CSW - Social Worker

To build positive, supportive, and respectful relationships with families in order to help support children in need of help or protection. Where possible, you will help support families to raise their children safely within their family network by supporting and augmenting their support network.

Where this is not possible, alternate plans will need to be explored and implemented to help ensure children grow up in safe, nurturing, and happy homes that achieve long term permanence.

This will require working in a supported practice environment that respectfully challenges and enables you to use your professional judgement, autonomy, experience, knowledge, and skills.

These all form the key aspects of our Signs of Safety practice model which we use when working with children, families and the wider professional network.

You will have a proficient ability to communicate in English and be able to influence others in an effort to help coordinate services and supports in the best way possible to keep children as safe and well cared for as possible.

As a Social Worker in the Looked After Children Service you will have experience and understanding of permanence planning, Evidence of experience working with cases from proceedings through to adoption and other forms of permanence. In this role you will ensure that you are able to collaboratively engage and develop quality Life-story work with all Looked After Children so they have a good understanding of their family and their story both in care and before care.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• To have experience or a willingness to be trained in and use the Signs of Safety practice model we use when working with children and families.
• To work in a respectful and professional manner with children and families that is focused on achieving what is in the best interest of the child.
• Consistently use the Signs of Safety practice model when assessing risks or worries, what is working well, and exploring the next steps to improve the outcomes and safety of the children and young people we serve.
• To undertake regular visits to and work creatively with children and young people in order to develop a good rapport that allows you to obtain the childs wishes and feelings and to make sure these inform the work that you do.
• To work with children and families in a variety of diverse and complex contexts, such as mental ill health, disability, substance misuse, domestic abuse, sexual exploitation, radicalisation, poverty, discrimination, and immigration.
• To be able to apply relevant social work theories and research in a way that helps best understand the lived experiences of children and young people, such as child development, attachment theory, impact of childhood trauma, and the cycle of grooming and sexual abuse.
• To explore contingency plans that utilise the families support network as much as possible, even when exploring other caring arrangements for children.
• To recognise the importance of working within existing laws, statutory guidance, and local safeguarding policies and procedures that govern the work we do.
• To be responsible for and manage childrens cases in the respective team or service area you are placed (ie: children looked after, referral and assessment, etc)
• To coordinate and implement plans that are based on updated assessments and address areas of unmet safety and welfare needs for children.
• To regularly review the progress and implementation of childrens plans and update these based on new assessments or significant changes in the child or familys circumstances.
• To work in partnership with the family network and the wider professional network in order to provide the best level of support and care for the children and young people you are working with.
• To lead or chair meetings with involved family and professional members (ie: core groups)
• To make recommendations to the manager about the need to consider legal action when sufficient safety cannot be provided to a child in their current home.
• To keep contemporaneous case notes and regularly update records, reports, plans and assessments so that information and planning for the children you work with is the most relevant and current.
• To carry out and regularly update assessments of a childs needs that involve relevant family members and professionals in order to ensure these are holistic and can identify areas of strength and unmet need or concern.
• To undertake or cooperate with any child protection enquiries that are carried out in order to identify any risks or concerns for a childs safety or wellbeing.
• To work in a non-discriminatory way through recognising and appreciating the differences of others and raising ones awareness through new learning or networking opportunities with organisations that help raise awareness of such issues.
• To participate in regular supervision with your line manager to review case developments and critically reflect on the work being undertaken.
• To be receptive to hearing challenge that may arise from…