Social Worker, Child Development​/Support

About Barnet Council

Barnet is a borough with much to be proud of. Our excellent schools, vibrant town centres, vast green spaces and diverse communities all help make it a great place to live and work. As a council we want to build on these strengths as we move into the future. We are growing and developing as an organisation to meet the challenges facing our borough and we are committed to working with partner organisations and residents to make Barnet even better.

As an organisation, our staff are committed to Our Values:
Learning to Improve, Caring, Inclusive, Collaborative – which drive everything we do.

Social Workers required for our Duty & Assessment team. In Barnet we are looking for practitioners who are reflective, proactive, resilient and able to deliver purposeful social work to make a positive difference with our families and communities. Whether you are newly qualified or a seasoned practitioner we don’t expect you to be able to support our children and families effectively without us supporting you.

This is a place where you’re given time and support to develop yourself and your practice because our approach is different. Putting children at the centre of all we do means growing and developing you is also at the centre of what we do. We ensure that you have access to excellent training opportunities and offer reflexive and meaningful individual and group supervision opportunities to develop your expertise and confidence.

Learning in Context is the workforce training and development approach which has been uniquely developed to meet the needs of the children’s workforce. Our key learning from analysis of various training approaches has demonstrated that learning, skills and knowledge is increased when we provide:

• Learning that is accessible, relatable and applicable
• Learning that is well timed, tailored and targeted
• Live and action learning opportunities through workshops, coaching, mentoring and group (and peer) supervision
• Learning in Context means our focus goes beyond the traditional classroom and course-based training to a learning through experience, i.e., “know what” to “know how” supported by one-to-one development opportunities, live learning workshops, co‑produced practice seminars and service days.

• Access to systemic training.
• Proactive Practice and Learning Managers to support responsive and co‑produced training sessions to meet topical and emerging themes in practice.
• An integrated child and family clinical service with a range of mental health professionals to support your work.
• Manageable caseloads within small teams.
• Work‑life balance options may include flexitime, job‑share, homeworking.

Please  to download the Job description for this role.

• In‑depth knowledge and understanding of the legislative framework and policies in relation to safeguarding children
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, particularly in writing assessments and plans for young people
• Proven experience in demonstrating your impact on families in achieving positive outcomes for children and influencing the professional networks that you work with
• Innovative and positive engagement with children and families in their assessments and plans and a passion for delivery of high quality services and interventions to vulnerable children in partnership with a wide range of agencies

Regrettably we cannot accept applications from those who do not hold recognised social work qualifications.

• 31 days annual leave, plus public and bank holidays
• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, which provides a valuable guaranteed income in your retirement together with security for your dependents
• Work‑life balance options may include hybrid working, flexitime, job share, home working, part‑time
• A vast range of lifestyle discounts from major retailers, supermarkets, energy suppliers and more
• Broad range of payroll benefits including cycle to work, eye care vouchers, travel and gym membership
• Excellent training and development opportunities
• Employee well‑being training programmes including confidential employee assistance

Read the job description and…