Social Work Adviser

Do you want to use your social work expertise to help policy-making for children’s residential care in the Scottish Government?

This is a Fixed Term Appointment opportunity for 23 months with the option for Secondment if preferred.

The children’s residential care unit is based in the Scottish Government’s directorate for Children and Families. It works with colleagues inside the Scottish government and partners outside it to improve children’s residential care. Current team priorities include work on cross-border placements, reducing the use of restraint, and introducing measures relating to profit in the children’s residential care sector. The unit also has responsibility for policy relating to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

As professional social work adviser, you will provide children’s residential care social work input and advice across the unit’s work, and collaborate with policy and professional leads to identify linkages, risks and opportunities across a large number of policy programmes including delivery of The Promise, and Re-imagining Secure Care and implementation of The Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, amongst many more.

We are looking for an individual who can identify key issues and liaise with stakeholders to develop solutions that are workable, and in keeping with children's residential care values and principles.

• Provide professional residential care input and advice across the work of the children's residential care unit.

Qualifications

You must be a qualified social worker registered with the SSSC or equivalent body.

Success Profile

Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on.

Technical/Professional Skills

• Policy Context and Purpose - Level 2
• Policy Delivery and Systems – Level 2
  
  

For more information on these see here: Policy Profession standards

Experience

• Significant experience of working at a senior level in children and families social work, with operational experience in child protection.
  
  

Behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing - Level 4
• Working Together - Level 4
• Making Effective Decisions - Level 4
• Changing and Improving - Level 4
  
  

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here: Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours (publishing.service.gov.uk)

How To Apply

Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement of no more than 1000 words which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.

If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and Presentation.

Assessments are scheduled for w/c 23 March 2026, however this may be subject to change.

About Us

The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.

Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Working pattern

Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role. From October 2025, the Scottish Government will require staff in hybrid-compatible roles to work in-person 40% of the time, either in an office or other agreed work location. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.

Security checks

Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).

You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.

Equality statement

We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.

Further information

Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.

Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.

Apply before 23:59 on the 22 February 2026