Social Worker - Family Support & Child Protection

About The Role

Bexley has a strong learning and development program and OFSTED commented on "A well-trained workforce is improving the lives of children and families" 2023.

Ofsted judged that we provide strong management oversight of practice, that we have a well – embedded practice framework to enable meaningful family focused help, that we offer clear progress in career pathways, a talent management scheme and an environment to enable social work to flourish. We believe deeply in relationship based practice and ‘Signs of Safety’ is the vehicle enabling us to do this respectfully and in collaboration with the people we are trying to help.

Our established family engagement group, FL.A.RE (Family Learning, Advocacy & Restorative Engagement), and children in care forums Positive Journeys, Positive Journeys Seniors and Bexley’s Young Director support us with practice development and delivery. Front line practitioners have the opportunity to learn from our children, young people and families, and be part of this work.

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to grow, develop and progress whatever stage of their careers they are at. We offer a comprehensive range of training and professional development opportunities including access to research, group and e-learning, coaching and group supervision. Practitioners are invited to contribute to our learning and development offer in Bexley and to enhance Continuing Professional Development, there is opportunity to co‑design and deliver training if this is of interest.

We invest in our staff so they can invest in the children, young people and families we
support.

Here in Bexley, we recognise that our greatest asset is our workforce. Staff well‑being is important to us and you will have access to our weekly staff well‑being drop‑in sessions, our Employee Assistance Programme and our corporate offer of emotional and physical well‑being sessions.

If this sounds exciting and reassuring, get in touch with us. Our workforce is stable with a high level of permanent staff but we are always looking for practitioners wanting to practice confidently as part of our team making a difference for families and children.

Do you think you have what it takes to join our team of excellent, creative and dedicated social work professionals?

Candidates must hold a relevant social work qualification and be registered with the professional regulator for social work (Social Work England). For the full list of essential and desirable criteria for this role, please refer to the Person Specification within the attached Job Description.

Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

This post is considered by the authority to be a customer-facing position; as such it falls within scope of the Code of Practice on English language requirement for public sector workers. The council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements.

The appropriate standards are set out in the JD/Person Specification. These will be applied during the recruitment/selection and probationary stages.

Bexley is a vibrant and diverse outer London Borough nestled in the Thames Gateway between London and Kent which means it combines the perfect blend of city vibe and the tranquillity of Kent. It has award-winning parks, open spaces, and heritage sites. The borough has excellent transport connections, including the Elizabeth Line and proximity to the M25. Bexley offers fantastic amenities such as libraries, leisure centres, and shopping areas.

Our borough is also home to numerous primary and secondary schools, as well as further education institutions.

We will offer you in return a package that includes a competitive salary, an excellent pension scheme and generous annual leave plus bank holidays. For more information on the benefits package on offer please refer to the Candidate Information document attached.