Social Worker - Pre-Birth Support - Children and Families
- Exeter, East Devon
- Full Time
- £39,862 - £47,181 per annum
Make an impact before a child is born – Pre‑Birth Social Worker
About Us
Our Children & Families Service works within a demanding yet deeply meaningful environment, where we support children at the earliest possible stage of life. Through a restorative and relationship‑based approach, we work alongside families during pregnancy to create the safest and most nurturing start for every baby.
We recognise that a baby’s story begins long before birth. Our practice focuses on understanding the whole family system, promoting strengths, and sensitively addressing risk factors early. By building trusting partnerships with parents, we create opportunities for reflection, change, and hope—supporting families to prepare for the lifelong responsibility of caring for their child.
About the Role
As a Pre‑Birth Social Worker, you will walk alongside families through one of the most critical periods of a child’s life—their journey from conception to birth.
You will:
- Undertake comprehensive pre‑birth assessments, reflecting the baby’s lived experience in utero and the potential impact of parental circumstances
- Engage families in honest, restorative conversations, supporting insight, accountability, and meaningful change
- Work proactively to identify strengths, reduce risks, and promote safety planning prior to birth
- Lead and contribute to multi‑agency planning, ensuring coordinated and timely interventions
- Balance compassion with professional curiosity, ensuring that the baby’s voice remains central throughout
- Contribute to clear, analytical assessments and court work where necessary
Your practice will ensure that from the very beginning, every child has the strongest possible foundation for safety, attachment, and long‑term wellbeing.
The Journey You Will Support
In this role, you will hold the baby at the centre of every stage:
- Early Pregnancy: Building relationships with parents, exploring histories, strengths, and potential areas of concern
- Mid Pregnancy: Deepening assessment through observation, multi‑agency information gathering, and reflective engagement
- Late Pregnancy: Supporting families to prepare practically and emotionally, while ensuring robust safety and care planning
- Pre‑Birth Planning: Working restoratively with families and networks to create sustainable, safe plans for the baby’s arrival
- At Birth and Beyond: Ensuring that plans are implemented with care, sensitivity, and a continued focus on permanence and stability
This is an opportunity to shape outcomes before patterns are embedded, ensuring that intervention is timely, thoughtful, and purposeful.
About You
You are a reflective and compassionate practitioner who values early intervention and understands the lifelong impact of a child’s earliest experiences.
You will bring:
- A strong understanding of pre‑birth assessment frameworks, attachment, and child development
- The ability to engage parents in restorative dialogue, balancing support with appropriate challenge
- Confidence in risk analysis, decision‑making, and safety planning
- Experience working within multi‑agency partnerships and court processes
- A commitment to holding the baby’s experience at the centre of all practice
- A Social Work qualification and registration with Social Work England
- Completion of your ASYE and a commitment to ongoing professional development
What’s in it for you?
In return for the vital contribution that you make, we offer some fantastic employee benefits, including:
- Retention payment of £2,000 per annum pro rata.
- Generous annual leave, and the ability to purchase additional annual leave.
- Ongoing learning and development opportunities through our Social Work Academy.
- Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee well-being services.
- We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible
- Discounts at over 900 national & local high street retailers through our benefits platform
- Free onsite parking.
- Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
For more information about Working for Devon please visit our Working for Devon page.
We welcome applications from internationally trained and qualified candidates who are now residing in the UK and interested in joining our team.
If you are looking to move to Devon, subject to qualifying conditions, we offer a generous relocation allowance. There has never been a better time to make the move!
For any queries or an informal discussion about this role, please contact Emma Youngs on 01392 383000, or email emma.youngs@devon.gov.uk
Applications close on 28 June 2026.
Kindly note that interviews will be conducted at various stages of our recruitment campaign. We strongly encourage you to submit your application early to avoid disappointment as it is possible that the advert may close early.
Internal Applicants, please note: If you are an existing DCC employee, please use your iTrent Employee Self Service (ESS) details to log in and apply.
We welcome applications from candidates seeking a secondment. Please ensure you have approval from your current line manager before applying.
Additional Information
- This role requires a DBS disclosure.
- This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
- DCC embraces the positive benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to providing an environment that is inclusive and safe. We welcome applications from people who share our commitment to stop discrimination, challenge inequality and promote diversity across Devon. More information can be found on our Equality and Diversity webpages.
- Happy to Talk Flexible Working The Council offers flexible working arrangements in terms of when and where people work e.g. hybrid working, part-time, condensed hours etc.
REQ009844 – Children’s Social Care
Interview Date: TBC
Click here to see the Job Description