Social Worker - Duty and Assessment

We have a wonderful Duty and Assessment Team (DAAT) here at Northamptonshire Children’s Trust!

Duty and assessment team is the single point of contact for all safeguarding concerns relating to children and young people in Northamptonshire.

Professionals from a range of services that have contact with children, young people, their families and carers, collaborate to ensure immediate and prompt responses; their combined knowledge and expertise keeping children and young people in Northamptonshire safe from harm.

With a rotating duty element, the team works at pace, completing robust short-term quality assessments of need, ensuring the right service provision is in place. Skilled social workers in these teams are friendly and confident professionals, who can work collaboratively to very tight deadlines, and ensure the child’s voice is evident throughout.

There are 6 teams within DAAT, each team consists of a Team Manager, Advanced Practitioner, who holds complex cases and supports 5 or 6 Social Workers / Senior Social Workers and a Newly Qualified Social Worker within their team.

We collaborate with other professionals to ensure immediate and prompt responses. Their combined knowledge and expertise keep children and young people in Northamptonshire safe from harm. We are supporting excellence in Social Work practice, with a new practice approach including, signs of safety and systemic practice, and clear personal development opportunities for the right candidates.

Our DAAT teams are fun and supportive. They work hard and at pace, but they always ensure that there is food available to keep them going! The team enjoy each other's company and like having a bit of time now and again to have a laugh, often bonding over a shared lunch. Managers within DAAT are always present and available for the team and pitch in to support whenever required.

We provide the front line, single point of contact for the public and professionals who are making referrals with concerns for children who are at risk of significant harm or who are children in need. Working with a broad range of agencies and services in our region, you will be responsible for responding to new referrals from professionals and members of the public.

You will have the opportunity to work with children and young people on a short-term basis after the initial referral until your cases transfer from the DAAT to other teams.

You will be a qualified social worker, who has completed your ASYE. Registered with Social Work England and have the commitment and passion to be at the forefront of delivering best practice and support to children and families.

As a Senior Social Worker, you will be an integral part of a highly skilled team responsible for responding to referrals, conducting initial assessments, and providing interventions to children and families in need. You will have the opportunity to lead and support a team of social workers, working collaboratively to ensure the safety and well-being of children across the county.

You will have awareness of the main legislative framework within which the role operates and knowledge of the range of services which are available to children and families and of the organisational framework within which they are provided.

Ideally you will have gained extensive post qualification experience of children and families social work within a statutory or voluntary organisation and will have proven ability to relate professionally with children and families evidenced through previous work as a Social Worker.

Experience of supporting those in less experienced roles in a social work environment would be desirable.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act…