Looked After Children Social Worker Employment Contract UK

Responsibilities reflected in the contract

• Visit children and understand lived experience.
• Maintain care permanence and contact plans.
• Coordinate carers families schools and health teams.
• Prepare reviews reports and court evidence.
• Respond to placement risk and safeguarding.

A realistic working scenario

You carry a caseload of looked-after children across care home, community and agreed care settings. Daily tasks include reviewing care or support plans, completing handover and incident records after shifts, supporting medication within delegated authority, coordinating with registered manager or service lead and escalating safeguarding referrals or clinical medication concerns when beyond competence.

Outputs to agree

• Updated care or support plans and planned review notes following visits or reviews
• Handover notes and shift-by-shift incident records detailing changes in needs or behaviour
• Safeguarding referral or escalation log entries when statutory or agency referral thresholds are met
• Medication support records when providing or supervising prescribed medication within delegated limits
• Multi-agency contact notes and agreed follow-up actions with families and care professionals

Records and evidence

• Care or support plans and review notes.
• Handover records and shift incident logs.
• Safeguarding records and referral paperwork.
• Medication support records and administration logs.
• Multi-agency contact notes and family communications.
• Care plans.

Reporting relationship

Typically reports to Registered Manager, Service Manager, Team Leader or Care Coordinator. Confirm the employer's actual reporting structure in the builder.

Authority and escalation

• You may administer or supervise medication only within the employer's delegated medication procedures and recorded limits; you must escalate any medication concerns, unprescribed medicines or instructions outside your competence to the registered manager or service lead. Safeguarding disclosures or suspected abuse must be escalated as a safeguarding referral using the employer's safeguarding records and referral route. You may update care or support plans within agreed review limits but need approval from the registered manager or service lead for changes to placement, care setting or consent arrangements.
• Obtain approval before committing expenditure, changing contractual commitments or making regulated or staffing decisions outside the assigned role.

Tools and systems

• Care record systems.
• Rostering systems.
• Medication records where authorised.
• Moving and handling equipment where trained.
• Secure communication tools.

Workplace context

• Care home, community care, client home or agreed care settings.

Training and certification

• Complete employer-required safeguarding training.
• Complete employer-required health and safety training.

Contract priorities

• Deliver care in line with care or support plans and delegated authority
• Protect dignity, privacy and safeguarding for each child
• Keep handover, incident and medication records accurate and contemporaneous
• Escalate safeguarding referrals, medication concerns and instructions outside competence promptly
• Coordinate with registered manager/service lead and care or nursing teams for continuity

Information the employer should prepare

• the team age range and case types
• the statutory visit review and court duties
• the placement spending and decision authority
• the travel out-of-area and emergency pattern
• the supervision caseload and recording standards