Senior Social Care Officer, Strathmoor, COPE Team, Harley Place, Perth - PKC12738

Perth and Kinross Council; Perth; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Perth and Kinross Council is seeking a Senior Social Care Officer to support children and families in their community. The role, fixed until March 2026, involves delivering planned interventions alongside urgent support, while promoting best practices in social care. Candidates should be qualified in Social Services at SVQ Level III and possess strong communication skills. This position offers a competitive salary along with a generous leave package and opportunities for flexible working.

Benefits

Generous annual leave package

Eligibility to join pension scheme

Family-friendly work policies

Access to training and professional development

Qualifications

• Experience working with children and families in difficulties is essential.
• Familiarity with Getting it Right for Every Child.
• Valid UK driving licence and access to a car is required.

Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with families to provide planned support.
• Respond to urgent needs of children and families.
• Attend relevant meetings such as Children's Hearings.

Skills

Communication Skills

Relationship-based Practice

Flexible Thinking

Collaboration

Education

SVQ Level III in Social Services (Children & Young People)

Job description

Main Purpose of the Role

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job, it's about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch.

We currently have the following opportunity:

Senior Social Care Officer (Fixed term until March 2026) - PKC12738
£35,588 - £39,248
Strathmoor, Family Support Team and COPE Team, Harley Place, Perth

An exciting opportunity has arisen in Children and Families Social Work to be part of our COPE team. COPE stands for:

C - Children and Young People who are

O - Open cases to Social Work and need

P - Planned intervention during

E - Early mornings, evenings and weekends

COPE provides planned input and support to children, young people and families who are working with our service. In line with 'The Promise' we have listened to children, young people and families' requests for support to be available to them at times when they need it.

This post is for a COPE member of staff to work a variety of early, late and some weekend shits for a fixed term until March 2026. COPE staff work closely with the Lead Professional to undertake directed pieces of planned work which may include providing parenting support for families, spending individual time with a child or young person and completion of any other suitable tasks identified within their Child or Young Person's Plan. Alongside planned pieces of work, COPE workers respond to the urgent needs of children, young people and families as required in conjunction with our Out of Hours Service. A shift system will be in place to cover early or late starts and every second Saturday. These will be the primary working hours. A typical shift could be 07:45 - 16:00hrs or 13:45 - 22:00hrs during the week and 10:45 - 19:00hrs on Saturday, however the worker will be required to be flexible.

Staff may also be required to attend Children's Hearings, Child Protection and Child/Young Person's Plan meetings.

Skills & Experience Required

You will have experience of working with children, young people and families who are experiencing significant difficulties in their lives and require sensitive and non-judgmental support.

You will be qualified to at least SVQ Level III in Social Services (Children & Young People).

You must be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills; the capacity to work independently and as part of a team and to manage competing demands successfully.

You must be flexible in your approach and able to think quickly and on your feet in situations.

You must be able to demonstrate a positive attendance record at work and high levels of reliability and punctuality.

Relationship-based practice is key to positive interventions with children, young people and families and it is important that you have the skills and qualities to provide nurturing support whilst being able to be honest and transparent with families about risks and concerns. Having a strengths based approach will be beneficial so that you are able to help families identify their strengths and how to build on them. It would be helpful if you have experience of undertaking home visits and working with children, young people and families in their own communities.

You should be familiar with Getting it Right for Every Child and the My World Triangle and SHANARRI indicators. Children, young people and families may be experiencing multiple adversities such as poverty, addiction, domestic abuse and mental health issues and therefore being able to work collaboratively with other agencies is essential.

You must be able to drive, have a full, clean driving licence and have access to a car as you will need to travel to see families as part of your role.

You must have a valid UK driving licence and access to a car as this post requires you to travel to a variety of locations across Perth and Kinross.

Candidates will need to promote positive values and anti-discriminatory, non-judgmental practice and treat colleagues and customers with dignity and respect in line with the Employee Code of Conduct and SSSC Codes of Conduct.

Working at Perth & Kinross Council

Our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of our key priorities . In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours . Find out more about Perth & Kinross Council and you could soon be joining our team!

Here's what we can offer you:

• A generous annual leave package
• 6 days public holiday and an additional discretionary day
• Eligibility to join our pension scheme
• Family friendly and positive work/life balance policies such as Flexible Working , Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave , time off for volunteering and our Wellbeing Framework
• Flexi time (remove if not relevant)
• Access to a range of benefits

We recognise there can be benefits to flexible working and where individual jobs allow, we seek to support this. You are encouraged to discuss potential options with the recruiting manager, if this is of interest to you. A healthy work life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and, where possible, flexible working arrangements to help you achieve that balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

For purposes of connection and collaboration with colleagues and with the community we serve, our full-time employees work on site for a minimum of 2 days per week with the arrangements for part time employees being agreed on a basis which will ensure that they benefit to an equivalent degree. Our FAQs on hybrid working can be found here Hybrid working FAQs . We are committed to being a more inclusive employer - to ensure we can consider any reasonable adjustments, please either contact the recruiting manager to discuss any individual circumstances, discuss at interview or, if you prefer, after any conditional offer is made.

This role requires you to be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) , if you are not yet registered, you can still apply, as long as you are willing to apply for registration within 3 months of starting with us and be registered within 6 months.

Next Steps

We would love to hear from you and would encourage you to get in touch with Lesley Whyte, Team Leader on 01738 454321 or 07788 362886 to find out more.

Click APPLY NOW

External candidates are required to provide contact details for 2 references, including email addresses. One of these must be your current or most recent employer.

We welcome applications from everyone and as a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to interview applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential requirements of the post. Please contact the hiring manager above or the Recruitment Team on [phone] or [e-mail] to discuss any reasonable adjustments. Appointments are based on evidence supplied during the selection process.

Diversity is important to us and although some of our jobs may be perceived to be traditionally gender specific, we welcome applications from everyone and would encourage you to apply if you meet the job requirements. That includes welcoming applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.

Working with children and/or protected adults is regulated work and under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 you will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check. If you have lived overseas for a period of 12 months or more (continuous or total) within the last 10 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check.

A confirmed offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of the above mentioned mandatory pre-employment checks (including references) and will also include eligibility to work in the UK, qualifications and fitness to undertake the post.