BE THERE FOR THOSE WHO NEED US MOST

“Bexley is a safe and supportive place to work with highly creative work undertaken by a skilled and well supported workforce – Ofsted 2018”

The Council, its staff and partners, were delighted in August 2018, when Ofsted judged the overall effectiveness of children’s social care services to be ‘outstanding’!  We were especially pleased that our investment in frontline practitioners and managers was recognised. We have been working hard to create an environment where social workers can do the work they came into the profession to do - to support and help families to stay together where this is in children’s best interests and it is safe enough for this to happen.

Ofsted judged that we provide strong management oversight of practice, that we have a well – embedded practice framework to enable meaningful family focused help, that we offer clear progress in career pathways, a talent management scheme and a nurturing environment to enable social work to flourish. We believe deeply in relationship-based practice and ‘Signs of Safety’ is the vehicle enabling us to do this respectfully and in collaboration with the people we are trying to help.

The provision of our Looked After Children’s service is within the remit of this role. This is to ensure a more cohesive and consistent experience for children and young people through their early lives and it creates an ideal opportunity for whoever is appointed to really own and shape how we support children and young people in our care.  Bexley are currently moving into the Regional Adoption Agency and you will be instrumental in working to achieve a smooth process.

This is a service area that attracts considerable attention and scrutiny within the Council but there is also a highly developed understanding of the complexity and importance of the work we do, and this in turn means that there is wholehearted political and organisational support to delivering the best outcomes for children and young people.

It’s a chance to build on existing good practice but we’ll also want you to ask questions and challenge how things are done. The Council has made significant investment in Children’s Services and that comes with high expectations – and you’ll need to bring a distinct focus to this role, an emphasis on effective performance management and the ambition and resilience to take this service to the next level.

If this sounds exciting and reassuring, we want you to get in touch with us. Our workforce is stable with over 90% permanent staff, but we are always looking for practitioners wanting to come and practice confidently as part of our team making a difference for families and children.

We will invest in you in return for your investment in our families and children.

For an informal discussion about this role please contact Fiona Cisneros, Deputy Director for Children’s Social Care on 0203 045 3651.

Visit https://bexleysocialcarecareers.wordpress.com to find out more about what a career with the London Borough of Bexley would be like or click here to find out more about our employment deal

If you are interested in finding out more about this role further details and how to apply are available here