The salary for this permanent Social Worker job is £45,869 per annum.

Duties:

• Act as a member of a social work team providing social work services to children and their families, with the purpose of safeguarding and promoting their welfare
• Discharge the Authorities responsibilities under the Children’s Act 1989 & 2004 and other relevant legislation in respect of; children in need of protection and those in the care of the Local Authority
• Maintain professional standards of practice and to work in accordance with Social Work England standards and the Division’s values, strategic objectives, procedures and managerial guidance
• Assess and provide services to children and families in need within the framework of relevant law, legislation and national and local guidance
• Undertake high quality, analytical single assessments within statutory timescales, which are reflective of presenting concerns and responsive to identified unmet needs and/or risks
• Undertake practice which is analytical and reflective and in which the child’s voice is consistently heard and recorded
• Ensure that services are efficiently and effectively provided, liaising as necessary with other Council Divisions, Health, Education, Police, and other statutory, independent and voluntary sector providers
• Working within the London Child Protection Procedures to undertake key work responsibilities for children subject to a child protection plan and children looked after by the Local Authority who are deemed to be at risk
• Assess, advise and support Children and Families in need alongside Health, Education and Targeted Family Support colleagues to address unmet need and prevent statutory safeguarding intervention
• Working with Care Planning regulations 2010, and in accordance with the Children and Families Act 2014, to execute statutory duties to children in care
• Promote timely permanency planning for children in care, in accordance with the Adoption Act 2002
• Enhance and promote continuing professional development in accordance with the Professional Capabilities Framework and registration requirements of the SWE
• Undertake appropriate training and keep abreast of changes in legislation divisional procedures and development in professional practice
• Contribute to the planning and development of the services provided by the team and promote the improvement of standards and quality assurance
• Use ICT and ICS as required to maintain accurate case records, and to be able to report on key performance management data
• Comply with the Service case recording guidance
• Ensure that your Line Manager is kept fully appraised of any concerns arising from caseload and seek advice as and when necessary
• Ensure compliance with appropriate legislation, Council Policies, the Council Constitution (including Contract Rules, Financial Regulations and Rules, Employment Procedure Rules, Employees’ Code of Conduct), Information Security Policies, Social Media Policy and other requirements of the Council
• Ensure high standards of records management and assume responsibility for all information assigned to the post
• Promote the development of a high quality individual need led service, to comply at all times with the Council’s policies and procedures, particularly those regarding Data Protection, Equalities and Diversity and Health and Safety
• Ensure compliance with and actively promote the Council’s Equalities and Diversity policies and strategies and comply with the Equality Act 2010
• Ensure compliance with and actively promote Health and Safety at work legislation, Council and Service H&S policies and procedures
• Comply with the competencies and standard requisites agreed by the Council as relevant to your post
• Comply with the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) (all employees of the Council will not disclose or make use of, for their private advantage, any information held on manual or computer records, which are not available to the public, however acquired)
• Take responsibility for continuing self-development and participate in training and development activities
• Carry out such other appropriate duties as may be required by the Line Manager within the grading level of the post and the competence of the postholder
• Deliver the best outcomes for children at risk of harm

Requirements of the Social Worker:

• Social Work Qualification (i.e. DIPSW, CQSW or equivalent) Current Social Work England (SWE) registration
• Successful completion of ASYE programme (post qualification)
• Current Social Work England registration
• Significant senior level frontline experience within Children’s Services
• Have a Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check for Children
• Knowledge and understanding of current social work issues within Children’s Services
• Demonstrable assessment, risk assessment and analytical skills to make clear, well evidenced recommendations
• An ability to promote effective decision making to protect children from harm
• Well-developed skills in the use of Information Technology
• Experience of working within the court arena
• Experience of direct work with children and families’ procedures to inform practice
• Ability to write structured, evidence-based reports through pre-birth assessments/child protection conferences/court reports etc where relevant and meet specified deadlines
• An understanding and ability of how to develop effective working relationship with colleagues and external agencies
• An understanding of equality and diversity and ability to work anti- oppressively and promote anti-oppressive practice and evidence of where this has made a difference
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries with colleagues and service users and to promote the values of the Council in all interactions
• Able to deal with challenging people in distressing situations
• Communicates frequently and effectively with staff at all levels within the Service and with members of other disciplines / organisations
• Ability to write structured, evidenced-based reports and meet specified deadlines
• An ability to demonstrate professional curiosity and use reflective practice to think creatively about interventions
• Understanding of the financial constraints on local authorities
• An understanding of the need for data protection, best practice for information sharing and confidentiality
• An understanding of and commitment to engaging in regular supervision
• Ability to work on own initiative in a high-pressure environment – with support via supervision
• Awareness of when to seek advice
• Ability to plan and prioritise own workload
• Know how to work within a team context which brings value to your service and wider council; also to know that as a social worker you contribute to a wider community context