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Permanent contracts (pending successful completion of ASYE) | Starting salary £32,909 per annum (Scale I) | up to 37 hours per week | Norfolk

Starting your Social Work career - Join Norfolk Institute for Practice Excellence (NIPE) for a supported start.

You may have just finished or are still completing your Social Work course or you may have completed your qualification some time ago but never worked in a statutory social work role. Norfolk Children's Services are recruiting those who have not yet completed their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) into our highly successful Norfolk Institute for Practice Excellence (NIPE) programme of support.

To support you to make the best start in your career as a social worker in Norfolk Children’s Services we offer the following enhanced level of support alongside the national ASYE programme through our Norfolk Institute for Practice Excellence (NIPE):

• A reduced caseload that builds over the year in terms of case numbers and complexity so you gain a good foundation and range of skills.
• A dedicated Practice Consultant, an experienced senior Social Worker, to support you with reflective supervision, learning groups and tailored 1-1 support throughout your first two years, as well as your Team Manager.
• The chance to learn from the more experienced social workers in your team through group supervision and co-working more complex cases.
• Protected development time and training throughout your ASYE, as well as the benefits of our Teaching Partnership with the University of East Anglia – you can start to build modules towards a fully funded optional MA in Advanced Social Work.
• You can also join us as a Social Work Assistant in advance of being registered with Social Work England so that you can gain experience and paid employment.
• Continued support through the second year of practice to suit your particular needs.
• A regionally competitive starting salary with retention payments in FAST teams as you progress through your social work career. Progression to Level 2 and increase in salary to £35,411 at the end of your ASYE.

We are proud of our social workers and our commitment to supporting newly qualified social workers. We have a proven track record of investment in newly qualified workers and are determined to help you to become the best social worker that you can be.

We will expect a lot from you but in return you can also expect a lot from us. We want those who come through our programme to remain with us and to continue to develop and progress providing a high-quality service to children in Norfolk.

For an informal discussion with the NIPE Team Manager, Ruth Pilch, regarding our programme please email [email protected]

There couldn’t be a better time to join Childrens Services at Norfolk County Council. Ofsted inspected our children services in November 2022 and published their report in January 2023. We are rated Good in all areas, following significant improvements, and the report recognised that we have transformed our children’s services.

Read Ofsted's Inspection of Norfolk Children's Services November 2022 report

Key highlights from the latest report:

• Personal advisers and social workers have caseloads which ‘enable them to build enduring and effective relationships with their young people and support them into adulthood’.
• Working in Norfolk you will be empowered to be tenacious and creative in using a range of tools and theoretical frameworks to help children through significant and traumatic experiences.
• Relationship-based partnership working is one of our strengths in Norfolk with an innovative system-wide approach to the delivery of services and a diverse range of multi-agency support services focused on building resilience and ensuring that needs are met quickly and at the lowest level.
• Our executive director of children’s services (DCS) Sara Tough is an exemplary leader who champions the needs of children and young people with a strong senior management team who together provide continuity of management and strategic direction.

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Please note: You will be required to travel as part of your role so it is essential you have a current UK driving licence and a vehicle before you start. If you hold a provisional licence but have not yet passed your test you are welcome to apply and will be interviewed if shortlisted. If successful at interview you will be offered a conditional place with a delayed start date to allow you to pass your driving test. We can delay your start date for a maximum of up to six months. If you do not pass your test within six months of your interview date, your conditional offer will be withdrawn.

To view further information regarding the vacancy please click on the links below:

Job Description and Person Specification

Reward and Benefits

Recruitment Information for Candidates – Norfolk County Council