Social Worker-First Response

Leicestershire County Council; Quorn; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Leicestershire County Council's First Response Children's Duty is seeking a qualified social worker to join our screening and assessment team. You will assess needs, safeguarding considerations, and risk under tight timescales, contributing to our multi‑agency safeguarding approach.

You must hold a Social Work degree, be registered with Social Work England, and possess strong communication and IT skills; a full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle are required.

Qualifications

• Qualified social worker with a Social Work degree or equivalent, and registered with Social Work England.
• Extensive knowledge of social work legislation, safeguarding, and multi‑agency practice.
• Ability to support performance and learning within a team, with strong IT skills.

Responsibilities

• Join the First Response team to screen information about children and families.
• Assess needs, safeguarding considerations and risk; manage Section 17 and Section 47 inquiries.
• Work under pressure to tight timescales and collaborate with partner agencies.

Skills

Communication

IT Skills

Driving Licence

Multi-agency Working

Education

Social Work Degree

Tools

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Word

Job description

Come and be part of our Outstanding First Response Children's Duty. It's an exciting time to be a part of Children and Family Services at Leicestershire County Council, our staff are at the heart of delivering excellent services to children and families across Leicestershire. Come and join us and make a difference in the lives of children and families in Leicestershire. Our recent Ofsted inspection praised Leicestershire's work to build "strong and long-lasting relationships" with children and families which lead to many families achieving "positive changes" in their lives. They highlighted an "ambitious and child-focused senior leadership that has successfully created a culture where the experiences and progress of children are at the heart of social work practice".

About the Role

Our First Response Children's Duty comprises of a screening and assessment team. The screening team is responsible for incoming information regarding children and families, considering support needs, safeguarding and assessing risk. The assessment team is responsible for Section 17, assessment of need across the county, as well as safeguarding Section 47 enquiries. You will need to be adaptable, to work well under pressure both individually and as part of a team and work to tight timescales.

• In Leicestershire, we have a fantastic package to provide our workers with a range of events throughout the year, recognition of our staff in annual Pride In Practice events, fantastic learning and training opportunities - enabling our staff to develop and progress within their roles and committed wellbeing support.

We are proud of our continuous improvement plan - ' which sets out our key values, behaviours and ambitions. We have embedded the Signs of Safety approach throughout our services and this approach mirrors our values of Aspiration, Being Curious and Collaboration. We are focused on working with families and the networks of family, friends and professionals around children, to work in collaboration to achieve shared goals. We are committed to our vision of becoming a trauma-informed responsive department where we believe we are " " . Our culture is one of partnership, where we look for solutions and recognise the potential impact of trauma on the children and families we work with and on our staff. We will strive to create a safe, compassionate, healing environment demonstrated through relationships based on trust, respect, hope and empathy. We will achieve this through a spirit of curiosity, by nurturing connections through relationships, making a deliberate effort to know and understand people, and by providing hope for growth and recovery. A DBS enhanced check for a regulated activity is required for this post. For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our .

• Be a qualified Social Worker holding a Social Work degree or equivalent, e.g., CQSW, DipSW (with specialism in children's services) and be registered with Social Work England.
• Extensive knowledge and application of social work legislation, methodologies, social care policies, guidance, procedures and case reviews with a commitment to your continuous professional development.
• Have ability and experience of supporting with service performance and the learning and development of individuals as well as a team.
• Have experience and understand the importance of multi-agency working and the differing roles, responsibilities, remit and functions of other parts of the wider service and agencies.
• The ability to communicate clearly and accurately, both orally and in writing, with a wide range of people, including representatives from other agencies, using skills of negotiation and persuasion. Have good IT skills, including Microsoft Outlook and Word, and database applications.
• Excellent demonstration of the ability to prioritise effectively across a wide range of competing demands to meet deadlines. Time management skills and the ability to respond flexibly to changing requirements.
• You must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence (or be able to convert your current licence) AND have access to a vehicle.

About Leicestershire County Council

At Leicestershire County Council, we're committed to making a real difference in people's lives. Our aim is to work with communities and partners to deliver public services that make Leicestershire the best possible place to live and work for everyone. Our employees play a key role in supporting this goal and helping us deliver the vital services we provide to the people of Leicestershire. Whether you're starting your career or looking for your next challenge, you'll find a place with us where your ideas are valued, and your work has purpose. For further information on what it's like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following