Social Worker

NHS; Salisbury; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity awaits a dedicated Social Worker to join a dynamic Children in Care Team in Wiltshire. This role involves supporting looked-after children and their families, ensuring their unique needs are met through tailored interventions. The team is committed to enhancing the lives of vulnerable children, backed by an 'Outstanding' Ofsted rating. Join a forward-thinking local authority that values innovation and collaboration, where your contributions will make a meaningful impact on the community. This position offers a supportive environment for professional growth and development, allowing you to thrive in your career while making a difference.

Qualifications

• Registered Social Worker with knowledge of child care legislation.
• Experience in assessments and care plans for vulnerable children.

Responsibilities

• Manage caseloads of foster carers to ensure high-quality placements.
• Conduct assessments and develop plans for vulnerable children.
• Collaborate with agencies to promote positive outcomes.

Skills

Social Work

Child Care Legislation

Assessment and Reporting

Risk Assessment

Interagency Collaboration

Education

Social Work Degree

Job description

Salary: £42,489 - £44,524 (Inclusive of 10% market supplement)

Hours per week: 37 hours

Rolling advert: We're continuously reviewing and interviewing applicants weekly for this job posting. We will stop accepting applications when sufficient applications have been received.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic, forward-thinking, and experienced Social Worker to become an integral part of our Children in Care Team in the South of Wiltshire.

Dedicated to improving the lives of looked-after children and meeting the unique needs of the most vulnerable, we received an 'Outstanding' rating from Ofsted in September 2023, with positive inspection feedback for our service.

Main duties of the job

As part of the Children in Care Team, you will play a vital role in supporting looked-after children and care leavers. You will work closely with children, families, and partner agencies to deliver tailored support, ensuring each child's needs are met in a safe, inclusive, and empowering way. We have a package to support our care-experienced young people (called the Local Offer) and have creative ways for young people to influence our services and enhance inclusion (such as The Leaving Care Forum).

We are looking for an experienced registered Social Worker, with a thorough understanding of the needs of children in care. Our ideal candidate will have up-to-date knowledge of key child care legislation, guidance, and best practices relating to the protection and support of children and young people. Experience in completing assessments, reports, and care plans for children identified as vulnerable or in need will be essential.

Join our innovative local authority, where you can further your career aspirations. Together, we will continue making a positive impact on the lives of the children and families in Wiltshire.

About us

Wiltshire Council is a friendly, welcoming place to work, with a 'One Council' ethos. That's why we focus on getting the things that matter to our people right.

This position comes with a 10% market supplement payment. All market supplement payments are subject to review on an annual basis.

Job responsibilities

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

1. Manage and supervise a caseload of approved mainstream and family and friends foster carers across Wiltshire to ensure safe and high-quality foster placements are offered and provided to Wiltshire's looked-after children.
2. Operate within the council policy and keep up to date with social work methods, practice developments, new legislation, and procedures, including the Children’s Act 2004, Every Child Matters, and Care Matters agenda.
3. Be responsible for the day-to-day interpretation of and implementation of statutory duties and departmental policy and procedures in the provision of services to children and young people.
4. Be allocated work from the team manager or any person delegated to act on their behalf based on eligibility criteria and hold case management responsibility for this work.
5. Complete enquiries and assess the needs of and risks to vulnerable children and young people in a timely manner, giving due consideration to the wishes and views of the child and the child's family. This includes the completion of S47 enquiries, single assessments, and engaging service users and other relevant persons in the work base, homes, or any other appropriate venue (e.g., hospital, school).
6. Take appropriate action to assess and minimise any identified concern or risk to children/young people in accordance with assessment frameworks, child protection procedures, and legislation.
7. Develop and implement, with the child/young person and their family/carers, an appropriate plan to address identified issues, maximising participation and ensuring social work intervention is necessary and appropriate.
8. Conduct regular reviews of individual plans, record outcomes, and formulate revised, outcome-focused plans.
9. Convene meetings (e.g., core groups) to assist in the implementation and review of plans for vulnerable children.
10. Write reports for child protection conferences, planning meetings, reviews, legal meetings, and court hearings, and attend as appropriate.
11. Apply a creative approach to meeting needs and ensure local provision to meet identified needs within available resources.
12. Manage within financial constraints in service delivery.
13. Work proactively and in partnership with other agencies to deliver coordinated services promoting positive outcomes.
14. Maintain accurate electronic records of casework actions.
15. Contribute to team and departmental performance targets to achieve positive outcomes.
16. Maintain confidentiality and cooperate with other agencies to ensure children are safeguarded.
17. Participate actively in team meetings and duties, sharing knowledge and skills.
18. Take responsibility for personal professional development through relevant research, legislation, supervision, and appraisal.
19. Undertake further training as agreed with the manager.
20. Work within an equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory framework, valuing diversity.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Please see the job advert for details.

Experience

• Please see the job advert for details.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975. A disclosure check will be required to check for previous criminal convictions.