Job Introduction
The South Staffordshire Children in Care and Care Leaver team supports the district's cared for children and young people to enable them to achieve their very best outcomes throughout their childhoods and into adulthood.
Social workers within this team have close links to the Assessment, Staying Together teams (AST) and personal advisors (PAs) in order to ensure that children are provided with smooth transitions at each juncture to further support effective care planning at every stage.
Social workers make a huge difference to the lives of children, young people and families across the county, working with agency partners to provide the most positive experience for children and young people and delivering dynamic and child centred care planning to the children and young people we are supporting.
You will benefit from manageable numbers, agile working, high levels of support and a wealth of learning and development opportunities.
Staffordshire are a 'good' authority as rated by OFSTED, we are determined to maintain and exceed these standards of practice which is underpinned by a restorative practice model with emphasis being placed on keeping families together wherever possible and a community based approach.
Main Responsibility
Social workers within the Children in Care and Care Leavers teams have a unique opportunity to provide a corporate parent role to the children in our care. You will be working closely with foster carers, residential settings, family members as well as professionals in a variety of disciplinaries such as Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs), education, health, police, youth offending (YOT) and third sector settings to ensure that the holistic needs of Staffordshire's children are met to a high standard.
You will be responsible for seeing children and young people within statutory visiting timescales in their homes and at times in community settings, ensuring that their voices are heard and their needs are being met. You will engage with the statutory review process undertaking bi-annual review assessments which consider the changing needs of a growing child or young person, completing care plans which consider the short and long term needs of children and young people and using your skills to be creative and dynamic in meeting these. You may be required to attend Court settings, complete work which will be presented to the Court. You will be required to engage with personal education plan (PEP) meetings to ensure that children and young people are provided with the best opportunities to meet and exceed their academic potential. You will also be required to communicate effectively with parents to ensure that they are updated with information and make risk informed decisions about children and young people's family time with the people who are important to them.
Working with children and young people in care provides a unique opportunity to develop longstanding meaningful relationships with children, young people and families which will be a staple in forming and directing positive trajectories for our cared for cohort of children.
The Ideal Candidate
You will need to be:
- a qualified social worker
- registered with Social Work England
- have a current UK driving licence and access to a vehicle with business insurance
We are looking for an individual with a passion to work with children, young people and families to provide the right support at the right time making informed decisions to support our children and young people to have the best opportunities and ensure that where possible, families are supported to stay together.
For further information about this role or for an informal discussion, please contact team manager Laura Sherratt laura.sherratt@staffordshire.gov.uk or 01782 485281
Interviews to be held 31st July and 1st August.
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.
