Social Worker - Children Young People Disability Service

About the role

To be a Social Worker in the CYPD team you will carry a caseload and be responsible for assessment and planning for children and young people who are subject to protection plans and those children in the care of the Local Authority (0-18 years).
Working in compliance with casework objectives, statutory and departmental policy and procedural requirements, consistently maintaining the highest level of professional standards.

You will involve children, parents and/or carers in the assessment and planning process taking into account their wishes and feelings/needs in relation to the reason for the assessment/casework. Working through a range of legal options to support investigation and protection and accommodation; if required give evidence in court; using contingency planning to anticipate complexity and changing circumstances.

You will also complete longer-term work with families in order to meet identified needs and improve outcomes. Ensuring clear written reports to child protection conferences, reviews, planning meetings and any other purpose as required, ensuring good quality casework analysis and risk assessment is evident throughout. Also ensuring reports and case notes are prepared for the Court are of high quality, and to support and prepare workers in the Court process, including giving evidence in Court, as required.

For further information about this role, please contact Denzil Brice by email Denzil.Brice@achievingforchildren.org.uk for an informal discussion. 

About you

• A full and valid driving licence and access to own transport
• Educated to a degree level with a relevant professional qualification in social work
• Active Social Work England registration and proven evidence of continuing professional development
• Good understanding of the Children Act 1998/2004 and the Children and Families Act 2014
• Familiarity with the local single assessment framework, Working Together (2015), Pan Berkshire Child Protection Procedures and looked after Children processes
• Experience of working with children and families in either a voluntary or statutory setting.
• Ideally experience working with Disabled Children/CIN/CP/LAC
• Experience of building strong partnerships, maintaining relationships and co-producing solutions to challenges across a diverse set of stakeholders, including children, young people and their families. Advocating the voices of those we are working with
• Experience of keeping and maintaining records (in accordance with local policy) and producing accurate reports, presentations, written updates to a range of stakeholders (which may include families, children or young people).
• Experience of addressing specific equality or diversity issues within your practice with colleagues/service users and taking action to solve them

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.