Social Worker​/Senior Social Worker

Directorate:

Children and Families Service

Section:

Corporate Parenting 0-13 and Corporate Parenting 14-17

Hours: 37 hours per week, worked over five days during normal office hours, with flexibility in line with service needs

This advert is open to both internal and externalapplicants.

We are a city of strengths, with a proud heritage and bright future. Working for Stoke-on-Trent City Council is more than just a job; it is about making, protecting and improving services for local people, reducing inequalities and improving independence for those who live and work in the city. That is where you comein. We are looking for people of the highest calibre, with the skills,knowledge and experience to help us deliver our compelling vision.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council's diverse and talented workforce is its greatest asset. Theskills, knowledge and experience of our employees are essential to delivering our ambitions for the organisation and the city. We want to be an employer people are proud to work for, where staff are supported, developed and rewarded in an inclusive way that helps them excel and deliver the high-quality service sour residents need.

We are growing and developing our Children and Families workforce as part of an ambitiousprogramme of service transformation. We are looking for talented, committed andvalues-led professionals to join us.

We are recruiting

Social Workers and Senior Social Workers to join our Corporate Parenting 0-13and Corporate Parenting 14-17 teams. You will work with children and young people in care, building consistent relationships and ensuring assessments,care plans and purposeful interventions support their safety, stability,permanence and life chances. Senior Social Workers will also provide practice leadership, support colleagues and undertake additional mentoring, chairing and deputising responsibilities.

• A recognised social work qualification and current registration with Social Work England, with acommitment to meeting ongoing registration and professional practice standards.
• Thorough knowledge of children's social care legislation and safeguarding guidance, child development and disability, statutory duties, assessment, intervention and care-planning methods.
• Experience of direct work with children, young people and families, completing complex assessments and careplans, and working within corporate parenting, children in care and court processes.
• A child-focused, relational and evidence-informed approach, with the professional judgement and resilience toanalyse risk, protective factors and unmet need and deliver purposeful interventions.
• Strong relationship-building,written and verbal communication skills, including multi-agency working,high-quality reports and the confidence to present professional evidence incourt and statutory settings.
• For Senior Social Worker level,significant post-qualifying experience, expertise in complex casework and the ability to mentor and develop others, chair meetings and provide cover for the Principal Manager are essential.

• Manage complex caseloads of children and young people in care, completing timely assessments and developing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing outcome-focused care plans.
• Deliver focused and purposeful direct work that promotes children's welfare and supports safety, stability,positive relationships, permanence and improved life chances.
• Ensure children and young people, parents, carers and wider networks are fully involved in assessment and planning, with their views reflected in clear records, decisions and shared plans.
• Provide professional expertise at multi-agency and statutory meetings, maintain accurate case and performance information, and represent the local authority in court when required.
• Share learning, support social work students and allocate appropriate tasks to Social Work Assistants, while contributing to duty arrangements, supervision, service review and continuous professional development.
• At Senior Social Worker level,undertake the most complex casework, mentor Newly Qualified Social Workers and students, chair statutory meetings, support reflective supervision and deputise for the Principal Manager when required.

• Make a direct difference to thesafety, stability, permanence, well-being and long-term life chances of children and young people in care.
• Develop within our Corporate Parenting 0-13 and 14-17 services, where relational practice, reflective supervision, shared learning and progression are…