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Job description

What you'll work on

We’ve already taken huge strides forward with our journey for an integrated approach to children’s health, education support and social care and now we’re ready to move on to the next stage in our development. As we move forward it’s vital that everything we do and every service we provide is delivered in a robust way and is in line with national standards and protocols.

You will be co-located with colleagues from Police, Education, Health, Housing, Drug & Alcohol Services and Early Help and take a key role in the development of the MASH service.

Social Workers are responsible for contributing to the multi-agency decision making process and will have considerable experience in Children’s Social Care. You will research, co-ordinate and analyse key information to enable joint decision making with colleagues within MASH to ensure that timely decisions are made to secure the most positive outcomes for children.

This role offers a unique professional development opportunity to draw upon your existing Children & Families and safeguarding knowledge whilst developing your skills in prioritising and analysing complex information. We are a close and supportive team and you will be well supported with regular supervision from experienced and motivated Assistant Team Managers.

What you'll achieve

Casework

• Manage an allocated caseload appropriate to the extensive experience of the Experienced Social Worker, to include complex assessments of children, families and parenting and other work to meet statutory requirements.
• Work within Swindon Borough Council’s policies, procedures and good practice guidelines in order to meet the needs of the children and families allocated.
• Work with children and young people, families, carers and communities to help them make informed decisions, engender change enabling them to clarify and express their needs,and contribute to service planning.
• Maintain up to date case notes and other records, utilising relevant IT systems, and write reports, including court reports, and give expert evidence in court.
• Undertake specialist assessments, for your and other workers’ cases, for court proceedings, including parenting and kinship assessments.
• Ensure that casework is up to date, comprehensively written up, and managed within agreed timescales.
• Ensure your manager is kept fully appraised of problems arising from cases or work load and to seek advice as and when necessary.
• When working with families, to recognise monitor and assess risk. To ensure information about risk is escalated to managers in a timely manner.
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with service users and other professionals.
• Model good practice helping to set the expectations for others.
• Where appropriate, act as the duty worker for the team responding to queries and issues

Learning and development

• Keep up to date with contemporary issues in children’s social work including legislation and evidence based practice and use this to inform working practice.
• Use supervision to reflect on cases, and put learning into practice
• Identify own individual learning needs in line with the requirements of the PCF for an experienced and advanced social work practitioner and attend relevant training and development opportunities.

Lead professional

• Liaise with colleagues in own and other directorates and external agencies to gather information to inform assessment and care planning activities, jointly plan and deliver interventions.
• Participate in complex planning and reviewing of cases of children in care, child protection and support fostering/adoption arrangements.
• Provide constructive challenge to enhance practice, procedures and policies, promote innovation, and introduce new ways of working
• Lead and monitor multi-agency actions and objectives.
• Provide leadership and professional wisdom to colleagues and other professionals for work in situations of high complexity
• Act as a placement supervisor to students or mentor to NQSW in their ASYE year and act as a mentor to other staff.
• Model and facilitate reflective and evidence-informed practice, contributing to the development of knowledge and promotion of excellence in the field
• Carry out any other duties, commensurate with the post, as may be required for the efficient running of the service.

A few things to note

• The rate for this role is £35 per hour Umbrella
• The term for this role is 3 months initially

What we're looking for

We are inviting applications from suitably qualified and experienced Social Workers. You should be able to demonstrate substantial child protection experience, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, know how to support and challenge to effectively support practice improvement and have the ability to work in a multi-disciplinary environment.

This is an important and autonomous role for an experienced and motivated professional. If you have the background and experience to deliver in this exciting and challenging role, we want to hear from you.

Skills you'll need to bring

Knowledge & Experience - Candidates must have substantial knowledge and experience in the following areas of business and will be

required to provide evidence of this:

• Experience of identifying the needs of children and young people and establishing targeted planning to meet their needs.
• Practical experience producing in depth and analytical assessments for complex cases
• Experience of multi-disciplinary working with children and families and chairing formal multidisciplinary meetings
• Experience of undertaking assessments and writing court reports and presenting evidence in court.
• Knowledge of child protection, looked after children, and associated child in need social work practice issues
• Knowledge of methods of social work intervention.
• In-depth knowledge of relevant legislation, regulations, guidance and policies.
• Knowledge and understanding of the framework for the assessments of children in need and their families.
• Contemporary knowledge of social work applications, i.e. attachment theory, enabling change, parenting and kinship assessments, behaviour and behaviour management.

Skills & Abilities

• Good IT skills
• Proven ability to work effectively as part of a team
• Ability to write appropriate reports and keep documents up to date.
• Ability to mentor colleagues and develop assessment skills
• Ability, through reflection, to analyse, interpret and make positive plans.
• Think analytically to solve problems and issues, making rational, realistic and sound judgements.

Work-related Personal Qualities

• Strong interpersonal skills, especially in working with clients
• Ability to adapt and cope with a changing environment and support colleagues in these circumstances.
• Ability to manage pressure effectively and cope well with conflict and challenge
• Clear personal values in line with those of Swindon Borough Council

Other Work-related Requirements

• Hold a current driving licence and be prepared to undertake occasional long car journeys and on occasions transport children or clients.
• Flexible in the use of time and be prepared to work, sometimes, at times outside the normal working day.
• Able to attend meetings and to work at a variety of locations across the Borough.

Qualifications

• Social Work Degree/Diploma and HCPC Registration and (if qualifying after 2013) have completed and passed the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment.
• Have completed and passed post qualifying learning and development (e.g. Graduate Diploma or Placement Supervision award) or have appropriate equivalent experience.
• Evidence of Commitment to CPD as required by the HCPC.

Decision Making

• Assess and manage higher levels of risk that involve multi-agency input, complex family dynamics, serious hostility and conflicts of interest.
• Critically track actions and care planning outcomes to ensure good outcomes for children

Equal Opportunities

Business Smart Solutions are a Recruitment Agency - We hire talented and passionate people from a variety of backgrounds because we want our global worker base to represent the wide diversity of our clients. If you’re excited about a role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every bullet point listed in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. If you're passionate about working for a role in local government and share our company values, we encourage you to apply.

BSS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. BSS considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable UK law. If you need assistance or an accommodation made due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary contract
Contract length: 3 months

Salary: £35.00 per hour

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Application question(s):

• Do you have experience of identifying the needs of children and young people and establishing targeted planning to meet their needs?
• Do you have practical experience producing in depth and analytical assessments for complex cases?
• Do you have experience of multi-disciplinary working with children and families and chairing formal multidisciplinary meetings?
• Do you have experience of undertaking assessments and writing court reports and presenting evidence in court?
• Do you have knowledge of child protection, looked after children, and associated child in need social work practice issues?

Experience:

• Local Government: 1 year (required)

Work Location: One location