Social Worker

Job responsibilities

Care job family overview:

Support and assist the well-being of individuals and groups to assure their protection, security and development.

Safeguarding, protection and care.

Community, residential, day or field settings.

Ongoing risk/needs assessment of and advice for individuals/groups.

Specification of any non-council provision.

Individual or small group emphasis.

May involve personal care activities.

Likely to involve immediate response to client.

Service Function and Context

The overall responsibilities of the Family & Childrens Support and Safeguarding Service are:

To prevent family breakdown.

To prevent children and families needing more intensive statutory services.

To deliver an effective family-based and relationship-based approach to enable children and families to achieve positive outcomes.

To meet all relevant statutory responsibilities The Family & Childrens Support and Safeguarding Service has social workers, senior keyworkers, keyworkers and local partnership advisors delivering or supporting evidence-based direct work with vulnerable children and families (working complex level 2b [CAF] cases, Child in Need and Child Protection cases).

Social workers, senior keyworkers, keyworkers and local partnership advisors work together in pods within existing geographical hubs with appropriate supervision, management oversight and clear local referral pathways.

A relationship-based model of practice is followed by all staff in the service. Training reflects this model of practice and include skill-stretching for staff to be able to do more without referring on for specialist support.

All staff in the service provide advice, consultation and guidance to other local professionals who are supporting children and families with lower level needs/risks.

The service runs Local Allocation Groups (or similarly named group) in each hub attended by key partner agencies. These discuss and agree resource/case allocation in each locality and facilitate the sharing of expertise and advice.

The service supports the Troubled Families programme including in relation to identifying eligible families and assisting with tracking outcomes.

All staff in the service work constructively, collaboratively and effectively with a broad range of key agencies delivering, for example, housing, domestic abuse, substance misuse, mental health, education, finance, employment and/or emotional wellbeing support.

Job Purpose

To be the primary worker with case responsibility for children in need, children in need of protection and children looked after - depending upon the function of the dedicated team.

To operate within the council policy and keep up to date with social work methods, practice developments, new legislation and procedures, including the Childrens Act 2004.

To be responsible for the day to day interpretation of and implementation of statutory duties and departmental policy and procedures in the provision of services to children and young people.

To be allocated work from the team manager or any person delegated to act on their behalf based on eligibility criteria and to hold case management responsibility for this work.

To complete enquiries and assess, the needs of and risks to vulnerable children and young people in a timely manner giving due consideration to the wishes and views of the child and the childs family. This will include the completion of S47 enquiries, single assessments and engaging service users and other relevant persons in the work base, homes or any other appropriate venue e.g. hospital, school etc.

To take appropriate action to assess and minimise any identified concern or risk to children/young people in accordance with the requirements and timescales of assessment frameworks, child protection procedures and looked after children legislation and procedures.

To draw up and implement, with the child/young person and their family/carers, an appropriate plan to address identified issues and to maximise the participation of service users and carers in this process ensuring that social work intervention is ongoing only when necessary in peoples lives.

To carry out regular reviews of individual plans, record outcomes and formulate revised plans which are outcome focused.

To convene meetings e.g. core groups to assist in the implementation and review of plans for vulnerable children.

To write reports for child protection conferences, planning meetings, looked after children reviews, legal meetings and court hearings and attend these as appropriate.

To work collaboratively and effectively with Keyworkers, Senior Keyworkers and Local Partnership Advisors on achieving shared family goals

To have a creative approach to meeting need and to ensure local provision, wherever possible, in order to meet identified need within available resources.

To have a clear understanding of and ability to manage within financial constraints in service delivery.

To work proactively and in partnership with other agencies to plan and deliver coordinated services to children, young people and their families/carers which promotes and focuses on positive outcomes.

Actively engage and contribute, when necessary, to Local Allocation Group case discussions (or other similarly named mechanisms/panels).

To maintain accurate and effective electronic recording of information and action taken in the course of casework.

To understand the need for and contribute to the achievement of team and departmental performance targets in order to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people

To maintain confidentiality of information acquired in the course of undertaking duties for the department whilst operating in the fullest cooperation with other agencies to ensure that children are appropriately safeguarded.

To contribute to team processes in a positive and appropriate manner, by attending team meetings and undertaking any necessary and appropriate team duties.

To make an active contribution to the development of service delivery through the sharing of knowledge, information and skills.

To take responsibility for personal professional development through the utilisation of relevant practice research/developments, legislation, participative supervision and appraisal processes.

To undertake further training which is consistent with the needs of the individualand the organisation, as agreed with the manager.

To work within an equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory framework. Value diversity within the team and in contact with other professionals, children, young people and families.

Working within a legislative framework

Operating within relevant policy, legal, ethical and professional boundaries when working with children and families.

Effectively delivering all statutory requirements.

Following local practice standards and protocols.

Supervision and continual development.

Actively engaging in individual and group supervision and embed learning in practice.

Maintaining up to date knowledge and skills as required by the role.

Participating in appraisal and team meetings and contribute to individual and team development.

Specific requirements for this post:

Flexible working

There will be a requirement to occasionally work with children and families when they most need it which may be outside of normal working hours, including weekends. The number of out of hours worked will not exceed 10% of the total contracted hours per week.

Qualifications

Essential

• Professional social work qualification.
• Social Work England registered.
• Evidence of professional and personal development following achievement of professional qualification, at least 2 with children and families.
• Have up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance in relation to working with, and the protection of, children and young people.
• Experience of effective work within the legal time framework, including court proceedings.
• Up to date knowledge of key child care legislation, policies and practices central to the implementation of a professional social work service on behalf of the council.
• Proven experience to demonstrate the knowledge and ability to put into practice a range of theories, models and interventions and to assess impact for the service user.
• Knowledge of assessment processes including the contribution provided by other agencies, timescales and their impact on council and Government performance targets and indicators.
• Experience of direct work with children, young people and families.
• Knowledge of child development.
• Understanding of the needs of vulnerable children, those affected by trauma and children in care.
• Experience of working with children in care, their families and foster carers.
• Experience of completing assessments, reports and plans for children identified as vulnerable and in need.
• Experience of mentoring colleagues.
• Experience of supervising student placements.
• Ability to professionally challenge i.e. strategy discussions, case conferences.
• Sharing research within team.
• Facilitating team training sessions.
• Involvement on practice/service developments/quality assurance activity i.e. audit.
• Raise professional issues within and external to the service in a positive and proactive manner. Identify as part of the leadership of the organisation in dealing with issues raised transparent, open and proactive.
• Ability to give objective timely advice.
• Knowledge and evidence of assessment skills, including engaging with users of services, other professionals and agencies to achieve a holistic assessment.
• Excellent report writing skills.
• Proven organisational skills, including the ability to prioritise work, manage own time effectively and meet deadlines.
• Ability to keep accurate electronic records.
• Takes responsibility for own professional development and commitment to evidenced based practice.
• Good IT skills.
• Ability to manage competing demands of a caseload.
• Effective communication skills, both verbal and written with colleagues, outside agencies and service users.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective professional relationships within and outside the department.
• Fluent in English.

Desirable

• A post qualifying award in Social Work.
• A Practice Teachers Award Training qualification.
• Experience of delivering training.
• Supervision skills.
• A Practice lead.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).