Social Worker - Advanced; Childrens

Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, United Kingdom

JOB TITLE

Social Worker

Main Purpose of the Job

To operate as a social work professional within the Community Family Service team, providing a professional social work service to children and families as part of the Total Family Approach.

Social workers will undertake assessment, planning, intervention and review (APIR) in a range of children in need cases, including child protection, care proceedings and looked after children cases. They will work collaboratively with other professionals, co-ordinating or contributing to the team around the family, in order to ensure a multi-disciplinary approach to improving outcomes for children, young people and their families, particularly safeguarding children and young people.

Social workers will hold approximately 15 total family cases. They act as a link professional, providing advice and consultancy to Children's Centre, schools and other settings, in line with the Children Act 1989 and 2004.

Social workers will maintain accurate, up-to-date child records in compliance with the re-launched Integrated Children's System.

Social workers will continuously improve their practice by developing their knowledge and skills through post qualifying training. The post will participate in high quality supervision that achieves an appropriate balance between reflective practice and accountability for performance/standards. They take part in rigorous self evaluation through annual appraisal and half year reviews.

This job description provides the core job description for all children's social workers. Specialism's will be reflected in appropriate addendums.

This post is required to work closely with multi agency partners to ensure that services fit together; avoid duplication and meet the requirements of the Children Act 1989 and 2004, and other relevant statutory legislation. They must be registered to practice with the HCPC under the terms of the code of conduct for social workers.

Main Competencies and Responsibilities

As part of the Community Family Service around the family approach:

• Undertake the full range of social work tasks with children in need and their families Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Review (APIR), ensuring a minimum of 50% of time is involved in direct work. As a worker you will be expected to provide a high level of direct work at an agreed local level.

Undertake a range of intervention with children and families including group work, family work and solution focused intervention, parenting work etc jointly, as appropriate, with other staff within the Community Family Service.

• Contribute to undertaking early intervention/preventative work, aiming to take 20% of the case load as preventative work.
• Promote and demonstrate the meaningful participation of children, young people and parents/carers in the process of assessments, planning, intervention and review, and in all aspects of decision making and in shaping service delivery.
• Act as the lead professional key worker in statutory cases that require a qualified social worker, including high-level children in need cases, child protection, care proceedings and looked after children cases.
• Contribute to or bring together and co-ordinate the team around the family to ensure a multi-disciplinary approach in those cases where children subject to safeguarding plans, care proceedings, or admission to accommodation.
• Establish and develop collaborative working with allied health and social care practitioners from children's and adults' services and other agencies such as schools, housing, the police, and voluntary organisations.
• Develop a good understanding of evidence based practice and integrate models of best practice into day to day service delivery.
• Remain up to date with relevant legislation and procedures.
• Participate positively in professional supervision and annual appraisal review, taking personal responsibility for the quality of practice.
• Build professional credibility within the multi-professional partnership by achieving practice standards and meeting performance targets consistently; providing accredited practice teaching as required.
• Actively contribute to the Community Family Service working, supporting colleagues, covering for colleagues in their absence and taking part in team meetings and development events.
• Understand and integrate into practice the key policies of the Council in relation to social care with children and families, especially multi-disciplinary working, integration and whole family approaches.
• Develop professional expertise in at least one of the key risk factors affecting the welfare of children; parental alcohol/substance misuse; parental mental health problems; domestic abuse; learning difficulties; and homelessness and share your experienced and expertise with other members of the team.
• Develop an excellent knowledge base of and collaborative working with preventative and targeted family support…