Overview

Children’s Services

Family Assessment and Safeguarding Team

Locations across Norfolk

Salary package up to £46,592.00

Who cares that the job of a child protection social worker can be tough? We do.

In Norfolk we’ve invested millions to completely change our operating model and create the professional and emotional support around you that you need to do the job you trained for, to get the best outcomes for children and families, and to achieve a work-life balance that suits you.

We’re realistic about the challenges, but we’re passionate about how we can support you to meet them, so you can enjoy the rewards social work has to offer.

The Council’s values and strengths

• Take accountability (Do what we say we will)
• Make strategy happen (Take action which makes Norfolk a better place)
• Be evidence based (Target our work to make the biggest difference)
• Be business-like (Think smarter to ensure value for money)
• Be collaborative (Work together to find a better way)

What You Will Do

To provide outstanding services to children in need or at risk of harm and their families living in Norfolk, to bring about life long change and improved outcomes. To ensure children and young people are adequately protected in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) and departmental policy and procedures and relevant legislation.

To deliver high quality social work practice and utilise specialist knowledge to carry out in depth family assessment of social need and risk to children. To lead child centred assessments using professional curiosity, which involve the child’s family and network members, professionals and considers each child’s identity, experiences, and social circumstances.

To facilitate family networks in developing their own realistic and achievable child centred plan and involve key professionals in helping manage the identified risks and provide required services to meet the child’s needs. To review the effectiveness of each plan with the family network in a timely way to ensure that changes to the child’s lived experience and any services or interventions bring about positive long-term change for children.

To build effective relationships with children and their families which form the bedrock of all support and child protection responses, securing the best outcomes for children and young people. To strengthen the relationships between children, young people and families wherever possible and appropriate.

To maintain personal and professional credibility through effective working relationships with peers, managers and leaders both within and outside of the profession and organisation.

To contribute to the organisations roles as a corporate parent to children looked after away from home. Encouraging and advocating, to support children and young people to thrive and enjoy their childhood and move into independence with confidence and ambition for their futures.

To hold an allocated caseload of complex cases with supervision to protect vulnerable children, manage risk effectively, strengthen emotional resilience, and address underlying causes impacting negatively on children’s development through interventions with children and their families.

Coordinate and review planned interventions to ensure that the best outcomes are being achieved for children and young people. To utilise evidence informed practice to support multiagency decision making and acting without delay to ensure children and young people are safe and their needs are met.

To develop positive, trusting, relationships with children and their families to achieve positive change and with other professionals to promote collaborative working. To work in partnership with families/carers and key agencies who are involved in decision making and planning by sharing information in a timely and accurate manner.

To work within statutory responsibilities and departmental policies/procedures. To maintain full, accurate, and up to date records in accordance with departmental practice, timescales and guidance, including the maintenance of electronic records on case management systems. To use effective presentational skills to represent the department and provide verbal/written reports for court proceedings, case conferences and other arenas.

To champion and lead the Signs of Safety model as a basis for all work, creating consistent and inclusive experiences across Norfolk for children and families in receipt of services

To work in an integrated multi-disciplinary manner to ensure the service meets, as effectively and efficiently as possible, the identified best possible outcomes for children and young people and their families.

To uphold the core values and practice standards of the professional regulator which includes professional integrity, prioritising supervision and with the support of the social care academy taking responsibility for professional development in line with registration with the professional body.

What we can offer you

• Challenging but manageable caseloads
• Small well-supported teams
• Managers and senior leaders who back you up with those tough decisions you often have to make
• Our technology platform and equipment is first class, enabling you to connect and collaborate remotely
• A very clear practice vision focusing on restorative approaches based on Signs of Safety
• Priority parking and refurbished office spaces

Our new operating model supports practitioners, with:

• Streamlined paperwork – so you can spend less time filling in forms and writing reports
• Two members of support staff for every social work team to reduce your admin
• Dedicated court work facilitators to support you
• Continuous development of the professionals that you as a case-holding social worker can call in to help you, including: domestic abuse specialists, homebased support workers, substance misuse workers
• A Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS) team to triage cases to the right teams, so you can focus on where you can make the biggest difference
• We’re working towards aligning mental health practitioners more closely to our teams. We have already seen reduced contacts, referrals, and a big reduction in the amount of assessments which do not lead to ongoing work

Flexible Working

• We offer flexible working arrangements including condensed four-day week working, nine-day fortnights and other options
• We offer a generous annual leave entitlement – plus the opportunity to purchase up to two weeks of additional annual leave through our salary sacrifice scheme
• We offer maternity, paternity and adoption pay and time off to support you as your family grows. There is an independently-run nursery within the Norfolk County Council grounds which offers priority spaces to our employees
• We offer support if you care for relatives or friends who are older, disabled or seriously ill
• We are committed to promoting the health, safety and wellbeing of our social workers. We provide access to services that support your health and wellbeing, such as confidential counselling and advice, fast-track physiotherapy and NHS Health Checks for employees over 40

We support Continuing Professional Development with one day of protected time every month, and a Teaching Partnership with the University of East Anglia.

We are committed to equality and inclusion and welcome applications irrespective of gender identity, disability, marital status, ethnic origin, age, pregnancy status, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We are proud to have achieved Carer Friendly Employer Status, Disability Confident Leader Status, the Employer Recognition Scheme award for the Armed Forces Covenant and to be one of the authorities piloting the workforce race equality standard (WRES).