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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.
SHIFT Guide (social worker)
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.
Ofsted praised our leadership, saying: “Leaders have created an environment where staff feel valued, respected, and supported.” If you’re looking for a workplace where you can thrive, grow, and truly make a difference, this is your opportunity!
Apply today and be part of our success!
We are offering a £3,000 annual market supplement for this role!
The Kingston and Richmond SHiFT Team aims to break the destructive cycle of children who are caught up in, or at greatest risk of, cycles of crime so that they make a positive contribution to our society and build better lives for themselves.
SHiFT works with children and young people who are, or are at risk of, repeatedly committing crimes. We do not define them by the criminal offences they have committed but treat each as an individual.
A SHiFT team is made up of 5 highly experienced SHiFT guides and one team coordinator supporting all aspects of SHiFT activities.
The team works tenaciously, collaboratively, and systemically with SHiFT participants and everyone in their world, identifying the right moment to intervene with tailored and flexible interactions that suit each person. One SHiFT Guide takes on a lead role within the team however a SHiFT team is not traditionally hierarchical; making decisions as a group, taking collective responsibility for SHiFT delivery, and sharing knowledge and experience to maximise good practice is important.
SHiFT is a new way of working which you will help shape and develop. We need your experience and input to ensure it develops the impact we believe it can. You will need to be flexible and collaborative; ready to share ideas and take risks to change the lives of SHiFT participants.
We are looking for experienced social workers from a wide range of backgrounds to support the development and delivery of SHiFT at this exciting time. This is an ideal role for practitioners who want to invest in meaningful, skilled and direct work with children who may present with some of the most challenging behaviours, which can create professional anxiety but requires a robust and relationship-based approach to break the cycles of crime and harm.
In Kingston and Richmond’s SHIFT Practice our Guides are all qualified social workers because this enables the Guide, who is developing the relationship with the participant and delivering the intensive intervention, to also carry out the statutory functions of assessment and planning within social care. We aim to break down barriers of hierarchy and previous experiences or perceptions of social care to create meaningful change with the children caught up in cycles of crime and harm and with their families.
Within the youth justice system in the UK children and young people from minority groups, particularly black males, are acutely overrepresented. Therefore, we actively encourage applications from under-represented groups to apply for SHiFT roles - bringing the experience, skills and knowledge needed to support children and young people to break the destructive cycles which lead to them committing crimes.
About the role
At the heart of SHiFT’s approach will be the relationship the child or young person has with a SHiFT Guide. Participants will typically spend 18 months with their SHiFT Guide who will have the time, skills, experience and support to do whatever it takes to get alongside each child and young person - helping them to change their life so that, one day, they will no longer be needed.
Through the SHiFT journey, participants will develop strengthened foundations on which they can build a future that benefits both them and society, including improved literacy, numeracy and communications skills. These are the stable, strengthened foundations on which they can build a future that benefits both them and society.
- Guides will hold no more than 6 children to enable the capacity to work robustly and tenaciously with them and their network.
- The team receives nominations or referrals from other teams, which are reviewed in regard to the criteria for SHiFT intervention.
- Guides will need to have experience in social work practice, including s47 investigations and delivering child protection or court proceedings.
For further information about this role, please contact Emma Crawford by email emma.crawford@achievingforchildren.org.uk for an informal discussion.
About you
- You are a social worker who is passionate about working alongside young people to reduce exploitation and harm in the community
- You see the stage of adolescence as a time of significant change and opportunity to influence positive self-identity and choices for their best life into adulthood
- You are skilled at identifying risks both in the home and community, analysing information from a wide range of sources to formulate a clear plan of intervention
- You are experienced at delivering direct work with adolescents to support them to identify positive life goals, understand and respond to risk safely and have healthy relationships
- You work well with other professionals such as the police, schools and health partners and those who can provide targeted youth support, sexual exploitation intervention or substance misuse services to make sure that the best services are offered to some of the most vulnerable young people
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.
