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Senior Social Worker - Children in Care

Employer
Essex County Council
Location
England, Essex, Chelmsford
Salary
£39168 - £47405 per annum + + Free Parking & Benefits Package
Closing date
4 Mar 2021

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Job role
Social Worker
Contract Type
Full time

Senior Practitioner - Children in Care

Permanent, Full Time

£39,168 to £47,405 per annum plus free parking

Location: Chelmsford

Job Purpose

Children and Families is recognised as a service in which social work can develop and prosper, with a culture of collaboration, integrity and compassion; promoting development and wellbeing of children, young people and their families; protecting them from neglect and abuse. Working together with partners delivering a range of early help, family support and effective social work interventions which build resilience, remove barriers and enable children and young people to look forward to a brighter future.

The Senior Practitioner manages a complex caseload and provides expert supervision and coaching for colleagues, to achieve positive change for children, young people and families. The role deputises for the Team Manager, leading the team and management of duty services.

The role requires an experienced social work practitioner, able to manage higher levels of risk, mentor and advise staff, manage performance and deliver improvements. Building strong working relationships with key partners and stakeholders is essential.

Children in Care

Our children in care teams work with children and young people who are in care up to the age of 18. Children in care teams provide a high-quality service to children who are unable to live at home and are placed with foster carers or live in residential homes. The work includes ensuring that all statutory requirements are met and include undertaking care proceedings, supporting children who return home, developing permanency plans which include special guardianship orders (SGO) and adoption plans. Teams are committed to high quality work and engagement with all children in care to maximise the potential of young people. They work with a range of agencies, including health and education to ensure that care plans are effective.

Service/Functional Accountabilities

  • Responsible for providing a source of expert advice and professional supervision for social workers and contributing to the development of practice standards.
  • Accountable for assessment of complex social care needs and development of support for vulnerable people, children and families.
  • Accountable for working within the statutory legal framework, policy and guidance and determining when the threshold for statutory intervention has been reached.
  • Responsible for managing a complex caseload, maintaining accurate and timely data, reports and presentations as required.
  • Participates in a range of case conferences, court attendance, meetings and statutory reviews, pro-actively taking the lead when a social care perspective is required.
  • Accountable for conducting assessments and plan responses to safeguard and promote a child's welfare including appropriate intervention as determined by need.
  • Builds strong effective working relationships across the Council, with partners and members of voluntary agencies to help people get the best start in life and age well.
  • Delivers a high level of expertise in particular areas of practice and leads on those areas, contributing to the development.
  • Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

  • A recognised social work qualification i.e. Diploma, degree or Masters in social work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent, with current registration with Social Work England as a registered social worker.
  • Evidence of continuing professional development, aligned to any relevant Professional Competency/Capability frameworks or Knowledge and Skills Statements.
  • Significant experience of social work, demonstrating a comprehensive and up to date understanding of all relevant legislation, regulation and guidance.
  • Experience of mentoring both Social Work students and newly qualified and experienced Social Work staff, being a subject matter expert in professional social work practice.
  • Experience of chairing meetings involving clients, family members and/or carers and other multi-agency professionals.
  • Developing strong relationships with partners, other agencies and the local community to achieve joint objectives and offer a supportive framework for children, young people and families.
  • In depth understanding of delivery of value for money interventions balanced against need.
  • Proven track record of clear decision making in order to highlight and limit the potential risks associated with intervention.

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