Social Worker - Children Looked

Overview

About the Job

Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of children, young people and families? Do you thrive in complex, dynamic environments and bring experience, dedication and compassion to your work? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

Salary
: £39,152 - £41,771 a year plus £5,500 market supplement allowance plus £963 essential car user allowance (subject to criteria)

Hours per week
: 37

Contract type
:
Permanent

We are currently recruiting to vacancies across our Children Looked After teams. In this pivotal role, you will work closely with children, young people, families, and multidisciplinary teams to provide vital support and protection for those with complex needs and risks. Your responsibilities will include:

• Conducting assessments, statutory visits, and parenting evaluations.
• Planning and implementing tailored, multi-agency interventions.
• Collaborating with internal and external partners for joint casework.
• Driving the development of best practices and procedures aligned with Social Work Professional Standards.
• Supporting management in achieving key performance targets.

Note
:
This role does not attract sponsorship.

You are a passionate and experienced social work professional, bringing substantial post-qualifying expertise in fostering and child and family social work.

You will have:

• A deep understanding of the needs of young people in care and competence in the fostering field, aligned with national standards and best practice guidance.
• Experience working directly with children who have experienced trauma, attachment challenges, and related disorders; empathy and insight in your approach.
• A track record of providing effective supervision, both one-to-one and in group settings, with confident supervisory leadership.
• Strong communication skills to present complex reports and deliver impactful presentations to diverse audiences.
• Ability to work collaboratively in teams and engage people from diverse backgrounds.
• DipSW, CQSW, or an equivalent recognised qualification in social work; registered with Social Work England.

Luton Council has been selected to deliver the government’s Families First for Children Pathfinder programme. Luton is one of seven new areas in the second wave to be chosen to protect vulnerable children and improve services to help more children stay with their families in safe and loving homes. The programme offers opportunities to shape future social care practice with closer collaboration with health, police, education and voluntary sector partners.

Children are at the heart of everything we do in Luton. We are proud of our Family Hubs and the effort to make Luton a child-friendly town. Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision aims to ensure no-one in Luton lives in poverty, and we are committed to building a diverse, talented, and passionate workforce.

We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough.

Application process

Because of the nature of this job, an appropriate level of criminal record disclosure is necessary. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions, any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020).

A person’s criminal record will not in itself prevent appointment. However, non-disclosure may lead to dismissal or disciplinary action if relevant to the role.

Additional Information

We offer a range of benefits, including:

• From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave, linked to length of service and grade
• Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
• Career Pathways and clear progression opportunities
• Pension scheme with employer contributions up to 20.2% (as of July 2023) and a 3x salary death in service grant
• Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support
• Flexible working options to support work/life balance
• Training and development opportunities, mentoring, and career pathways
• Staff offers and local discounts
• Arriva Travel Club: savings on local bus travel
• Social and networking events to encourage team connections