Senior Social Care Officer, COPE Team, Strathmooor House PKC14128

Main Purpose of the Role

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job, it's about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch.

We currently have the following opportunity:

Senior Social Care Officer (COPE) - PKC
14128
£36,288 - £40,022 (34.1 Hours per week)
Strathmoor House, Perth

An exciting opportunity has arisen in Children, Families and Justice Social Work to be part of our COPE team. COPE stands for:

C – Children and Young People who are
O – Open cases to Social Work and need
P – Planned intervention during
E – Early mornings, Evenings and weekends

COPE offers a blend of planned work and rapid crisis response with a strong focus on keeping families safely together.

COPE provides planned input and support to children, young people and families who are working with our service. In line with the Independent Care Review, The Promise, we have listened to children, young people and families’ requests for support to be available to them at times when they need it.

We are also looking for one COPE Worker to work 34.1 hours per week, from approximately 12:30/13:30 until 22:00 during the week and from 11:00 until 21:00 on alternate weekends.

COPE staff work closely with the Lead Professional to undertake directed pieces of planned work, which may include providing parenting support for families, spending individual time with a child or young person, and completing any other suitable tasks identified within their Child or Young Person’s Plan.

Alongside planned pieces of work, COPE Workers respond to the urgent needs of children, young people and families as required, in conjunction with our Out of Hours Service, including undertaking welfare visits.

A rotating two-week shift pattern will be in place for the worker on the evening rota. Both shift patterns require working alternate weekends. These will be the primary working hours; however, workers will be required to be flexible and may be asked to cover early or late shifts when colleagues are on leave.

Staff may also be required to attend Children's Hearings, Child Protection Meetings, Child or Young Person’s Plan Meetings and Interagency Referral Discussions.

At PKC, our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of the Perth and Kinross Offer. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that demonstrate the criteria required for the role and our values and behaviours.

Find out more about PKC and you could soon be joining our team!

Please note, we are currently unable to offer sponsorship for this post.

You will have experience of working with children, young people and families who are experiencing significant difficulties in their lives and require sensitive and non-judgemental support.

You must be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills, the capacity to work independently and as part of a team, and the ability to manage competing demands successfully.

You must be flexible in your approach, able to think quickly on your feet, and able to demonstrate a positive attendance record at work, with high levels of reliability and punctuality.

Relationship-based practice is key to positive interventions with children, young people and families. It is important that you have the skills and qualities to provide nurturing support whilst being honest and transparent with families about risks and concerns. Having a strengths-based approach will be beneficial, enabling you to help families identify their strengths and build upon them. Experience of undertaking home visits and working with children, young people and families within their own communities would be advantageous.

You should be familiar with Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC), the My World Triangle and the SHANARRI indicators. Children, young people and families may be experiencing multiple adversities, including poverty, addiction, domestic abuse and mental health issues, therefore the ability to work collaboratively with other agencies is essential.

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