Complex Safeguarding Social Worker

About The Role

Working Hours: 35 Hours per week

Contract Type: Full time / Permanent

Additional Payments: Essential Car user allowance

Closing Date: 11 August 2026

Closing time: 11.59pm

Interview Method: Face to Face 

This post is subject to:

• 2 References: where possible we require 3 years' history.
• Social Work Qualification and registered with Social Work England
• Medical Clearance: Pre-placement health assessment (PPHA)
• Essential Car Documentation: This post is a designated Essential Car User. Therefore, you must always hold a full valid driving licence and provide your own car for use at work. You will receive the Essential Car User Allowance
• DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) clearance: this post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (amended in 2013). Appointable candidates will be required to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Information provided by you or the DBS will be dealt with in a confidential manner and in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice which can be viewed here. We have a policy on the Employment of Ex-Offenders, and it is available upon request.
• Police Vetting: You will be required to undertake a Greater Manchester Police vetting process
• Completed Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE)

Are you interested in working with children experiencing or vulnerable to exploitation in our Complex Safeguarding Team? The recent 'Outstanding' Ofsted Inspection has recognised the work completed in Complex Safeguarding as 'Exemplary'. Could you support us to continue offering children who have experienced or vulnerable to exploitation, with the 'compassion and care' recognised and what we strive for our children.

We are looking for skilled and motivated social workers to join our multi agency Complex Safeguarding Hub, alongside our police, health, and partners. This is an exciting opportunity to join an innovative service and play a key role in safeguarding and working with young people at risk of exploitation across the city of Manchester, including carrying out assessments and delivering bespoke interventions to reduce harm and raise aspirations and achieve great outcomes.

The Hub works with young people who are at risk from child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation, urban street groups, and serious youth violence. We have a strong focus on building trusted relationships and a trauma informed approach with young people alongside the disruption of perpetrators. You will work closely with colleagues from GMP and Health and other partners to deliver best possible response to those at risk of exploitation. A key part of the role is to work with colleagues in social work teams across the city to support and advise on exploitation issues and to develop and sustain strong working relationships with a range of partners.

The team focusses on the reasons behind the child’s presenting behaviours to identify their needs, access the right support, at the right time, from the right service, whilst addressing safeguarding needs.

About the Candidate

• We are looking for individuals with a passion for working with adolescents, who have excellent communication skills and a sound understanding of social work and exploitation and who can be creative and innovative in their work.
• We are looking for workers with a passion for creative direct work approaches, tenacity, and trauma informed ways of working.

Gabi says "The CSH is an exciting and dynamic place to work with real opportunities to develop professionally. After years working within child protection and duty teams, I was really craving a different opportunity to have the space to build quality relationships with children and feel like I was making a real impact. The Complex Safeguarding Hub has truly given me meaning in my social work role and I have never had such purposeful relationships with children prior to working on this team. The Hub is an incredibly friendly multi-agency team of passionate professionals, who are the absolute best at what they do, and it truly is a privilege to work here!

Daniel says “The Complex Safeguarding Hub is an excellent place to work in order to develop your skills working with some of the most challenging issues that children and teenagers face. Whilst working in Manchester’s Complex Safeguarding Hub, I have worked with children from many different diverse backgrounds, who face risks such as exploitation and serious youth violence. Supporting children and families who face these struggles has been extremely rewarding and helped me develop my skills as a specialist social worker, by tackling many issues, some of which are unique to a big city like Manchester.

Ami Says ‘Working within the Complex Safeguarding Hub has greatly enhanced my practice. I am upskilled in a wide range of disciplinaries; CAMHS interventions, Educational Psychologist pathways and the vital role of Social, Communication & Language needs. Working within a Complex and Contextual Safeguarding has created the ‘ripple effect’ across the city which is very rewarding to observe. The dual role is a fantastic way to specialise in an area of safeguarding. I have built trusted relationships with children within their school space that have supported some life changing outcomes, this job really is a fantastic opportunity.’

• You will support the locality social work teams in accessing, supporting, and disrupting exploitative abuse and supporting children and their families with recovery from this harm
• You will consult with partner agencies about individual children presenting with indicators of exploitative abuse and / or Serious Violence worries, you will log the consultations, analysis and recommendations on the Liquid Logic system, ensuring a Complex Safeguarding footprint, to support future & current planning. You will expedite safeguarding concerns into existing pathways to access the right support for the child and family.
• You will be required to attend Strategy Meetings and planning meetings and complete concise reports to share with the school and Children’s Services whilst offering your analysis and advice as a Social Worker relating to the next step.
• You will support Police with operations that aim to tackle and disrupt exploitation, including outreach work in Manchester City Centre.
• You will directly work with children at risk of and those experiencing exploitative abuse and / or those affected by Serious Violence. You will be creative in your planning and utilise a variety of resources to enhance your engagement with the child.
• You will be passionate about trauma informed and relationship-based practice, and you will champion positive language across your professional networks to ensure that the child is advocated for in an appropriate way.
• You will develop and sustain strong working relationships with partners across the city, inclusive of the voluntary sector.
• You will be flexible and tenacious in your practice demonstrating creativity in your work doing ‘whatever it takes’, whilst developing positive relationships based on trust with vulnerable children.
• You will be based within the Complex Safeguarding Multiagency Hub, with GMP Police Officers, NHS Specialist Nurse, Early Help, MFH Team and the Children’s Society to deliver the best possible response to those experiencing exploitation and / or serious violence. A key part of the role is to work with colleagues in social work teams across the city to support and advise on exploitation issues.
• You will champion the Trusted Relationship Model and utilise the Clinical Psychologist sessions that support professional networks to unpick the trauma the child has suffered to understand the child’s presentation and how best to engage them.
• You will be expected to undertake assessments of risk and implement robust safety planning and deliver bespoke interventions with the child to achieve multiagency disruption of abuse and reduction of harm.

Essential requirements for the role:

• Social Work Qualification and registered with Social Work England
• Driving Licence and access to a car
• Previous Social Work experience and completion of ASYE
• Experience of completing assessments, detailed plans, and producing and delivering training/Supervision to a wide range of professionals
• Working in a multi-agency setting and developing positive and meaningful relationships with colleagues within Education, health, Police and wider organisations supporting children
• Good IT skills and ability to use Microsoft systems and navigate recording systems.
• Undertake effective direct work with children and families and ability to build trusted relationships with teenagers
• Understand factors that impact children including abuse, neglect, and extra-familial Harm
• Deliver performance management and service improvement.
• Understand the law and the family justice system undertaking ongoing research

Desirable requirements that would be useful in this role:

• Experience and knowledge of how to support children and young people who have been or at risk of exploitation, experiencing risks outside of the home, and/or serious violence.
• Experience of working in education, knowledge of alternative provisions, and understanding of challenges that impact children within schools.

About Us

We’re the local council for one of the UK’s most vibrant and diverse cities.

Working for Manchester isn’t just a job – it’s an opportunity to contribute to a city that leads change and transforms lives. Whether it’s strengthening communities or driving innovation in public services, you’ll play a vital role in creating opportunities and shaping a brighter future for everyone.

Our Manchester is our vision for a fairer, greener, and healthier city – a vision shaped by the people of Manchester. It guides everything we do at the Council and is brought to life through the Our Manchester behaviours:

• We take time to listen and understand
• We work together and trust each other
• We show that we value our differences and treat each other fairly
• We ‘own it’ and we’re not afraid to try new things
• We’re proud and passionate about Manchester

Benefits we offer

• Generous holiday allowance - Enjoy up to 26 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays. Increasing to 31 days after five years of local government service. Want more leave? You can purchase up to two additional weeks.
• A buzzing pension - You’ll be enrolled in the UK’s largest local government pension scheme, with plenty of options to top up your benefits. Includes life cover of three-times your salary as a lump sum.
• Enhanced parental and carers leave - Take advantage of our enhanced family leave options, designed to provide ample time for you to bond with your new born or support your family during critical life events.
• Brilliant perks - Access a range of discounts, from saving on the weekly shop to holidays and days out with MCR+. Plus discounts on phone contracts, cycle to work scheme, free flu jabs and eye tests, and more.
• Learn and grow - We are dedicated to nurturing talent and providing you with the tools to thrive. Take part in a diverse set of learning opportunities, from workshops and training sessions through to apprenticeships and qualifications. All this begins with our comprehensive onboarding process. 
• A Good Employment Charter member - W e are committed to offering secure, flexible work and embedding fairness into everything we do. We review pay annually, recognize three trade unions, and are constantly working to offer the best possible health and wellbeing support throughout all stages of your working life.
• Up to 3 days volunteering leave - Give back to the community with three days pro-rate of paid volunteering leave, in addition to existing benefits. 

Creating an Inclusive Team at Manchester City Council 

At Manchester City Council, we’re dedicated to creating a workplace that truly reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We actively welcome applications from people of all ages and backgrounds, particularly from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, Disabled people and young people.

Support During the Process

• Interview Adjustments : Let us know if you need any adjustments to demonstrate your suitability during the interview.
• Accessible Formats : Our ReciteMe tool can be accessed through the "Accessibility tools" button at the top of our careers page . This tool offers features like text-to-speech, translation into multiple languages, and adjustable text size and colour to make our site more accessible for everyone.

Guaranteed Assessment Scheme 

We guarantee assessments for applicants who meet the minimum shortlisting requirement s for the role and identify with at least one of the criteria below :

• Members of the Armed Forces members or veterans
• Current or former care leavers
• Have a disability or long-term condition

When You Join Us 

We’re a Disability Confident Employer, offering:

• A workplace adjustment hub which provides specialist support, advice and guidance to ensure you have the adjustments needed to thrive at work.
• Disabled Staff Network, Neurodiversity Staff Network and Mental Health Staff Network that provides a safe inclusive space to share experiences and opportunities to influence council practice.
• A strong commitment to ensuring all information adheres to accessibility standards and that our workplaces are accessible and disability-friendly .

For more information about the role or any adjustments, email [email protected] .

What we will need from you if you’re successful

In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment. 

Pre-Employment Checks 

If you are successful in securing a position with us, the pre-employment checks required will depend on the role you’ve applied for. As a guide, these checks may include:

• Proof of Right to Work : You’ll need to provide documentary evidence of your right to work in the UK.
• References : We’ll require references from your current and previous employer(s).
• Proof of Qualifications : Evidence of qualifications relevant to the role will be required .
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check : A criminal record check may be necessary, depending on the role.
• Police Vetting : Some roles may require police vetting to ensure suitability for accessing sensitive law enforcement systems or information.
• Driving Licence : If the role requires driving, we’ll need evidence of your valid driving licence.

These checks are an important part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our workforce and the community we serve. 

Other relevant information 

We want everyone to be able to be themselves at work and give their best. If you need additional support to undertake the duties of the role, we’ll make every effort to source any necessary aids, adaptations or equipment. If, however, any task proves to be unachievable, we will look at redesigning parts of the role. 

For more information about the role, please ensure that you read the role profile attached.

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