Social Worker

Gloucestershire County Council; Gloucester; Hybrid; GBP 37,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dedicated team as a Social Worker in Gloucestershire, where your passion for improving children's lives will be valued. This role involves conducting vital assessments, providing support to kinship carers, and collaborating with various services to ensure the best outcomes for children. With a focus on a relational approach to social work, you will contribute to a supportive environment that fosters professional growth and career development. Enjoy a range of benefits, including flexible working opportunities and a commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. Make a meaningful impact in your community with Gloucestershire County Council.

Benefits

Annual Retention Payment of £2,000

Welcome Payment of £4,000

Flexible Working Opportunities

26.5 Days Annual Leave

Option to Purchase Additional Leave

Employee Assistance Programme

In-house Occupational Health Service

Cycle to Work Scheme

Career Development Opportunities

Access to Social Work Academy

Qualifications

• Registered with Social Work England and a full driving licence required.
• Experience in evidence-based assessments for children and adults.

Responsibilities

• Complete Connected Person Fostering and Special Guardianship Assessments.
• Provide statutory supervision for Connected Person Foster Carers.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Analytical Skills

Presentation Skills

Solution-focused Approach

Organizational Skills

Education

Recognised Qualification in Social Work

ASYE Passed (if qualified after 2012)

Tools

DBS Check

Job description

This is a Gloucestershire County Council job.

• Job Title: Social Worker
• Job Location: Based at Shire Hall but covers countrywide
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Closing Date: 16/02/2025
• Job Requisition Number: 5700
• This post is open to job share

We are currently recruiting for a Social Worker to join our Kinship Assessment Team on a permanent basis.

About us

For all your hard work, you will receive the following:

• £37,938 - £45,718 per annum subject to experience
• annual retention payment of £2,000
• welcome payment of £4,000
• flexible and agile working opportunities
• 26.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5 days after 5 years continuous service
• an option to purchase 10 days of additional leave per year
• family friendly policies and benefits to help support you and your family
• supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
• access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone
• an in-house Occupational Health service
• cycle to Work scheme
• Gloucestershire Salary Sacrifice Green Car Scheme (T&Cs apply)
• links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) and the Young Employees Network
• career development and qualification opportunities
• access to our Social Work Academy

Right child, right support, right time, every time

We are working together to support families and communities to give every child the best chance of a happy and rewarding life, especially those who need more help.

Gloucestershire offers a range of opportunities to develop your career, supported by a phenomenal Social Work Academy offer, a developing systemic practice methodology, an ambitious leadership team and an award-winning workforce.

Gloucestershire Children’s Services are improving. Our latest Ofsted inspection (February 2022) identified that:

‘Significant progress has been made in many areas of Gloucestershire’s children’s services… significant financial investment and the backing of political leaders, has led to improved services that are now more effective in meeting the needs of children and families’.

We are a local authority adopting, and training all colleagues in, systemic social work practice. If you would like to be part of an authority that takes a relational approach to working with families and focuses on what needs to change in the system around a child and family to enable children to thrive, then consider a role with GCC.

About the team

The Kinship Assessment Team is experienced, highly supportive, friendly, and deeply passionate about the work we do. While we work hard, we also take the time to celebrate our achievements and share good practice. The Kinship Assessment Team collaborates closely with Social Workers, managers from other Children’s Services, and Legal Services. The work is engaging, often complex and challenging, but plays a vital role in achieving placement stability and permanence for children.

About You

Are you a motivated and passionate social work practitioner committed to fostering, kinship care, and providing high-quality support for children? If so, we invite you to join our dynamic team!

About the role

In this role, you will:

• Complete Connected Person Fostering Assessments, Special Guardianship Assessments and Viability Assessments.
• Deliver preparatory training to kinship carers.
• Present assessments to fostering panels and attend court as required, demonstrating strong presentation skills and a confident, articulate manner.
• Provide statutory supervision and support for Connected Person Foster Carers during the assessment process, collaborating with the team around the child to achieve the best outcomes.
• Work flexibly, including some evenings, to meet the needs of kinship carers.

What we’re looking for

• A passionate, dedicated professional with a strong commitment to improving the lives of children in care.
• Disciplined and highly organised, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet tight deadlines.
• Proven ability to complete evidence-based, high-quality assessments with both adults and children.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, strong analytical abilities, and a solution-focused approach.
• In-depth knowledge of Fostering Regulations, National Minimum Standards, and Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations.
• Flexibility to work evenings and travel across Gloucestershire and countrywide when required.

In return, you will work within a supportive team environment, where your skills and dedication will be valued and developed. You’ll make a meaningful impact in the lives of children and families, helping to create safe, stable, and nurturing environments.

There are some things we require of you to be successfully appointed to this post:

• Social Work England registration
• A recognised qualification in Social Work
• To have passed your Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) (if you qualified after 2012)
• A full driving licence and willingness to drive.

We reserve the right to close an advertisement earlier than the stated closing date if we receive a suitable number of applications.

Under the terms of our Safer Recruitment Policy, if you are invited to interview, we will take up safeguarding references prior to your interview to understand your suitability to work with vulnerable children. These references will then be discussed in your interview. Please give details of at least two referees, one of whom must be your present and/or last employer and the other from a previous employer(s). These will need to cover the last three years of employment/education. In the case of applicants leaving full time education or not having worked since doing so, the Head of School, College or University should be one of the named referees. We do not accept references from friends or family members or workplace colleagues (who are not more senior). To ensure we process your application in a speedy and efficient way, we will contact your referees by DocuSign. Where appropriate, please inform them of your application.

Additional Information

This position is subject to a DBS check.

Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire’s diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.

It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a ‘customer facing role’ must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.

Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.