Support unaccompanied young people as they build new lives and brighter futures

As a Social Work Practitioner in the Unaccompanied Minors and Independent Support Team (UMIST), you’ll provide direct, compassionate support to unaccompanied asylum‑seeking children and care leavers. You’ll guide them through complex legal, emotional and practical challenges, ensuring they feel safe, valued and supported as they start to build independence in a new country.

Working Style

You’ll be based in the Borough for four days a week, playing a key role in serving the local community. Whether you’re working on the frontline or behind the scenes, you’ll be part of a dedicated team making a real difference to residents’ lives.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll manage a varied caseload of unaccompanied asylum‑seeking children (UASC) and care leavers up to the age of 25, providing high‑quality social work support tailored to each individual’s circumstances. You’ll work closely with the Home Office, Refugee Council, solicitors and other professionals to ensure each young person receives the care, advice and advocacy they need. You’ll manage risk effectively, prepare reports, undertake statutory visits and attend Looked‑After Reviews. You’ll also play a key role in planning smooth, well‑supported transitions to adulthood – helping young people gain confidence and stability as they move towards independence. Where a young person’s age is disputed, you may be called upon to undertake age assessments in line with policy and best practice. You’ll maintain accurate, factual case recordings in Mosaic, written in a clear, respectful and young‑person‑friendly tone. This is a full case‑holding role where your empathy, resilience and professional skill will make a real, lasting difference in the lives of those you support.

What you’ll bring

You’ll be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England, with post‑qualifying experience in a statutory setting. You’ll have a strong understanding of legislation affecting looked‑after children and care leavers, including the Children Act 1989, the Leaving Care Act 2000, the Children and Social Work Act 2017 and the Modern Slavery Act 2015. You’ll bring direct experience working with looked‑after children, ideally including placement planning and transitions, and be confident managing complex cases with autonomy. You’ll take a systemic, strengths‑based approach to your work and understand how trauma, displacement and loss affect young people’s lives. You’ll be an excellent communicator, able to build trust and engage sensitively with children and young people from a wide range of cultural and religious backgrounds. You’ll also bring creativity and initiative, contributing to service improvement and finding new ways to meet emerging needs.

Why join us

At RBKC, we’re all in – investing in our people, our communities and our future. You’ll be part of an Outstanding Children’s Services team that’s recognised nationally for its stability, innovation and impact. This is a challenging but deeply rewarding role where you’ll see the direct results of your work in the lives of young people who have overcome extraordinary adversity. We’ll invest in your professional growth through regular supervision, mentoring and development opportunities, including specialist training on trauma‑informed and systemic practice. You’ll also benefit from a strong team culture that values collaboration, learning and mutual support.

About us

Kensington & Chelsea is home to diverse communities, thriving businesses and unique local places. Everything we do is focused on supporting our residents, strengthening our approach and creating a fairer borough. As a competent and caring Council, we take pride in our work every day, ensuring our services are delivered with care and competence. We listen to our residents, act with integrity and work together to build a borough that is greener, safer and fairer for all.

Role Requirements and Interview details

This role requires an Enhanced DBS with Adults and Children’s Barred List. Interviews will take place on 18th and 19th November 2025.

Ready to join us?

We’re all in – are you? If you share our values and have the skills to contribute, we’d love to hear from you.

Please apply online explaining how you meet the requirements set out in the person specification and job description.

We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants.

We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.

New hires will normally start at the minimum of the pay scale. However, a higher starting salary may be negotiated where a candidate demonstrates exceptional skills, knowledge or experience.