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Senior Social Workers x3 - FS&P - Basildon

Employer
Essex County Council
Location
England, Essex, Basildon
Salary
£39164 - £47404 per annum + + Free Parking & Excellent Package
Closing date
10 Jun 2020

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Essex County Council (ECC) is one of the largest and most dynamic local authorities in the UK, serving a population of 2 million residents, and has a very successful track record of delivering transformational change. ECC anticipated change was needed in the public sector and has worked to deliver better quality at lower cost. We have an ambitious transformation agenda - one with the scope to reach every part of the council. We are changing the way we think, the way we work, and the ways in which we deliver our services. We are committed to becoming a place where individuals, partners and communities feel proud to play their role and genuinely want to belong. We're immensely proud of our flexible working options.

In ECC we are "Serious about Social Work". Having recently won the Best Social Work Employer of the Year Award 2018 and been awarded 'Outstanding' by Ofsted this is an exciting time to join us. As if that wasn't enough, Essex has also been announced as a Partner in Practice by the Department of Education, and the Essex Social Care Academy (ESCA) is the only Local Authority team in the country to be accredited by BASW as a CPD provider. We have invested in our workforce and created a positive environment for our social workers to make a difference and achieve change for our most vulnerable children and families through direct relationship-based social work practice. We have supported our staff to have an understanding of systemic theoretical framework and models underpinning our interventions; to have access to the right tools, equipment and resources; and also the right supervision, training and learning opportunities they need to be strong practitioners.

We are looking for an experienced, motivated and creative social worker to join our team. We are offering an opportunity for someone who is looking for career development in a supportive, stable team, who is committed to and can model relationship based social work in a Senior Social Worker / Senior Practitioner position.

The post will entail managing a reduced caseload, overseeing a 'pod' of 3 -4 social workers providing day to day consultation and support to less experienced staff.

Family Support and Protection
The Family Support and Protection (FS&P) teams work with families that have long term complex issues, require more than three months intervention, and where children are subject to child protection or child in need plans or where children can no longer live at home and care proceedings need to be initiated. FS&P Social Workers are responsible for building on the relationships with families using systemic and strengths based social work approaches. Through this they work alongside families to achieve positive change within the context of managing risk. This work is varied and involves working with Public Law Outline (PLO), taking families into proceedings and first hearing only, Special Guardianship Order (SGO) assessments and Section 7 court reports, reviewing as well as updating assessments and plans for children subject to Children in Need (CIN), Child Protection (CP) or Looked After Children (LAC).

The Role
The Senior Practitioner role provides leadership in the team, providing both support and mentoring to newly qualified or less experienced staff and deputising for the Team Manager when needed. They will oversee the review of some child in need plans particularly prior to closure and will have responsibility to lead in a practice area. There will be good opportunities for their own professional development and for being part of developing our team and service. There is an ethos of openness to the development of new ideas, particularly to reinforce our relationship based focus, both with our service users and within the staff group.

The successful candidate will be expected to bring skill and high standards of social work to their own caseload as well as providing modelling, advice and support to colleagues. They will be committed to systemic, relationship based social work, providing effective, innovative interventions and with the ability to build good partnerships, both with our external partners and within the organisation.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

* Diploma in Social Work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent.
* Social Work England registration as a Registered Social Worker
* Evidence of continuing professional development
* IT/Word Processing Skills
* Evidence of recent practice at an experienced social worker level, supported by comprehensive working knowledge and experience within the field of practice in Children Services
* Preferably with experience of Child Protection work including section 47 investigations and assessments since the implementation of the Children's Act 1989.Considerable, recent experience of communicating with children of all ages and working in partnership with parents and/or carers.
* Experience in planning activities and programmes for children, young people and parents.
* Experience of Court work in relation to Child Care matters and have an understanding of the legal process.
* Detailed knowledge of current legislation pertinent to Child Protection (e.g. CA1989, CJA1991), Guidance and Regulations.
* Knowledge and understanding of child development, relating theory and practice.

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wide operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

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