Leaving Care Worker

Contract to start ASAP

Duration: 40 weeks with a possible extension.

Full job description

Leaving Care Worker

Hours: Full-time (37 hours per week)

Contract: 40 Week Temporary Contract, ending 22 August 2027

Support Young People as They Move Towards Independence

We're recruiting an experienced Leaving Care Worker to join Lincolnshire County Council, supporting young people as they transition from care into independent adulthood.

This is a rewarding frontline role for someone with experience in leaving care, children's services, youth work, social care, housing, or a related support environment. You'll help young people develop the skills, confidence, and stability they need to manage accommodation, education, employment, finances, relationships, health, and everyday life.

You'll work closely with young people, social workers, personal advisers, housing teams, education and employment services, health professionals, families, carers, and partner agencies to provide consistent and practical support.

About the Role

As a Leaving Care Worker, you'll provide personalised support to care leavers, helping them prepare for and sustain independent living.

You'll build trusted professional relationships, help young people understand their rights and responsibilities, support pathway planning, and coordinate access to services that promote positive long-term outcomes.

What you'll be doing:

• Providing practical and emotional support to young people leaving care
• Supporting young people to develop independent living skills, including budgeting, cooking, tenancy management, and household responsibilities
• Building positive and consistent relationships with young people
• Supporting pathway plans and transition planning alongside social workers and personal advisers
• Helping young people access suitable accommodation and maintain their tenancies
• Supporting education, training, and employment goals
• Helping young people access benefits, financial support, and other entitlements
• Providing advice and guidance around health, wellbeing, relationships, and personal development
• Supporting young people to attend appointments, meetings, interviews, and other important commitments
• Working closely with housing, education, health, social care, and voluntary-sector services
• Identifying safeguarding concerns and escalating risks appropriately
• Supporting young people who may be experiencing homelessness, financial difficulty, exploitation, or other vulnerabilities
• Maintaining accurate and up-to-date case records
• Monitoring progress against agreed goals and support plans
• Encouraging young people to build confidence, resilience, and independence
• Supporting positive family and community relationships where appropriate
• Advocating on behalf of young people when dealing with services and agencies
• Working flexibly to respond to changing needs and priorities
• Contributing to reviews, meetings, and multi-agency planning
• Maintaining professional boundaries and confidentiality at all times

Requirements

We're looking for a resilient, compassionate, and organised professional with experience supporting young people and a strong understanding of the challenges faced by care leavers.

You'll ideally have:

• Experience working with care leavers, looked-after children, young people, or vulnerable adults
• Experience within children's services, youth work, social care, housing, or a related support service
• Strong understanding of the needs of young people transitioning from care to independence
• Knowledge of safeguarding and risk management
• Experience supporting young people with housing, benefits, education, training, or employment
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills
• Ability to engage young people who may be reluctant to work with services
• A practical and solution-focused approach
• Good organisational and case management skills
• Ability to maintain accurate records and manage a varied caseload
• Experience working within multi-agency arrangements
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information
• Ability to remain calm and professional in challenging situations
• A good understanding of professional boundaries
• Local authority or public-sector experience would be advantageous
• A relevant qualification in youth work, social care, health and social care, or a related field would be desirable
• Eligibility to work in the UK
• Ability to provide three years of references/work history
• Ability to complete a Criminal Convictions Declaration
• Ability to sign a Confidentiality Agreement
• Ability to complete an enhanced DBS check where required

Why Apply

• Opportunity to make a meaningful difference to young people leaving care
• Longer-term 40 week contract
• Opportunity to support young people through a key transition in their lives
• Varied role combining practical support, safeguarding, advocacy, housing, and independence work
• Chance to work closely with social care and multi-agency professionals
• Opportunity to build further experience within Children's Services

Benefits

• Weekly Pay
• Company Pension
• Ongoing Agency Support

Additional Information

Client: Lincolnshire County Council

Location: Newark Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE1 5YD

Number of Positions: 1

Hours: 37 hours per week

Start Date: 16 November 2026

Contract End Date: 22 August 2027

Contract Duration: 40 weeks

Pay Rate: £35.77 per hour Umbrella

Contract Type: Temporary

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary contract

Pay: £35.77 per hour

Benefits:

• Company pension

Application question(s):

• Do you have experience supporting care leavers, looked-after children, young people, or vulnerable adults?
• Do you have experience supporting young people with independent living, housing, benefits, education, or employment?
• Do you have a good understanding of safeguarding and the challenges faced by young people leaving care?
• Are you able to work 37 hours per week from 16 November 2026?
• Are you able to work from Newark Road, Peterborough, PE1 5YD?

Experience:

• Leaving Care / Children's Services: 1 year (preferred)
• Youth Work / Social Care: 1 year (preferred)
• Housing / Independent Living Support: 1 year (preferred)

Licence/Certification:

• Enhanced DBS (preferred)
• Relevant Youth Work / Social Care Qualification (preferred)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person

Disclaimer: On applying for this vacancy, you agree that your personal details will be passed onto our client for their consideration of your suitability for the role. I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to notify iWork Recruitment Limited of any hirer who I do not want my details to be passed onto.

OR118972-10-26