Social Worker - Safeguarding Team (Adult Social Care)

Reading Borough Council is looking for a skilled and motivated Social Worker to join our Adult Safeguarding Team. This is an excellent opportunity to work in a well-led, supportive service where high-quality safeguarding practice, reflective supervision and professional development are genuinely valued.

If you are passionate about adult safeguarding and want to work in a team that supports sound professional judgement and proportionate, person-centred decision-making, we would love to hear from you.

Working as a Social Worker for Reading Borough Council you will be part of a friendly and supporting service. We are looking for an individual who can demonstrate great communication skills and the ability to build and maintain relationships with colleagues, young adults and health care providers.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

About the Role:
Safeguarding is central to our Adult Social Care practice. In this role, you will work with adults at risk to ensure they are supported to live safely, free from abuse and neglect, while remaining fully involved in decisions about their lives.

This is a varied and fast-paced role, offering excellent opportunities to develop specialist safeguarding knowledge and skills within a supportive team environment.

You will:
Screen safeguarding concerns and undertake Section 42 enquiries
Lead safeguarding processes, ensuring the person remains at the centre of all decision-making
Apply the Care Act 2014 and associated legislation confidently and proportionately
Assess, manage and review risk, balancing protection with empowerment
Work collaboratively with health professionals, police, housing and voluntary sector partners
Maintain clear, high-quality recording and professional analysis

You will be supported to make defensible, proportionate decisions through reflective supervision and access to experienced managers.

Working for Reading you will have the opportunity to develop your own Continued Professional Development either through formal training (such as Practice Educator, BIA or AMHP) and through vocational activities/informal training.

We offer a flexible working environment with a mixture of home working and access to an office based in the centre of Reading.

You will work within the legal framework provided by the statute, guidance, policies and procedures.

You will need to have:
A degree or equivalent in Social Work
Registration with Social Work England
Understanding of the Care Act 2014 and all other legislation related to safeguarding adults practice is required.

We offer excellent support, supervision and induction.

You will have access to our Learning and Development programme and be supported in your career and personal growth with opportunities to learn and develop new clinical skills, helping you to build your Continuing Professional Development portfolio, extending your skills and supporting you to grow as a social worker.

The social care teams consists of Social Workers, Social Care Coordinators and Occupational Therapists.

We work closely with our colleagues in Reading Borough Council, Health Professionals, Voluntary and Charity colleagues to facilitate the best possible outcomes for those people we support.

This role offers Agile/Hybrid Working – you have the opportunity to work from home and the Civic Offices in Reading but also you will need to attend face to face visits within the Reading Borough.

You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you’ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:
Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do
Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential
Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way
Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed

Our offer
A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:
Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
Maternity, adoption, parental and sick pay
A wide range of flexible working opportunities
Access to a range of training and learning opportunities to help you develop
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted, and a salary sacrifice scheme to help lower the cost of your nursery fees
Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work

If you would like to find out more about this role and the team, please contact Karen Glaister (Safeguarding Strategic Lead) or [email protected]

Closing date: Sunday 10th May 2026
Interview date: To be confirmed
Interview setup: In person at the Civic Offices, Reading

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Disability Confident

About Disability Confident

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .