Job Introduction
This is a rare and exciting opportunity to join the Stafford and South Staffordshire Children's Disability Team as an experienced part time Social Worker.
There are 4 Children's Disability Teams working across the county, providing specialist services for children and young people with complex disabilities. These are teams of highly dedicated Social Workers who support each other to ensure that we reach the best outcomes for our Disabled Children in a timely manner, enabling them to live their lives to the full.
We are committed to working with partners and families to support children and young people to be safe and secure, to promote physical and emotional well being and to help them achieve their full potential within their communities.
We are supported by Family Practitioners who assist in facilitating behaviour management work and undertake direct work with children and their families.
As a team we are based in Staffordshire Place 1 in the centre of Stafford and cover the Stafford and South Staffordshire area. Hybrid working is supported, with the opportunity to work as part of a team within the office as well as working at home. You will be expected to work from the office at least 1 day per week.
Main Responsibility
As a Qualified Social Worker, you will:
- be part of a team of 8 Social Workers and 2 Family Practitioners.
- be expected to fulfil Statutory Duties in line with the Children Act 1989 including working with Children In Need under section 17, completing robust assessments of the Child and their Family and completion of Child Plans.
- be expected to implement and work with Children who require a Child Protection Plan or those who are Cared for by the Local Authority.
We work closely with colleagues from our Occupational Therapy Teams, Commissioners, Assessment and Staying Together Teams and Early Help Teams, to support Children and Families ensuring they receive the right help at the right time.
Working within a Children's Disability Team provides an excellent opportunity for you to develop skills across a range of disciplines including Mental Capacity Assessments, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLs) and Preparation for Adulthood.
A commitment to continuing professional development, contributing to reflective discussions and group supervisions.
The Ideal Candidate
You will:
- be a qualified social worker, ideally with post qualification experience working directly with children and families supporting children to remain with their families.
- have excellent communication skills and the ability to build relationships with children, families and other professionals.
- be a team player.
- have the ability to engage and communicate with disabled children and be committed to ensuring the children on their case load receive the best quality service.
Interviews will be scheduled to take place weeks commencing 10th & 17th March 2025.
Please note: Applications will be reviewed weekly and shortlisted candidates may be contacted for an interview sooner.
For Further information about the role or an informal chat please contact Elizabeth Holdcroft, Children's Disability Team Manager at: elizabeth.holdcroft@staffordshire.gov.uk or on 01543 512097.
Our Recruitment Process: We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you’ll bring to the role.
About Staffordshire County Council
We are no ordinary county council:
Our Values:
The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.
Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:
We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.
We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.
Our benefits:
We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance.
In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire
Our recruitment process:
As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities
As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
As you’ll know safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people/vulnerable adults is important to us and that’s why this position is subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. If applicable you should disclose details of unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.
