Overview
Job Category: Social Care Qualified
Job location: Civic Campus, Euclid Street, Swindon, SN1 2JG, Swindon Borough Council
Hours per week: 37
Start date: Immediate start
Salary: £31.25 per hour
Must be a car driver
Must be able to attend the office 5 days during duty week (every 5 weeks) – 3 days when not on duty.
Must have 3 years PQE in a permanent setting
Role summary
Experienced Social Worker are more autonomous in their role. They demonstrate expert and effective practice in complex situations, assessing and managing higher levels of risk, liaising with a wide range of professionals, including more senior levels. They manage complex caseloads, and offer expert support to case conferences, and produce high quality assessments and reports for a range of functions. They model good practice, set expectations for others, and take responsibility and accountability for the practice of others, mentoring newly qualified social workers and supervising the work of junior staff. They undertake capacity‑building with individuals, families, communities, user groups and voluntary organisations, and contribute their views on service provision to commissioners.
Job Purpose
To undertake professional and comprehensive casework for a complex caseload of children and young people. To maintain high professional standards and good overall knowledge of relevant legislation, regulation and practice methods, ensuring you are abreast of new developments. Provide guidance and support to less experienced staff to help them develop their professional skills and knowledge. As lead professional, to contribute to the provision of good quality services which integrate government and local initiatives and guidance (including Working Together, Child Protection procedures, Looked After Children’s processes, the Assessment Framework and Common Assessment Framework).
Key Accountabilities
Casework
* Manage an allocated caseload appropriate to the extensive experience of the Experienced Social Worker, including complex assessments of children, families and parenting to meet statutory requirements.
* Work within Swindon Borough Council’s policies, procedures and good practice guidelines to meet the needs of the children and families allocated.
* Work with children and young people, families, carers and communities to help them make informed decisions, engender change, and contribute to service planning.
* Maintain up to date case notes and other records, utilise relevant IT systems, and write reports, including court reports, and give expert evidence in court.
* Undertake specialist assessments for your and other workers’ cases, for court proceedings, including parenting and kinship assessments.
* Ensure casework is up to date, comprehensively written up, and managed within agreed timescales; keep manager fully apprised of problems arising from cases or workload and seek advice as necessary.
* When working with families, recognise, monitor and assess risk; ensure information about risk is escalated to managers in a timely manner.
* Develop and maintain positive working relationships with service users and other professionals; model good practice to set expectations for others.
* Where appropriate, act as the duty worker for the team responding to queries and issues.
Learning and development
* Keep up to date with contemporary issues in children’s social work including legislation and evidence-based practice; use this to inform working practice.
* Use supervision to reflect on cases and apply learning in practice.
* Identify own learning needs in line with PCF requirements for an experienced and advanced social work practitioner and attend relevant training and development opportunities.
Lead professional
* Liaise with colleagues in own and other directorates and external agencies to gather information to inform assessment and care planning activities, and jointly plan and deliver interventions.
* Participate in complex planning and reviewing of cases of children in care, child protection and support fostering/adoption arrangements.
* Provide constructive challenge to enhance practice, procedures and policies, promote innovation, and introduce new ways of working.
* Lead and monitor multi‑agency actions and objectives; provide leadership and professional wisdom to colleagues and other professionals for high‑complexity situations.
* Act as a placement supervisor to students or mentor to NQSW in their ASYE year and mentor to other staff as appropriate.
* Model and facilitate reflective and evidence‑informed practice, contributing to knowledge and promoting excellence in the field.
* Carry out any other duties, commensurate with the post, as may be required for the efficient running of the service.
Knowledge & Experience
* Experience of identifying the needs of children and young people and establishing targeted planning to meet their needs.
* Practical experience producing in-depth and analytical assessments for complex cases.
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