Social Worker - Family Support and Safeguarding - Bicester Banbury

NHS; Bicester; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in Bicester is looking for an experienced Social Worker to manage cases supporting children and families. The ideal candidate will have strong safeguarding knowledge and be comfortable working with various stakeholders. This role offers a comprehensive local government pension scheme and various employee benefits including flexible work policies.

Benefits

Welcome and Loyalty payment of £3,500

Relocation allowance of up to £8,000

30 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Comprehensive Local Government Pension Scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Family-friendly policies

Childcare vouchers and other discounts

Excellent learning and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Good working knowledge of services relevant to children and families.
• Understanding of relevant legislation, guidance, policies, and procedures.
• Ability to maintain accurate case records efficiently using ICT.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload ensuring children’s and families’ voices are heard.
• Prepare and submit written reports, including legal reports for care proceedings.
• Undertake child and family assessments and investigate allegations of harm.

Skills

Knowledge of safeguarding

Motivational Interviewing

Strengths-based approach

Education

Qualified Social Worker

Job description

Overview

Social Worker - Family Support and Safeguarding - Bicester Banbury. As a qualified experienced Social Worker, you will possess good working knowledge of services relevant to children, young people, families, carers, groups and partner agencies. You will have a good understanding of safeguarding, relevant legislation, guidance, policy and procedures, and values and principles of FSP. It will be hugely beneficial to have working knowledge of Motivational Interviewing and the cycle of change and their application in social work with children and families. Your supportive and energised nature will help you chair meetings and proactively engage with partner agencies. It is essential that you are able to travel to visit clients and attend meetings over a wide area and at short notice.

Main duties of the job

You will manage a caseload tailored to your experience, ensuring that childrens and their families voices are heard, and their needs are met. You will work with families using the FSP Workbook modules, and a strengths-based approach, ensuring the Assistant/Team Manager is kept fully appraised of significant information. You will ensure provision of good quality services which integrate government and local guidance and initiatives including, Children Acts 1989 & 2004, Working Together, local Child Protection and Looked After Children procedures, and the DoH, Assessment Framework 2000. You will prepare and submit written reports as required, including child protection conference reports and legal reports for care proceedings. You will undertake child and family assessments for allocated families, investigate allegations of harm or neglect under s47 Children Act 1989, when required. By efficiently using ICT, you will maintain accurate case records and record activity in line with key performance management data.

About us

In our Children, Education, & Families directorate, we are committed to delivering lasting change, by helping the children, young people, and families of Oxfordshire to thrive. We know the importance of building relationships, empowering people, and building on strengths, reflected in our restorative, relational practice approach. We have been consistently rated as good by Ofsted, and we are ambitious to do even better. We are a financially stable local authority committed to investing in Children, Education, and Families, to ensure we have the resources to make a real difference to the families we work with, including the operation of our transformational model Family Solutions Plus (FSP).

About the role

You will manage a caseload tailored to your experience, ensuring that children’s and their families’ voices are heard, and their needs are met. You will work with families using the FSP Workbook modules, and a strengths-based approach, ensuring the Assistant/Team Manager is kept fully apprised of significant information. You will prepare and submit written reports as required, including child protection conference reports and legal reports for care proceedings. You will undertake child and family assessments for allocated families, investigate allegations of harm or neglect under s47 Children Act 1989, when required. By efficiently using ICT, you will maintain accurate case records and record activity in line with key performance management data.

About you

As a qualified experienced Social Worker, you will possess good working knowledge of services relevant to children, young people, families, carers, groups and partner agencies. You will have a good understanding of safeguarding, relevant legislation, guidance, policy and procedures, and values and principles of FSP. It will be hugely beneficial to have working knowledge of Motivational Interviewing and the cycle of change and their application in social work with children and families. Your supportive and energised nature will help you chair meetings and proactively engage with partner agencies. It is essential that you are able to travel to visit clients and attend meetings over a wide area and at short notice.

Important note: If you are inspired by this role and would like to speak with us, please contact our friendly team for a confidential and informative chat. Email: [e-mail]

Rewards and benefits

• Welcome and Loyalty payment of £3,500.
• Relocation allowance of up to £8,000.
• Annual leave starting at 30 days per year (plus bank holidays).
• A comprehensive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Employee Assistance Programme including access to health and wellbeing support 24/7.
• Range of family-friendly policies.
• Childcare vouchers, cycle to work scheme, electric car scheme, range of staff discounts including travel, holidays, insurance, food, health & leisure activities.
• Excellent learning and development opportunities.

Equal opportunities and safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments. This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.