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We know qualified social worker recruitment

For over 60 years, Reed has been providing professionals for a broad range of clients across the UK. Every day, social workers support millions of people to help change lives for the better. Social work is about people, and at Reed, our experts in securing qualified social workers (QSW) will partner collaboratively with you to protect people, enable positive change, and ultimately improve lives.

Using our local knowledge, expertise and passion in the sector, we specialise in recruiting high-calibre, trained social workers for temporary, permanent and contract roles, as well as project and consultancy work, across child and adult social care.

By working with us, you can rest assured you will receive a dedicated, professional, and person-centred service. Our social work professionals are experts in complex case management, specialist assessments, bespoke project delivery and management of teams and services.

We ensure all our social workers are trained to the highest standards possible and abide by Social Work England’s professional standards and the Social Workers Regulations 2018, alongside our own values:

  • We prioritise understanding your needs.

  • We reassure – with over 60 years’ experience recruiting in this specialist sector.

  • We build trusted and meaningful relationships.

  • We are committed to quality – through engaging the right people, with the right skills.

  • We provide the highest level of governance for the safe delivery of your services.

  • We adapt to the ever-changing needs of the social work landscape.

  • We are fair and open – we have a diverse workforce and respect the contributions of all.


Children's services recruitment

We understand your difficulties when trying to recruit QSWs amidst a national shortage of children’s services social workers. That’s why your local children’s services expert will work with you to find the right professionals to help safeguard the most vulnerable people in our society, whether you are looking to recruit for a permanent or temporary role.

To attract the best professionals to your role, your dedicated recruitment specialist will work collaboratively with you to ensure any QSWs you hire have manageable caseloads and the right support mechanisms in place.

We help you find the best social workers and social work managers to suit your organisation’s needs. Our specialists work in partnership with you to find frontline children’s social work managers who cover child protection and court work.

Our specialists have expertise and experience in fostering, adoption, local authorities, independent fostering agencies (IFAs) and regional adoption agencies (RAAs). On top of QSWs, our children’s services experts can also help you find the right professionals for audit, quality assurance and independent reviewing officer roles.

Adult's services recruitment

At Reed we have an extremely successful track record of matching clients with the right social workers covering adult services.

We are best placed to help you find the right QSW’s with experience across:

  • Safeguarding adults

  • Hospital discharge

  • Community settings

  • Mental health

  • Disabilities

Our adult services experts are located across the country and work closely with local authorities, the NHS and the private sector. So, whether you’re looking for a temporary, permanent or interim member of staff, our experience and knowledge allows us to find the right candidate at any level – from social worker to senior manager.

We understand the values and ethical principles on which the profession is based. That is why all our social workers undertake a thorough interview process. The interview follows recommendations of The Warner Report 1992 and enables us to establish a fuller picture of each social worker’s character and attitude.

Interim & senior management recruitment

Reed is well-versed in the recruitment of interim and senior management for local authorities, the NHS and the third sector.

Our access to some of the UK’s top social work professionals and ability to source passive candidates allows our experts to find you the right manager for the service you offer. Whether you are seeking heads of service or assistant director level positions, our executive search specialists can assist you throughout the recruitment and onboarding process to ensure you have the right candidate to help shape your service.

When sourcing candidates at executive level for permanent roles, we have so much faith in the professionals we recommend that we offer up to an 18-month guarantee – the longest on the market.

We understand that organisations are always evolving, and requirements sometimes need to be assessed. To help you with this, we can also source independent reviewers who will scope things out and act as an independent scrutineer, recommending changes and improvements to help you move forward.

Project & assessment work recruitment

Since 1960 we have been sourcing professionals for projects in children’s and adult’s services, and our reputation in this field proceeds us.

We’re experts in the sector, and as such, we work with you to deliver any projects and assessment work effectively and efficiently. Our specialists will work in partnership with you to offer a bespoke solution for your service needs and can assist in a full range of areas. Whether you’re looking to clear a backlog of assessments, DoLS – Deprivation of Delivery Safeguards, educational psychology assessments, or any other projects involving statutory assessments, we can tailor a bespoke solution for your needs.

Our specialists currently work alongside a number of local authorities and NHS trusts, delivering unique projects in a timely, relevant manor. In addition, we also offer ‘teams of staff’ as a service. This is where we can work with you to create a bespoke ‘team’ of qualified professionals to help with a project or task where needed, for a set timeframe.

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Start a conversation with one of our specialist qualified social worker recruiters

Send a brief overview of your requirements and we will contact you to find out more about your needs.

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