Classifications
Job Information
Achieving for Children is a Community Interest Company that has a public sector ethos, combined with the freedom to innovate enabling us to do things differently. As a not-for-profit social enterprise owned by three local authorities (Windsor & Maidenhead, Kingston and Richmond), we offer the freedoms of a social enterprise with the employment benefits of local government. To find out more about us click here.
Senior Practitioner - Referral and Assessment (Richmond)
We’re celebrating an OUTSTANDING achievement across all areas in our latest Ofsted inspection (December 2024) and now, we’re looking for social workers to help build on this success.
If you’re passionate, driven, and ready to be part of something exceptional, now is the time. Come and grow with a team that’s setting the standard for excellence!
We are offering a £3000 welcome bonus plus a £3000 annual market supplement for this role!
About Our Benefits
We are focused on creating a positive, supportive environment, where you will have access to a wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and the technology and equipment to enable hybrid working.
At AfC you will also have access to...
- a welcome payment and retention bonus for selected roles
- access to free parking at your main place of work
- 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after four years with bank holidays in addition
- local government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
- hybrid working, enabling you to work from home, office or the community, with access to the technology and equipment to support you
- working with a wide range of families from diverse backgrounds with different presenting issues
- travel assistance package for business use, including car and cycle mileage reimbursement, annual season ticket loan or business Oyster cards
- a minimum of 12 protected Development Days each year for all staff
- support and recognition from a stable senior leadership team with an open door culture
- managers who recognise complexity of cases and load, value hard work, provide reassurance, build confidence and facilitate career development and progression opportunities
- a huge range of additional professional development opportunities as part of our regional Social Work Teaching Partnership.
About you
- an effective communicator
- resilient worker, able to work effectively in a team or on your own, taking ownership and responsibility for the cases you are assigned
- confident and competent with relevant statutory and regulatory framework and have knowledge of an appropriate range of professional interventions
- evidence of championing inclusion and diversity whilst making a positive difference to the lives of children and young people
- solution focused person with the ability to deal with sensitive issues.
About the role
- Supporting children and young people by undertaking child protection investigations alongside safety and contingency planning
- Building strong and respectful working relationships with families, their support network and our partner agencies
- Work on cases with increased complexity, including court work and pre-proceedings experience
- Contribute to team management, deputising for the team leaders and potentially supervising work of an ASYE or students
- Ensuring that children and young people are actively involved in our work and their voice is captured in our case recording
- Actively taking part in reflective supervision and group supervision
Qualifications
- Relevant Social Work qualification
- Completion of ASYE
- Active Social Work England registration
About our benefits
We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:
- 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (Or for term-time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non-working periods in your contract)
- Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
- Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
- Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance
- A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
- A range of staff benefits and discounts
- An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway
To find out about all of the breadth of benefits of working for Achieving for Children click here. For our social work offer click here. For our Recruitment Journey, click here.
Important Information
Start dates: Achieving for Children have set start dates meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.
Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.
Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
For more information about AfC: Drop in and meet Regina on the first Wednesday of every month at Civic Centre, Twickenham.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
