks
• flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day

Plus lots more!

If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk).