Social Worker

Knowledge and Qualifications:

• CQSW, CSS or Diploma in Social Work
• Evidence of significant relevant Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
• An in-depth knowledge of the delivery of services to children and their families and the current issues and legislation affecting them.

Experience:

• Extensive post-qualifying experience including statutory work with children and their families.
• Experience of dealing with the most complex and challenging cases in a department, including those with CP plans, LAC status or in contested court hearings.
• Experience of supervising staff in a children’s social work setting.
• Experience of developing staff through mentoring, coaching and training them in order to improve practice.

Skills and Abilities:

• The ability to manage children’s social work staff –to plan, allocate and review the work of   individual team members and to set, monitor and ensure that consistently high standards of practice are maintained.
• To demonstrate the ability to hold and manage a caseload of the most complex and challenging cases where children may be subject to CP plans, LAC, or be in current court proceedings.
• The ability, where necessary, to be the sole representative of the department in court cases and to be able to act as an expert witness in proceedings.
• The ability to chair key children’s services meetings and to act as the decision maker when care plans are being discussed and then agreed.
• The ability to work alongside the team manager to develop of the effectiveness of the team as a whole as well as the individual workers within it.
• To demonstrate a commitment to the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy and the ability to understand and implement the policy in relation to the job responsibilities.
• The ability to utilise IT effectively, including e-mail, the Electronic Case Management System and basic word processing.  To demonstrate the ability to analyse, collate, interpret and present management information.
• The ability to ensure that services are delivered to the highest professional standards and that the team meets national and local performance indicators.
• The ability to robustly utilise performance management procedures to identify and challenge any performance issues.
• The ability to identify training needs for staff and, in some instances, provide the required training themselves.
• The ability to manage human and financial resources in order to achieve excellent outcomes for children while remaining within the agreed budget targets.
• The ability to develop excellent partnerships with other agencies and represent the department at outside forums.

Special Requirements:

• Occasional working out of office hours.

• The post holder must be registered with the General Social Care Council for admittance to the Social Care Register.
• This position requires that post holders undertake an Enhanced Criminal Record Bureau Disclosure considered satisfactory by the Council prior to employment and every 3 years thereafter.
• This post is exempt from section 4 (2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 1974, as the duties give you access to persons who are under the age of 18. Applicants are not entitled to withhold information about convictions, which would be regarded as spent for other purposes.

If you read this far and and believe that you are suitable for the role, then let me know if you are the person I am looking for and click on the APPLY button or send your CV at jobs@care4healthuk.com or phone Simone at 01905 642500.