Children's Social Worker

Cheshire West and Chester Council; Winsford; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Cheshire West and Chester Council is seeking committed Social Workers for their Children's Social Care teams. Roles available across Chester, Ellesmere Port, and Winsford involve supporting children in need, protection, and those looked after. The council values professional development, offering a supportive environment with competitive salaries and flexible working arrangements, aimed at improving outcomes for children and families.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Excellent management support

Career development opportunities

Free parking

Paying for Social Work England Registration

Qualifications

• Experience in assessment and planning in child protection, child in need, or working with looked-after children.
• Strong communication and teamwork skills with a focus on professional development.
• Ability to work creatively with families and partners.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality services to children and families focusing on prevention.
• Collaborate with multi-agency partners to improve outcomes.
• Participate in ongoing learning and development initiatives.

Skills

Assessment

Planning

Motivational Interviewing

Trauma-Informed Practice

Job description

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We want to recruit experienced, committed, creative, resilient Social Workers to join our Children's Social Care teams across Cheshire West and Chester in all our three localities of Chester, Ellesmere Port, and Winsford.

Cheshire West and Chester Council is a place where everyone can Thrive – through our core values of Teamwork, Honesty, Respect, Innovation, Value for Money, and Empowerment.

We will provide you with a supportive and collaborative working environment in modern and bright offices, where you can be assured of excellent management support and supervision. Your personal career development and progression are actively encouraged.

We meet regularly as a service to provide practice development sessions and reflection opportunities.

We offer an excellent work-life balance, flexible and remote working arrangements.

You’ll get free parking at all our office locations, and we’ll pay your Social Work England Registration.

You’ll benefit from competitive working rewards, up to X days of ‘flexi time’ per year, and annual leave of Y days if you have less than Z years of continuous service, and longer if you have more.

We offer competitive salaries.

Our Children's Social Care workforce is passionate and committed to improving outcomes for children, who are at the heart of everything we do, by providing a high-quality, consistent service to children and families. You will benefit from excellent working relationships with our partners and support from a stable leadership and management team. We are committed to shared learning and development, and you will have an active role in progressing our services.

We have embedded ‘Our Way of Working’ with our multi-agency partners to ensure improved collaboration and a unified approach, using Motivational Interviewing and Trauma-Informed Practice. We will support your development in these areas to work creatively with children, families, and partners to achieve positive outcomes, focusing on prevention.

This is an ongoing recruitment programme. While a closing date is set, applications are considered as received, and interviews are arranged promptly. Please apply early if interested.

We are recruiting to the following teams:

• Child in Need Teams, based in Chester, Ellesmere Port, and Winsford.
• Child Protection/Court Teams based in Chester, Winsford, and Ellesmere Port.
• Permanence Teams (working with children who are ‘looked after’) based in Winsford and Ellesmere Port.

You need experience in assessment and planning in child in need, child protection, or working with children subject to Care Proceedings and who are 'looked after'.

Please see the Job Description / Person Specification for more details.

Our social workers report feeling supported and part of a team. They have access to excellent training opportunities. Managers strive to make Social Workers feel valued and recognized. They are approachable, available, and compassionate. Social Workers are encouraged to be creative and strive for excellence, feeling valued and supported by their team, manager, and senior managers.

Our investment in professional development means many of our Senior Practice Leads, Team Managers, and some Senior Managers have progressed within our organization.

We recognize the importance of a good work/life balance. Our ‘hybrid’ working arrangement offers flexibility in how we provide services, with an emphasis on agile, flexible, and mobile working. We support employees in balancing work and home life by maximizing technology use and fostering team connections.

We have a strong, experienced political and senior leadership team dedicated to improving children’s outcomes across Cheshire West and Chester.