Senior Social Worker - Duty and Assessment (plus Welcome Payment of £7,000)

BRACKNELL FOREST COUNCIL; Bracknell; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in the UK is seeking a full-time Senior Social Worker to join their Duty and Assessment Team. This role requires strong experience in children's social care, compassion for helping families, and an ability to work effectively within a well-managed team. The council is noted for its outstanding service quality and offers a supportive work environment, with flexible working options and numerous employee benefits including a £7,000 welcome payment. This position is pivotal in conducting child assessments and improving outcomes for children.

Benefits

28 days annual leave

Paid employee volunteering scheme

Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme

Career development opportunities

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Current registration with Social Work England.
• At least three years post-qualifying experience in Children's Social Care.
• In-depth knowledge of relevant legislation and policies.

Responsibilities

• Conduct needs-led child-focused assessments.
• Work with colleagues in assessing children in need.
• Manage a caseload of assessments.

Skills

Multi-agency working

Assessment skills

Analytical skills

Effective communication

Education

Social Work England registration

3+ years experience in Children's Social Care

Job description

Job Overview

Our Duty and Assessment Team is looking for a dedicated Senior Social Worker to join us on a full-time, permanent basis. If you are passionate about supporting families in making positive changes and share our commitment to helping to keep more children safely at home with their families, then this could be the role for you., The Duty and Assessment team acts as the front door for Children's Social Care and carries out short term work. Working alongside and directly with children, young people, and their families. We are a small, welcoming, and friendly local authority. Our leadership team knows that it is essential for social workers to have a secure physical and psychological base from which to be the best practitioners they can be. We are proud of our connected and inclusive culture, with a strong focus on wellbeing, which will provide you with a strong sense of belonging.

Our Context

We are Ofsted rated 'Outstanding,' with Ofsted recognising that at Bracknell Forest Council, "Children who need help and protection in Bracknell Forest receive a consistently high quality service". Inspectors concluded that social workers and other frontline practitioners benefit from manageable caseloads, good training and powerful and highly reflective supervision that ensures children are at the heart of decision making. In November 2023 our Ofsted monitoring visit highlighted :

• Social workers receive regular supervision from their managers
• Caseloads are manageable and allow workers to have time to spend with children
• Social workers are very positive about working in Bracknell Forest
• Staff feel valued and that they can progress in their social work career. They feel well supported by managers and leaders, To carry out needs led child focused assessments which include outcome focused plans.
• To work alongside other professionals and partner agencies in assessing children in need and undertake child protection enquiries.
• To be the allocated Social Worker for duty caseload of single assessments under S17 and S47 investigations, with some short-term work.
• To take part in the duty system responding to child protection concerns.
• To develop and maintain accurate case records and comply with the department's policies, procedures and guidelines including data protection and GDPR.
• To participate in regular reflective supervision and be able to set clear goals and intervention strategies.

Key Responsibilities

• To carry out needs led child focused assessments which include outcome focused plans.
• To work alongside other professionals and partner agencies in assessing children in need and undertake child protection enquiries.
• To be the allocated Social Worker for duty caseload of single assessments under S17 and S47 investigations, with some short-term work.
• To take part in the duty system responding to child protection concerns.
• To develop and maintain accurate case records and comply with the department's policies, procedures and guidelines including data protection and GDPR.
• To participate in regular reflective supervision and be able to set clear goals and intervention strategies.

Approach

We use the Family Safeguarding Model in our approach to collaborate with families to keep them together, where it is safe to do so, supported by Motivational Interviewing (MI). This approach empowers families, children, and young people, enabling parents to make positive changes that lead to improved outcomes for their children and enhance their own wellbeing.

Qualifications and Experience

You must have a current Social Work England registration and at least three years post qualifying experience within Children's Social Care that includes child protection. To succeed in this role, you will have an in-depth knowledge of relevant legislation, guidance, policies and thresholds. Strong experience in multi-agency working, along with excellent skills in assessment, analysis and recording, as well as the confidence to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and lead in complex situations, are also essential for this role. You will role model and champion good social work practice, are able to evidence relevant continued professional development and will support others in sharing your knowledge and experience to contribute to our inclusive culture.

Everything we do in Children's Social Care is about improving the life chances of Bracknell’s children, put simply, we change lives for the better. Because we're Bracknell Forest : a great place to learn and develop your practice. You can read what our team have to say about working at Bracknell Forest via this link : Children's social care jobs | Bracknell Forest Council

Salary and Benefits

Salary: In addition to the salary quoted, this role attracts a one-off Welcome Payment of £7,000 and a Retention Payment of 4% of Annual Salary after 2 years, subject to terms and conditions. Please see attached Welcome Payment T&C for details. At Bracknell Forest, we pride ourselves on being a council which is stable and well-managed where our employees can thrive in a supportive environment. We understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance and offer a variety of flexible working practices, including options for remote working and arrangements that allow you to work from home, dependent on the needs of the service.

• 28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years' continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
• Paid employee volunteering scheme.
• Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
• Reimbursement of Social Work England registration.
• Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
• Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing.
• Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.

Values and Culture

Find out more about all our benefits or see the candidate pack. Our values At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting [e-mail] . We will work with you to support you throughout the process. Find out more about reasonable adjustments.

Interview Process

Shortlisting will be done on a weekly basis and interviews will be arranged a minimum of 7 days after this for suitable applicants. Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment. We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible. Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.