Overview of your role
As a Social Worker in the Parenting Assessment Team within the Case Management Service, you support the achievement of Shropshire Council’s four key priorities by carrying out parenting assessments, providing evidence for care proceedings, and ensuring all assessments are completed on time and to a high standard.
Who will your manager be and what will you be responsible for?
* Reporting to one of the Team Managers, Case Management, who is responsible for your health and safety, training and development.
* Completing comprehensive and analytical assessments of parents using either the parenting assessment model, standard parenting assessment model and risk assessments.
* Contributing to the learning and development of others, mentoring and coaching colleagues, and co‑working parenting assessments where directed by the Team Manager.
* Organising and facilitating learning opportunities for the team, including monthly reflective group supervision.
* Completing mandatory corporate and role specific training within expected timescales.
What will you be doing?
1. Service Delivery
* Carrying a caseload of complex Parenting Assessments and co‑working with less‑experienced staff to maintain continuous professional development in social work practice.
* Engaging parents and their children to bring about change that will reduce risk and support children reaching their potential.
* Complying with CLA/Child Protection procedures/processes that are applicable to your service.
* Providing high quality resources of professional social work knowledge and expertise to your team of Parenting Assessment Workers, including group meetings, participating in group supervision, assisting practice, attending court, and reviews, to assist the team in ensuring high quality practice.
* Attending, and chairing where appropriate, mid‑point review meetings.
* Attending court where appropriate to provide key professional input and expertise to high profile and sensitive cases.
* Assisting in the implementation of the practice standards.
* Developing an understanding and awareness of equal opportunities and anti‑discriminatory practice and demonstrating this in carrying out duties.
* Complying with safe systems of work in accordance with Health and Safety Welfare policies and procedures, including lone working.
* Promoting continuing personal and professional development through staff performance process.
* Maintaining your own training and development to meet the professional competencies as laid down in the SWE framework.
* Maintaining awareness of changes in legislation and related policies and practices and ensuring all social work staff are informed of these changes for consistent and timely implementation.
* Supporting induction for new starters at the direction of the Team Manager.
* Keeping accurate case records and other information in accordance with approved Policies and Procedures.
* Acting as a champion role for parenting assessments, keeping up to date with research developments, attending specific forums and groups and undertaking relevant training.
* Recognising when practice issues arise and escalating appropriately to the Team Manager or Service Manager.
* Contributing to the Permanency Policy and Corporate Parenting Strategy ensuring children looked after have a secure base and are enabled to return to the care of their birth family where possible, and where not able to do so develop safe and positive lifelong links.
2. Budget Management
* Maintaining oversight of any budgetary spend of the Parenting Assessment Workers, signposting to existing resources and raising requests to the Team Manager if other resources are required.
3. Performance Management
* Contributing to the collection of data in relation to specific targets as directed, that contributes to service development and demonstrates outcomes and unmet need.
4. Supervision
* Maintaining professional standards using policies in accordance with Shropshire Council and Children’s Services Supervision Policy and Procedures.
* Preparing and contributing to your own supervision in line with the Children’s Services Supervision Policy & Procedures.
5. Strategic Planning
* Contributing to the planning and development of services, including any future consideration that may be given to emerging national developments.
* Responding to changes or developments in guidance and legislation and alerting senior managers and teams to changes that could impact on the authority.
* Working with others contributing to planning and delivery of services.
6. Links
* Building and maintaining links with case‑holding teams and other support services, and with parents and carers and providers to provide an effective parenting assessment service.
7. Other duties
* The above duties are an illustrative outline and are not an exhaustive list.
* You will be expected to become involved in a range of work to enable the service to respond effectively to the changing requirements of the Council and changes affecting the workforce.
What we expect of you
* Adopt a customer focused approach when delivering your service, ensuring engagement with service users and maintenance of an appropriate personal profile.
* Act as an advocate for your service and work collaboratively with colleagues across the whole Council to meet the needs of the people of Shropshire.
* Meet individual, service and personal development targets agreed through the Personal Development Review Process, learn from experience and be committed to continuous improvement individually and as an employee of the Council.
* Work with colleagues to meet your team's key performance indicators, support a culture of team working and ensure the team functions successfully in support of the Council's corporate and service objectives.
* Meet the behaviours and competencies adopted by the Council in the way in which they achieve their objectives and carry out their work.
Conditions of service and working hours
Your primary work base will be at Guildhall with the requirement to regularly work from other Council buildings utilised by your team or your home. Your post is subject to the following:
* The post is for 37 hours per week, over 5 days.
* Normal office hours are 8:45–5:00 Monday–Thursday and Friday 8:45–4:00 with a lunch break of 45 minutes. Occasional evening work and weekend may be required.
* The post is subject to the Council's annualised hours scheme as implemented within the specific work area.
Annual leave entitlement
Annual leave entitlement is a pro‑rata flat rate scheme of 207 hours (28 days) annual leave plus bank holidays, with five days extra awarded to those staff with five years local government service giving an entitlement of 244 hours (33 days). Two days of an employee's allowance (pro‑rota for part time staff) must be taken at Christmas. Employees who work in a building/service which is required to open over the Christmas period can carry over the two days leave (pro‑rota) into their next leave year but must be used by the end of March.
Appointment notice and probation
* The appointment is subject to one month's notice in writing on either side.
* The appointment is subject to six months' satisfactory probationary service during which time the notice period will be one week on either side.
Smoking condition
Smoking is not allowed in Council buildings, in Council vehicles or in any Council place of work.
Vehicle requirement and travel reimbursement
It is a condition of your appointment that you provide a suitable vehicle for the performance of your duties and that this is readily available for use during normal working hours. You are entitled to claim for reimbursement of the costs of travel on council business at the rate of 45 pence per mile.
What pre‑employment checks will we undertake?
* Satisfactory employment references.
* Evidence of the qualifications required for the post/listed on your application form.
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