Cafcass

Cafcass is seeking talented, passionate, and experienced social workers to join us as Associate Family Court Advisers (FCAs) and be a vital part of our national practice community. As self employed practitioners contracted by Cafcass, Associate FCAs play a key role in supporting our work with vulnerable children and young people, providing independent social work expertise to help families through some of the most challenging moments in their lives. As an Associate FCA , you will be commissioned by local Cafcass teams across England to undertake public and private law family court work. You will contribute expert case analysis, provide recommendations in the best interests of children, and help to manage caseload pressures while complementing the work of our employed practitioners. Associates typically carry a mixed caseload , with thresholds set at 8 to 18 cases , ensuring workloads remain manageable and proportionate. There is also the opportunity to take on shorter-term work such as writing Work to First Hearing safeguarding letters. Becoming a Cafcass Associate is ideal for practitioners used to working independently and who want to maintain high level professional social work practice and shape their own workload. It also allows practitioners to combine working with Cafcass with other roles or commitments (e.g. ISW, IRO, lecturing, training, or other business interests) and obtain the balance they need to suit their personal circumstances, whilst undertaking challenging, rewarding practice that makes a real difference to vulnerable children across England Cafcass currently contracts over 100 Associate FCAs , and with continued demand, this number is expected to grow. Our dedicated Associates team provides onboarding and contract support to ensure effective collaboration with our commissioning teams. We also provide a professional induction to all new Associates including access to specialist training and resources throughout your time as an Associate. We are looking for Social Work England registered social workers with: Significant post qualifying experience Expertise in safeguarding, child engagement, and multi agency working Strong analytical, assessment, and recording skills Confidence working directly with families, professionals, and the family courts As this is a self employed role, you will need to manage your own tax and contribution arrangements. Cafcass assesses that Associate FCA work is not within IR35. We look forward to receiving your application, which we recommend includes a current CV to outline your relevant career history. We will review applications as we receive them and be in touch as soon as we can to advise if and how we intend to progress your interest in becoming an Associate FCA .

At Cafcass, we are always keen to hear from qualified, Social Work England registered Children's Social Workers who share our ambitions for children - exceptional experiences, for every child, everywhere and every time. We have opportunities across the country for talented, passionate Social Workers to work across Public Law and/or Private Law. You may know these as Family Court Advisers, which is what we call them professionally, or Children's Guardians as often referred to specifically in Public Law. You will potentially be involved in a combination of cases where either families require the assistance to agree on the best arrangements for the welfare and safety of the child(ren) involved or the local authority has serious concerns and requests the involvement of Cafcass in the case. If you join us, you will be trusted and empowered to work in a hybrid way. Our 30+ offices across the country are great for seeing children and families and connecting with your colleagues whether for group supervision or for team meetings, creating space to connect with peers and managers, and feel supported. However, we also know that for you to be the voice of children when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures, you'll need to work from a range of locations and require brilliant technology, resources and extensive support to manage your time and work/life balance. There is a lot more we can tell you about working for Cafcass, especially when it comes to extensive wellbeing support and excellent benefits and you can find out more if you click through but we also want to tell you a bit more about what we're looking for: A Social Work qualification is essential. Have the Right to Work in the UK (we don't 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. It's desirable you'll have experience in family court proceedings, or knowledge of Private and/or Public Law. For applicants with limited post qualifying experience, relevant pre qualifying 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. If you join us, you will join a diverse, inclusive organisation that is a safe space for colleagues with shared aspects of identity and lived experience, which helps ensure we provide a service which promotes the diversity and uniqueness of children and families from all backgrounds. If you click through you will be able to browse all of our current vacancies and choose which you would like to apply for. You'll also be able to read much more about what to expect if you join us in terms of benefits and support. Take the next step in your career with Cafcass and apply today.