Social Worker; Justice - Willow, Justice Services

Social Worker (Justice) - Willow, Justice Services Job Description

Women's Justice Social Worker Willow

Edinburgh Justice Services are committed to providing high quality services while ensuring a compassionate approach to people accessing our services and supporting staff wellbeing. We offer a high level of training to support continuous professional development and to deliver a broad range of interventions, including established accredited group work programmes. We are implementing Trauma Informed Care, Safe & Together™ and Restorative Justice practice models and interventions across our services and have established a Women’s Centre, from where all Justice Services for women are delivered, to reduce barriers and meet the needs of women involved in the Justice System.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Willow Service, where we offer trauma informed, evidence based and gender specific services. Women that are aged 18 and above can attend as part of a statutory order or voluntarily, including women entitled to support due to their partner’s or ex‑partner’s involvement with the Caledonian system.

The team is multi-disciplinary and includes support workers, social workers, psychologists, nursing staff as well as key third sector partners and peer supporters, all of whom contribute to the delivery of a range of interventions and support offered to the women in an integrated way. This includes the provision of one‑to‑one and group work interventions as well as community outreach support.

The post is open to female candidates only (Occupational Requirement exception under Equality Act 2010).

This post is regulated work with children and/or protected adults under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. The preferred candidate will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check. Where an individual has spent a continuous period of 3 months or more out with the UK in the last 5 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required.

You will be required to provide this check. An unconditional offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of both these pre‑employment checks being deemed satisfactory.

We're committed to creating a workplace culture where all our people feel valued, included and able to be their best at work, and we recognise the benefits that a diverse workforce with different values, beliefs, experience, and backgrounds brings to us as an organisation.

As part of our goal to improve our organisational culture and create a great place to work together for the people of Edinburgh, we want to make sure that we’re bringing the best people into our roles, not just in their skills and experience but also in their approach to work.

To help achieve this, we’re changing the way we interview and assess candidates by moving from a competency‑based interview approach to a behavioural and technical (skills for the job) based approach. This new way of interviewing will allow us to assess how you think and how you would bring Our Behaviours of Respect, Integrity and Flexibility into your ways of working.

Our salary range typically reflects the initial starting salary and annually increases until it reaches the top of the range.

Happy to talk flexible working.

Previous work or student placement experience that demonstrates an ability to transfer knowledge, skills and practice.

• Previous experience of working with adults or young people with challenging behaviour
• Previous experience of working in a justice setting
• Previous experience of working in a secondary setting

• Knowledge of social work legislation and social policy
• Knowledge of social work theory and possible explanations for offending behaviour and desistance
• An understanding of the issues surrounding working with women with complex needs who may have experienced trauma
• An understanding of the gendered approach to working with women who are in or have had contact with the criminal justice system

• Knowledge of Scottish Government’s National Outcomes and Standards for Social Work Services in the Criminal Justice system and other key…