Social Worker - Leaving Care and Children Looked After

London Borough of Sutton; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in England is seeking a compassionate and experienced Social Worker to join their Children Social Care team. This role involves supporting children in care through assessments, advocacy, and collaboration with various professionals to promote their well-being. The position offers a salary starting at £40,000 and includes additional bonuses for retention. This is an excellent opportunity for those dedicated to making a positive impact on children's lives within the community.

Benefits

Generous annual leave

Enhanced leave entitlements

Flexible working arrangements

Learning and development opportunities

Discounts at local shops

Local Government Pension Scheme

Health & wellbeing support

Qualifications

• Registered with Social Work England and hold a degree in Social Care or similar.
• Experience working in a multidisciplinary team setting.
• Ability to communicate complex social issues clearly to patients and professionals.
• Ability to plan and coordinate social care plans.

Responsibilities

• Assess the needs and situations of children in care.
• Advocate for children and young people in care.
• Collaborate with professionals to provide coordinated support.

Skills

Communication skills

Childcare experience

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Advocacy for children's rights

Emotional resilience

Education

Degree in Social Care or similar

Registered with Social Work England

Job description

About the Role

Join Children Social Care as a Social Worker on a starting salary of £40,000, and receive a Golden Hello and a Recruitment and Retention Bonus as follows:

1. £ paid in your first month's salary
2. £ paid for your first completed year in service
3. £ paid for your second completed year in service
4. £ paid for your third completed year in service and every year thereafter

We've got an exciting opportunity for you to work as a Social Worker within our Leaving Care and Children Looked After Service within Children’s Social Care. Our mission is to empower children to live independently as possible and provide the necessary support in safeguarding their well-being. We need your expertise to make it happen.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

1. Assess the needs and situations of children in care to develop specialised individual care plans that address their well-being and development.
2. Advocate for children and young people in care, ensuring their voices are heard and their rights are protected in meetings, court hearings, and other discussions.
3. Collaborate with professionals like teachers, healthcare providers, and community groups to provide coordinated support and review the well-being of children in care.

As a Social Worker, your role is vital to promoting stability, supporting transitions to independence, and working towards long-term, positive outcomes for each child. Your knowledge and expertise will help provide a stable and safe environment, advocating for children’s voices to be heard and ensuring their rights are upheld in all aspects of their care. You will collaborate with foster carers, families, and a range of professionals to provide consistent and effective support. If you are an experienced social worker, empowered by making a meaningful impact on the lives of children and young people, we would like to hear from you. We are dedicated to ensuring the safety, well-being, and development of children in care.

This position offers an excellent opportunity for individuals with outstanding communication skills and a compassionate manner capable of effectively managing high levels of emotional distress. We encourage applications from candidates with experience in childcare and those passionate about delivering person-centred care. You'll join a welcoming, supportive, and energetic team dedicated to providing first class supervision and ongoing professional development opportunities.

In addition, we would expect the following from all suitable candidates:

1. To be registered with Social Work England and hold a degree in Social Care or similar.
2. Have experience of working in a multidisciplinary team setting.
3. Have sound knowledge and ability to deliver social work support to service users and their families.
4. Ability to communicate complex social issues clearly to both patients and professionals.
5. Ability to plan and coordinate social care plans and aspects of patient discharge.

About Us

The Leaving Care and Children Looked After Service is dedicated to providing exceptional support and care for children in the local authority's guardianship. Our focus is on ensuring the safety, well-being, and developmental needs of each child are met through personalised care plans and stable placements. We are committed to creating nurturing environments that address each child’s unique needs and ensure their voices are heard in all decisions affecting their lives.

We are growing a diverse and inclusive environment for staff to learn, develop and grow their career. We provide specialist support on challenging cases, regular structured supervision, and an environment that encourages all those to take part and ensure their voices are heard. We understand the value that our staff bring to our service, and the needs of the residents in our community.

In addition:

1. Sutton works with Kingston University and regional partners as part of the Developing Together Social Work Teaching Partnership (SWTP) to provide staff with a wide range of pre- and post-qualifying education opportunities to promote continuous learning and development.
2. Staff are given the opportunity to attend conferences, and workshops and have access to research and practice resources to support their ongoing professional development.
3. We encourage staff to support the practice education of Social Work students and those in the assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE).

Sutton Council also has a number of staff network groups such as the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic +A Network, LGBTQ +A Network and Women’s +A Network to ensure staff have a voice to drive positive change in the organisation.

Our Offer To You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

1. A generous annual leave entitlement of 26-31 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade
2. Enhanced Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
3. Two volunteering days per year
4. Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role)
5. Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
6. Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
7. Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
8. Interest free season ticket loans
9. Local Government Pension Scheme
10. Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
11. Zip car scheme
12. Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support