Social Worker x 2

The role:

We are looking for one Social Worker within the 0-15 Care Service. You will hold a caseload of approximately 12-15 looked after children up to the age of 16 and your focus will be on ensuring children achieve permanence and high quality, creative direct work and life story work to help children understand their journey through care, alongside the usual statutory LAC processes.

We are also looking for a Social Worker in our achieving permanence team. The focus of the work in the achieving permanence team is to work with children and families where the long term plan is adoption or long term fostering.

The achieving permanence team undertake a diverse range of tasks to make sure that children who cannot grow up within their birth families are placed in families where they will thrive, be happy and meet their potential. These tasks include adoption family finding and matching in partnership with Adopt London South, securing well matched and long term foster placements, transition planning, court evidence and attendance as well as direct work and all LAC procedures.

You will need excellent assessment and analytical skills and will have experience of court work and the adoption and permanency planning process. Direct work is a big part of the role and you will undertake life story work with children and young people.

We are dedicated to high quality relationship-based social work, that is child-centred, family-minded, strengths and evidence-based, outcome-focused and fair. We are looking for outstanding social workers with a passion for direct work, and will support you with training, reflective group supervision, clinical advice and support, small teams and caseload and administrative support.

Our Children’s Services have been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted for over a decade and we continue to strive for excellence in our practice and the best possible outcomes for our children and families. We have a well-embedded practice framework, underpinned by our above principles. We make extensive use of systemic and strengths-based practices, as well as restorative and attachment-informed approaches. This was noted by Ofsted in 2017 who said “Southwark attracts experienced, high-quality social workers who are keen to work in small units that employ systemic methods. The model is well resourced and features clinical and group supervision alongside manageable caseloads. This promotes influential and effective direct work with children and families. The model is enabling a flourishing social work culture in the local authority, equipping social workers to address complex local concerns in this highly diverse community”.

We are seeking experienced social workers, who have the professional potential and personal attributes that our families need and who want to be supported to flourish. We have fantastic career progression opportunities. In a focused visit earlier this year, Ofsted confirmed that “Staff have access to a wide range of induction and training courses. They report that they are supported and encouraged to engage in training and development, and these events provide good opportunities to reflect and focus on practice improvement”.

For an informal discussion about the position please contact Clare Ryan, Service Manager on 07940261309.

Application Process:

If you are interested in applying for this role, please complete the online application form and detail your suitability for the role by using the Personal Specification to highlight your skills for the shortlisting criteria.

Additional Details:

As an experienced social worker choosing Southwark you will benefit from:

Small teams with high managerial support – a lower ratio of workers to managers than most authorities. Regular group supervision, as well as monthly 1-1 supervision.

Access to further support and targeted specialist interventions from systemic practitioners and psychologists, embedded within teams.

Low caseloads (counted per child), below the national average and administrative support to help you spend more time with families. 

An extensive range of excellent community and specialist services to support your work with families, in a borough committed to ‘Keeping Families Strong’ and a ‘Fairer Future’ for all.

Ongoing training and career development opportunities, including the Professional Qualification Scheme, through which you can apply to be sponsored for your choice of learning to support your individual needs and ambitions 

We also offer the accredited Foundation Level in Systemic Practice for those who continue their career in Southwark, as well as training in restorative practices, secure base, and attachment or trauma informed practice.

Support, advice and guidance from dedicated specialist staff including Child Exploitation Coordinator and Court Case Manager, as well as a wide range of other support and learning and development opportunities.

Cycle to work or season-ticket loans and a range of other employee benefits.

This post requires an enhanced DBS check.

Closing date: 17 March 2021.

Interviews and assessments: 25 and/or 26 March 2021.

(COVID-19) - information for job applicants Southwark Council are following the most recent Government guidelines surrounding Covid-19. During this period, we still look forward to receiving your application and if successful, we will be conducting interviews remotely via video link. Details will be confirmed via email, if successful.