Specialist Social Worker - Paediatric Kidney Service
At a glance
- Band
- Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Full-time, Part-time, Job share
- Posted
- 25/08/2026
- Closes
- 08/09/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This contract type is not eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
NHS Trusts cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for part-time, bank, locum, zero-hours, job-share or short fixed-term (under 12 months) contracts under current Home Office rules. This applies even when the wider Trust holds a Skilled Worker licence.
Role summary
This is a full-time permanent position for a Specialist Social Worker within the South West Paediatric Kidney Service. The role involves providing social work services to children and young people with kidney disease and their families at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, across inpatient, outpatient, and community settings. The post holder will work collaboratively with various agencies to ensure coordinated, patient-centred care and contribute to service improvement initiatives and family support programs.
Essential criteria
- Current registration with Social Work England
- Degree in Social Work or recognised equivalent qualification
- Knowledge and Experience
- Minimum three years post-qualification social work experience
- Experience of working with children, young people and families with complex needs.
- Experience of safeguarding and child protection work
- Understanding of equality, diversity, and anti-discriminatory practice
Desirable criteria
- Experience working within healthcare, disability or long-term conditions
- Experience working within paediatric services
- Experience in service development, quality improvement or research activity
- Aptitudes
- Ability to manage a varied caseload and prioritise effectively
- Able to manage sensitive information and demonstrate active listening skills
- Able to demonstrate empathic and relatable manner in working with families and team members
- Able to demonstrate good organisations and time management skills
- Driving licence and ability to travel within the South West
- Skills and Abilities
- Able to assess the SW needs of patients and families in a physical health setting
- Able to generate systemic and individual assessments and interventions based on applying socal work principles to the complex information generated by the family, health and social care systems
- Able to demonstrate an understanding of the roles of a specialist social worker in relation to a patient/ their family/ the staff teams/ and the wider organisational systems around them
- Able to prioritise workload depending on risk/need
- Understanding of own needs related to job role and evidence of managing this
- Knowledge of welfare benefits and charitable funding systems
- Qualifications and Training
- Current registration with Social Work England
- Degree in Social Work or recognised equivalent qualification
- Knowledge and Experience
- Minimum three years post-qualification social work experience
- Experience of working with children, young people and families with complex needs.
- Experience of safeguarding and child protection work
- Understanding of equality, diversity, and anti-discriminatory practice
- Experience working within healthcare, disability or long-term conditions
- Experience working within paediatric services
- Experience in service development, quality improvement or research activity
- Aptitudes
- Ability to manage a varied caseload and prioritise effectively
- Able to manage sensitive information and demonstrate active listening skills
- Able to demonstrate empathic and relatable manner in working with families and team members
- Able to demonstrate good organisations and time management skills
- Driving licence and ability to travel within the South West
- Skills and Abilities
- Able to assess the SW needs of patients and families in a physical health setting
- Able to generate systemic and individual assessments and interventions based on applying socal work principles to the complex information generated by the family, health and social care systems
- Able to demonstrate an understanding of the roles of a specialist social worker in relation to a patient/ their family/ the staff teams/ and the wider organisational systems around them
- Able to prioritise workload depending on risk/need
- Understanding of own needs related to job role and evidence of managing this
- Knowledge of welfare benefits and charitable funding systems
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 6 at £37,338 – £44,962 a year, across England.
This advert: £39,959 – £48,117 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 13d ago · Closes in 2d
Applications close soon — apply now if this is a fit.
Full advert · preview
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Specialist Social Worker - Paediatric Kidney Service
The closing date is 08 September 2026
Job summary
Paediatric Kidney Service: Specialist Social Worker
An exciting and rare opportunity has arisen in the South West Paediatric Kidney Service. This is a full-time appointment for a Specialist Social Worker. The post holder will provide a social work service to children and young people with kidney disease and their families attending Bristol Royal Hospital for Children (BRHC), working across inpatient, outpatient and community settings.
The South West Paediatric Kidney Service provides specialist care for children and young people with acute and chronic kidney disease, including dialysis, transplantation and long-term renal conditions. The service includes inpatient and outpatient facilities, haemodialysis services and regional outreach provision. The multidisciplinary team includes community nurses, doctors, psychologists, dietitians, pharmacists, play specialists, inpatient and haemodialysis nurses and social work support.
The post holder will work collaboratively with local authority services, educational settings, hospital teams and voluntary organisations to ensure coordinated, patient-centred care. The role will also contribute to service improvement initiatives, family support activities, peer support programmes, educational e
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