Senior Social Workers - Child Protection & Court

WMJobs; West Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 47,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market supplement

Retention bonus

Annual leave

Service awards

Flexible working

Relocation allowance

Retention bonus (over 3 years)

Hybrid working

Job summary

Sandwell Children's Trust is recruiting a Senior Social Worker to join the Child Protection & Court Teams. You will conduct high-quality assessments and produce court reports, care plans and evidence-based recommendations to support children and families, while ensuring the voice of the child is central to decisions.

The role offers a market supplement, relocation assistance up to £6,500, and a structured career progression within a supportive partnership practice model.

Qualifications

• Qualified social worker registered with Social Work England.
• ASYE completed or in progress and eligible for registration.

Responsibilities

• Produce reports for Court, write court statements, care plans and assessments.
• Gather, assess and analyse information leading to evidenced-based recommendations for children.
• Represent the Trust in giving evidence in Court.

Skills

Social work experience

Report writing

Court work

Assessment & planning

Education

Social Work qualification

ASYE completion

Job description

Sandwell Children's Trust,

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-centred Family 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- £52,317 per 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.

If you require further information on the role or working for us please email [e-mail] and a member of our Recruitment Team will be happy to give you a call.

Please note that pre-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