Outstanding Children’s Services | Leading Families First Practice

If you want to practise social work where relationships come before process, Dorset offers that environment.

Dorset Council is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, with inspectors recognising strong and stable leadership, a confident workforce and children receiving timely help that makes a meaningful difference.

Practitioners told Ofsted they feel valued, supervision is reflective and leaders understand frontline practice.

We helped shape the national Families First model and are now fully embedding this approach across our services. For you, that means clearer pathways for families, fewer hand‑offs and strong multi‑agency safeguarding built into the structure of our teams.

This is social work focused on impact, not unnecessary bureaucracy.

Roles & responsibilities

As a Family Help Social Worker, you will work across the continuum of need, including: