Job Introduction
The Staffordshire UASC is a very busy team dealing with a large number of young people being referred to Staffordshire from hotels.
These young people have originally assessed as adults by the home office at port but now have advised that they are children once they have arrived in Staffordshire.
The UASC team is attempting to accommodate these young people while a lawful age assessment is undertaken.
We need a qualified social worker to assist with this particular population while they wait for their assessment.
The work will be relatively short term once a young person has been assessed they well either be allocated another social worker or referred back to home office accommodation.
Life-changing work.
Game changing support.
With additional support from PA’s and a new operating model we’re making sure our social workers can do what they do best!
Our Social Workers make a huge difference to the lives of people across our county. They take pride in supporting children and families and we’re equally proud to help them give their best in whatever ways we can. That’s why you can expect everything from agile and flexible working options to exceptional learning and development if you join our team. You can also expect our commitment to creating the best service we can.
Although we’re already rated as ‘Good’ by OFSTED, we’re determined to uphold the highest standards and drive continual improvement and learning. That’s why we’ve recently gone through an exciting transformation, underpinned by a restorative practice model, which focuses on keeping families together through a community-based approach. If you’ve not worked in this way before, don’t worry – we’ll give you full training to bring you up to speed.
Working with us means collaborating across our different teams, and sharing best practice, knowledge, and experience to continually improve the way we do things. Support is important, as we work in a big county with some diverse challenges – but together we can meet all kinds of needs and demands.
Main Responsibility
Your main responsibilities will be:
- To undertake regular statutory visits to the young people you are allocated in line with statutory guidance
- To support unaccompanied asylum seeking children with accessing education and primary health services and ensure that their welfare is prioritised.
This is a very busy team handling regular arrivals on unaccompanied asylum seeking children into our care. You will be required to attend hotels or police stations to bring young people into either foster care or supported accommodation and undertake timely assessments of their needs. Assessment of their needs to be undertaken in a timely manner and referrals to services. You will be required to maintain accurate and professional records.
The job involves the completion of professional, timely and restorative assessments and visits as part of our duties under section 20 of the Childrens Act. However, we have also been responding to new referrals coming in where we are bringing in new arrivals into our care.
The Ideal Candidate
Ideally the successful candidate would have some experience with working with UASC although an enthusiastic approach with a willingness to learn is just as important.
Some experience of undertaking age assessment and the legislation and case law around these issues would be advantageous. However, for the right candidate we can provide appropriate training.
It is important that you are a team player and prepared to respond to changing situations. You will need to keep good records and have good planning skills.
For this role you'll need to be:
- Qualified as a Social Worker
- Registered with Social Work England
- Have a current UK driving licence and vehicle
But above all, you will bring the desire to work with UASC children to give them the right support, at the right time.
For more information about this vacancy or for an informal chat please contact Team Manager david.atherton@staffordshire.gov.uk
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 a range of benefits.
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 Silver 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.
