Social Worker - Children in Care

At Bath & North East Somerset Council we have one overriding purpose to improve people's lives. Bath and North East Somerset Children’s Services are an innovative small Local Authority focused on therapeutic support. We are trauma informed, attachment focussed, relational. We adopt a systemic approach to practice. We are rated Good by OFSTED and have a continued vision and drive to improve further.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a qualified Social Worker to join our Children in Care Team, within the Care Outcomes Service. We are a dynamic and creative Local Authority, working hard to think differently about how we approach our work with children and families. We are deeply committed to providing tailored high-quality services and well thought out interventions. Our practice is values-driven with a strong ethos of child-focussed interventions.

You will work as part of an enthusiastic team consisting of a Team Manager, Deputy Team Managers, Senior Social Work Practitioners, qualified professional Social Workers, Family Support Practitioners and Administrative staff.

This rewarding role will see you responding to, co-ordinating and delivering a range of social care services to children, young people and families in the Bath and North East Somerset area. Specifically, this role is working with children who are looked after and children who have a plan of adoption. We work closely with our colleagues across the service and have established partnerships with agencies across health, education and support services to ensure we can respond as effectively as possible to the needs of children, young people, and their families.

The post holder will manage their own caseload, which will include children and families with complex needs. You will be able to evidence a strong ability to analyse information and formulate outcome focused plans for children and young people.

Applicants must be confident in writing professional assessments/reports as well as presenting their evidence verbally.

Applicants need to have very strong organisational skills to manage and prioritise their work effectively and in a timely way and will be committed to working as part of a team to support colleagues in delivering optimum services to children and families.

We are seeking applications from social workers who have relevant experience and a specific interest in this area of work and are looking to enhance and further develop their skills and contribute to service development for our children in care population.

• A comprehensive induction
• Managed caseload
• Regular supervision at a minimum of monthly one to one
• Reflective supervision to promote thoughtful and creative practice, supported by your peers and managers
• Monthly Peer Circles to ensure strong relationships and support between Social Workers across teams, and opportunities to share good practice
• Extensive training opportunities, which include SARI workshops around culturally sensitive practice, opportunities to join a 6-month long training in Systemic Practice delivered by the Centre for Systemic Social Work, attachment-based workshops, and trauma-informed workshops
• Excellent administrative support with 3 admin staff supporting the team
• Tri-annual Social Work Conferences with guest speakers who are experts in the field. Examples of previous conferences have included Donald Forrester, Brid Featherstone, Rebecca Carr-Hopkins, ‘Annie; from Surviving Safeguarding, and Dr Karen Treisman
• Paid Social Work England renewal membership
• Access to Research in Practice
• Laptop and iPhone to promote flexible working, to enhance your work-life balance
• Relocation Payments are available
• A stable leadership team
• A stable and committed team, with low rates of agency workers, and low vacancy rates
• Good practice to be recognised and celebrated through a quarterly newsletter

• A relevant social work qualification
• Knowledge of the legislative framework and legal proceedings that governs children’s services
• Knowledge of theory and practice applicable to social work
• IT skills to enable operation of standard electronic systems
• Passion, commitment, and motivation to support…