About Us
We’re working together as one professional team, in an environment based on high challenge and high support, focusing on ensuring improved outcomes for the children and families we work with. As a leadership team we will stand at your side, supporting you every step of the way.
An exciting opportunity for a social work post in Family Safeguarding West specialising in Private Fostering has become available. We are seeking an experienced practitioner who is excited by the opportunity to develop and improve our practice standards for children in private fostering arrangements.
The role will be situated within Family Safeguarding West but the successful candidate will be supporting children and their private foster carers county wide.
About The Job
Salary: £33,486 – £44,624
Working Pattern: Full Time (37 hours)
Contract Length: Permanent
Location: County Wide – base in Bognor Regis
Closing Date: Sunday 2nd October
Please ensure you have sought approval from your line manager before submitting your expression of interest.
The role will specifically involve responding to new notifications when a child is placed in a private fostering arrangement by assessing the needs of the child and suitability of a private foster carer and their home environment. You will have your own caseload of children subject of private fostering regulations, and any other intervention they need. You will also undertake the carer assessments and private fostering visits on children allocated to other social workers if their arrangements become private fostering and therefore the role will require good cooperation with the child’s Social Worker to ensure that the placement is suitable for their needs and considers their wishes and feelings. These arrangements will need to be visited and reviewed as per statutory guidance to ensure that they continue to be suitable and safe arrangements for the child.
In this role, you will be actively involved in improving and promoting our private fostering service by ensuring that our responsibilities to children and their carers are fulfilled in a timely way. You will be offering consultation and support to Social Workers across Children’s Social Care to improve their identification of private fostering and raise awareness. There will be opportunities to develop and support training and be part of awareness sessions with the public/wider professional network.
This is real opportunity to develop practice and we are seeking someone dynamic and passionate who wishes to complete good quality work with children and their carers as well as striving to make this area of practice well promoted and effective for the children in these situations. It will be important that you are confident in your ability to work autonomously but you will also be well supported in undertaking this task and provided with regular supervision.
Experience and Skills
Key Skills:
- Able to analyse and interpret complex situations, information and data, prioritise needs and formulate plans for intervention and service provision
- Able to work proactively as a member of the team to make accurate assessments of needs and negotiate and implement effective outcomes
- Able to work in partnership with carers, colleagues and external agencies to deliver an effective service
- Able to communicate clearly and effectively in a multi-disciplinary setting, including the ability to explain complicated information to a wide range of people and use negotiation and persuasion skills to encourage others to adopt a course of action they may not wish to take
- Able to recognise limits of own accountability and responsibility and seek appropriate support, advice and supervision
- Able to effectively lead and supervise others and provide coaching and mentoring when appropriate.
For Advanced Social Worker Key Skills please see the G12 Job Description
Qualifications/Experience:
- Recognised Social Work qualification or equivalent as recognised by relevant professional body
- Completion of relevant post qualifying training
- Registration with the relevant professional registration body and maintaining registration
- Evidence of continuous professional development as a Registered Social Worker across a number of years
- Readiness to work towards a Full Practice Educator Professional Standards at stage two or equivalent
- Knowledge of advanced theoretical Social Work concepts and practices, with demonstrable examples of dealing with a range of complex issues, for example, attachment, impact of developmental trauma and child development, motivational interviewing, relational practice, solution-focussed interventions and systemic working. A good understanding of anti-oppressive, anti-discriminatory and anti-racist practice in social work
- Knowledge of management strategies in order to confidently manage internal and external issues
- Experience of effectively supervising and coaching others
- Valid, full driving licence
For Advanced Social Worker Qualifications/Experience please see the G12 Job Description
Rewards and Benefits
As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.
In addition to working within a great team and a brilliant opportunity you will receive:
- A competitive salary
- 26-29 days annual leave + bank holidays
- A generous pension scheme
- Training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
- Flexible working
- A range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers with the opportunity to save over £1,000 (Including: Argos, Samsung, Asos, B&Q and many more)
- Free access to employee assistance programmes
- Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres
- A range of commuting and business travel discounts and initiatives
For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.
Further Information
The reference number for this role is CAFHE04006
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Moira.Keen@westsussex.gov.uk. For issues or queries regarding your application please contact hrrecruitment@westsussex.gov.uk.
Please ensure you have sought approval from your line manager before submitting your expression of interest.
To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter outline your motivations for applying and explain how you meet the key skills listed in full and the experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to Social Work England registration/HCPC registration, an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.
West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.
For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme, this can be found on our application help page.
Note for Recruitment Agencies: We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We’ll be in touch directly if we need you!
For more information: Safeguarding Jobs – 2022 | Indeed.com
