Advanced Social Work Practitioner

Wakefield Council; Wakefield; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Generous holiday entitlement

LGPS pension and AVC

Training and development programmes

Wellbeing support and employee assist

Discounted public transport

Job summary

Wakefield Council is seeking an Advanced Social Work Practitioner for its Emergency Duty Team (EDT). The role involves safeguarding children outside ordinary hours, making swift decisions on urgent intervention, and collaborating with police and partner agencies to ensure timely support.

You will be an experienced children’s social worker with strong safeguarding knowledge, capable of autonomous decision-making, risk assessment, and high-quality written reporting in a fast-paced, out-of-hours

Qualifications

• Qualified social worker with safeguarding and statutory intervention expertise.
• Ability to work autonomously within statutory and organisational frameworks.
• Experience in complex decision-making and risk management.
• Proficiency in producing high-quality written reports and records.

Responsibilities

• Respond to safeguarding concerns and emergency situations outside normal hours.
• Make informed decisions requiring urgent intervention.
• Collaborate with partner agencies to safeguard children and families.
• Provide professional advice, guidance and consultation to colleagues and partners.
• Ensure timely and proportionate interventions in line with statutory responsibilities.
• Produce high-quality case recordings and decision-making records.
• Maintain high standards of practice within the Emergency Duty Team.
• Participate in a rota-based out-of-hours system (varied shifts).

Skills

Analytical skills

Risk management

Communication

Team collaboration

Autonomy

Judgement & decision making

Written reporting

Resilience

Education

BA/MA in Social Work or Diploma in Social Work

Registered with Social Work England

Practice Educator Stage 1

Job description

The EDT provides an emergency social work response outside normal office hours for children and young people where there are concerns of significant harm or where urgent statutory intervention is required. Working as part of a small and experienced team, you will play a vital role in safeguarding children, making timely decisions and working alongside partner agencies to ensure children receive the right support when they need it most. The Emergency Duty Team forms part of Wakefield's Integrated Front Door and is co-located with West Yorkshire Police at Havertop Police Station, Normanton. The successful applicant will be subject to full police vetting. About the Role: The Children's Emergency Duty Team operates 365 days a year and provides an out-of-hours service on behalf of Children's Social Care. As an Advanced Social Work Practitioner, you will respond to safeguarding concerns involving children and young people up to the age of 18 and make decisions where urgent intervention is required. You will work closely with a range of partner agencies to safeguard vulnerable children and support positive outcomes for families. This is a rewarding opportunity to work within a specialist service alongside experienced practitioners in a supportive and well-established team.

• Respond to safeguarding concerns and emergency situations involving children and young people outside normal office hours.
• Make informed decisions where there are concerns of significant harm and urgent intervention is required.
• Work closely with partner agencies to safeguard children and young people.
• Provide professional advice, guidance and consultation to colleagues and partner agencies.
• Ensure children and families receive timely and proportionate interventions in line with statutory responsibilities.
• Produce high-quality reports, case recordings and decision-making records.
• Contribute to maintaining high standards of practice across the Emergency Duty Team.
• Participate in a rota-based shift system to ensure the delivery of an effective out-of-hours service. This includes working 16:00 to 00:00 shifts across Monday to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:00 shifts on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, and undertaking overnight on-call duties following midnight as part of the EDT rota.

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Advanced Social Work Practitioner to join Wakefield's Emergency Duty Team (EDT).

• You will be an experienced children's social worker with a strong understanding of safeguarding, child protection and statutory intervention.
• You will be confident making decisions in complex situations, often with limited information and within demanding timescales.
• You will have the ability to work autonomously, exercising professional judgement and taking responsibility for decision-making within statutory and organisational frameworks.
• You will have strong analytical skills and be able to identify and effectively manage risk.
• You will build positive working relationships with children, families, colleagues and partner agencies.
• You will communicate effectively and demonstrate sound professional judgement when responding to emergency situations.
• You will contribute to a culture of high-quality practice, learning and continuous improvement.
• You will be able to remain resilient, organised and effective when managing competing demands in a fast-paced out-of-hours environment.
• BA or MA in Social Work, Diploma in Social Work or equivalent qualification recognised by Social Work England.
• Registered with Social Work England.
• Significant post‑qualifying experience working with children and families within statutory children's social care.
• Experience of making complex decisions and managing risk.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with children, families, colleagues and partner agencies.
• Ability to produce high‑quality written reports and records.
• Practice Educator Stage 1 qualified.
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for work purposes. Wakefield Council is wholly committed to ensuring children and vulnerable adults are fully supported and safe. We are dedicated to the safeguarding of all children and vulnerable adults whilst promoting their welfare. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this responsibility.
• DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) The successful applicant will be required to complete a Disclosure Application Form and to provide criminal conviction information.
• Probation In accordance with the Council Probation Procedure, this post is subject to a 6-month Probationary Period.
• Fluency Duty To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 (Fluency Duty), public facing roles will be subject to the Fluency Duty.
• Diversity Having a diverse workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve helps us to achieve the best outcomes for all. We encourage applications from everyone and actively seek to ensure that everyone feels included in the workplace so that we can make the most of our differences.
• Why Wakefield to find out more about the benefits of working at Wakefield Council.
• A competitive salary
• Generous holiday entitlement with the option to buy up to 10 extra days of annual leave
• Hybrid working (subject to role suitability)
• Access to high-quality training programs to advance your career to the next level.
• We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our staff. We recognise that resilient teams need good work life balance as well as supportive leadership.
• Discounted and subsidised public transport (Arriva Bus Annual Travel Ticket, Northern Trains Limited (NTL), MetroCard).
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and a Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC) scheme providing a tax efficient way to increase our pension.
• Great range of benefits including an Employee Assistant Programme, discounted membership to our excellent leisure facilities with free 12 weeks exercise program, discounts for a range of retail, entertainment, health and leisure providers, a cycle to work scheme, and many more