Job Introduction
Staffordshire Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) team is seeking qualified social workers to support young individuals referred to Staffordshire from hotels. These individuals were initially assessed as adults by the Home Office at port, but upon arrival in Staffordshire, they have claimed to be minors. The UASC team is working to accommodate these young people while a lawful age assessment is conducted.
As a social worker, you will have the opportunity to make a significant impact on the lives of people across our county, providing support to children and families. We are committed to creating the best possible service and upholding the highest standards. Our work is based on a restorative practice model, which focuses on keeping families together through a community-based approach. Full training will be provided to those unfamiliar with this model.
Join our team and make a difference in the lives of those we serve.
Main Responsibility
In this very busy team, you will be handling regular arrivals on unaccompanied asylum seeking children into our care
You will also:
- undertake regular statutory visits to the young people you are allocated in line with statutory guidance
- support unaccompanied asylum seeking children with accessing education and primary health services and ensure that their welfare is prioritised.
- complete Merton compliant age assessments
- 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 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 Children's 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
You will:
- be a qualified as a Social Worker
- be registered with Social Work England
- have a current UK driving licence and access to a vehicle
- have some experience with working with unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) although an enthusiastic approach with a willingness to learn is just as important.
- have some experience of undertaking age assessment and the legislation and case law around these issues would be advantageous. However we can provide appropriate training.
- be a team player and prepared to respond to changing situations.
- be able to keep good records and have good planning skills.
But above all, you will bring the desire to work with unaccompanied asylum seeking 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 dean.burrows@staffordshire.gov.uk
What We Offer:
- Agile and flexible working options
- Exceptional learning and development opportunities
- Support from personal assistants and a new operating model
- Collaboration and sharing of best practices, knowledge, and experience across our different teams.
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.
