Social Work Consultant, Families First Team, Grade 13
Job Summary
Working Pattern:
Full time
Advert Start Date:
20/02/2017
Advert End Date:
Closed for applications on 05/03/2017 23:59
Salary:
£36,937 - £40,619
Job Category:
Social Care - Children Service
Employment Location:
Families First Locality East
Further Information
Vacancy Ref No: CYPS/17/65
Are you an enthusiastic innovative social work professional with experience in safeguarding children? We are looking to appoint to our new role of Social Worker Consultant in our Families First Team and see this role as critical in helping us to deliver on a large, innovative programme which will ensure excellent outcomes for children in County Durham.
Durham have been successful in being awarded funding from the Social Work Innovation Fund to develop a new, innovative service for children and families in County Durham, building on the successful work we have done to date. We have called our new service The Families First Service.
Our intention is to identify and meet the needs of children sooner and address the root causes of problems to support families to make sustainable change.
We have set ourselves ambitious targets which relate to an overall reduction in the numbers of children who need to come into the Looked After System; the numbers of children who need to be subject to a child protection plan as a result of neglect and a reduction in the numbers of children who are re-referred into specialist services.
We intend to ensure that there is much greater levels of integration with our early help services and where possible these services will be co-located to improve levels of joint working. The new teams will be made up of a team manager; the newly created social work consultant post; social workers; specialist lead professionals with a wide range of skills and knowledge from the fields of substance misuse; mental health; parenting support; housing; and family workers. The teams will be supported by a newly created post of "team co-ordinator" who will provide support to staff to enable them to spend more time with families and less time completing office based tasks.
The teams will be responsible for responding to all new referrals for Children in Need; completing single assessments and offering intensive support to families to assist them to make change; enquiries under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989; working with families up to the point of an initial child protection conference and some court work. The teams will also be responsible for working intensively with some families with complex needs who may be at risk of becoming subject to safeguarding services and who require intensive, multi-agency co-ordinated support.
We are looking to recruit social work professionals who have experience in children's safeguarding services. You will work closely with the team manager to ensure the highest standards of practice within teams through the provision of excellent assessments; outcome focused plans and high quality intervention. You will not carry your own caseload but will provide opportunities for reflective practice/case discussions on an ongoing basis with team members and will directly line manage some practitioners. You will have a key role in quality assurance; performance management and development of the new teams and service.
Essential qualifications: Degree in social work OR equivalent social work qualification, i.e. CQSW, CSS or Dip SW AND HCPC Registration. Achievement of Post Qualification Award. Commitment to achieving NVQ level 4 in management or equivalent within 3years of appointment.
For further information about this post, please contact: Stuart Williams on stuart.williams@durham.gov.uk or 03000 266949
Interviews will be held on Monday 13th March 2017.
Apply on-line or for further assistance contact the HR Operations & Data Team on Telephone: 03000 267247 (24hr answerphone). Email: hrCYPS@durham.gov.uk
In line with the County Council’s Recruitment & Selection Policy, please note that we are unable to accept CV’s. Any information provided on CV’s will not be considered for short-listing purposes.
Please note that all communication regarding your application for this post will be sent to the email address that you have registered with North East Jobs, including your invite to interview if you are short-listed. Please check your email after the closing date for notification from ‘DONOTREPLY@NORTHEASTJOBS.ORG.UK’ as you will not be notified by any other means.
Please note
This job is closed for applications.