Senior Social Workers - Child Protection & Court

Sandwell Childrens Trust; West Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 47,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market supplement £2,500 p.a.

Retention bonus up to £10,000 over 3y

Generous annual leave (up to 31 days +

Long service recognition + birthday

Job summary

Sandwell Children's Trust is recruiting a Senior Social Worker for the Child Protection & Court Teams in Sandwell. You will deliver timely, evidence-based assessments and care planning, working collaboratively with Families First to safeguard children and support families.

You will produce court reports, statements and plans, and provide sound professional judgments while engaging with the child’s voice and evidence-based practice. DBS checks apply.

Qualifications

• Recognised professional Social Work qualification and registration with Social Work England.
• Completed ASYE programme.
• At least 2 years post-qualifying experience in Children & Families.
• Good knowledge of minimum standards and promoting change in family life.
• Ability to analyse information and make informed decisions.
• Good knowledge of child development.
• Experience with s47 investigations or s17 single assessments.
• Ensure the voice of the child is at the centre of your work and use a range of direct work tools to evidence the child’s voice.

Responsibilities

• Work alongside the Families First Teams and be based in the same town to respond swiftly when needs are acute.
• Plan effectively to meet timescales set by the Trust and the Court.
• Produce reports for Court, write court statements, care plans and assessments with clear, evidence-based recommendations.
• Represent the Trust in giving evidence in Court.

Education

Social Work qualification

ASYE programme

Job description

Want to make a difference to children and young people in Sandwell? Be part of the biggest change to Children’s Services in decades, by joining our exciting, new child-centredFamily Help Model.

Following our recent 'Good' rating from Ofsted, we are recruiting for exceptional Senior Social Workers to join the Child Protection & Court Teams who are passionate, committed and dedicated to improving the lives of children & young people. With a focus on good quality assessments and dynamic planning which deliver timely evidence-based interventions and the progress of pre-proceedings/care proceedings through to permanency planning, this service strengthens partnership working with families in local communities.

Get in touch if you’re a confident, reflective and experienced children’s services professional looking for an opportunity to:

• influence a new way of working
• be part of a supportive partnership practice model
• improve outcomes for children and families across Sandwell.

Our Families First pilot scheme colleague told us: “Working in this new, collaborative way helps me build stronger partnerships to support children and their families to find the best solutions to suit their lives.”

What we can offer you:-

• A market supplement of £2,500 per annum.
• Retention bonus of £2,000 in year 1, £3,000 in year 2 and £5,000 in year 3.
• Generous annual leave of up to 31 days, plus 5 additional days for long service recognition plus your birthday off
• We recognise individual loyalty with service awards from 2, 5, 10 and every 5 years onwards.
• Flexible working patterns that suit you and all of our roles have well-defined career progression.

£46,753- £52,317per annum* and a relocation allowance of up to £6,500* plus, excellent benefits. Additionally, we pay a retention bonus of up to £10,000 over 3 years.

Hybrid Working - full time 37 hours per week

As a Senior Social Worker in one of the Child Protection & Court Teams you will: -

• Work alongside the Families First Teams and be based in the same Town; these teams will respond swiftly when children’s needs are more acute, and risks are higher;
• Work in an organised and planned way to ensure timescales set by the Trust and the Court are consistently met;
• Produce reports for Court, write court statements, care plans and assessments in a succinct manner, demonstrating highly attuned skills in gathering, assessing and analysing key information leading to evidenced-based recommendations for children;
• Represent the Trust in giving evidence in Court.

About you: -

• You will need to have a recognised professional Social Work qualification and be registered with Social Work England;
• Have completed your ASYE programme;
• Have at least 2 years post qualifying experience of working as a social worker in a Children & Families setting.
• Have a good level of experience of working in a children and families setting;
• Have a good knowledge of minimum standards and be able to achieve our expectation for promoting change in family life;
• Be able to demonstrate the ability to analyse information and make informed decisions;
• Good knowledge of child development.
• Respond to the needs of children through s47 child protection investigations or through s17 child in need single assessments;
• Play a pivotal role in developing effective relationships with children and their families to identify their needs and work with families to help develop plans to achieve change;
• Ensure that the voice of the child is at the centre of your work and use a range of direct work tools to evidence the child’s voice in your assessments and plans.

By joining our team, you will be making a real difference in the lives of children and families. We are dedicated to driving meaningful change and ensuring the best outcomes for those we serve.With the work that we have done so far and with the ambitions we have for the future, it’s a really exciting time to join Sandwell Children’s Trust and to become part of our Family.

Sandwell Children's Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable groups including children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Completion of an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check is a requirement for working with children and young people.

Please note thatpre-employment checks will be carried out in line with the Department for Education KCSIE Guidance 2022.

*Pay rate is inclusive of market supplement
*Terms & Conditions apply for relocation allowance