Social Worker - Duty and Assessment
Social Worker - Duty and Assessment, Maidenhead
There’s never been a better time to join Achieving for Children (AfC), we are Ofsted Rated GOOD and are passionate about getting it right for children and their families.. We are looking for staff who have the skills, passion and commitment that will enable us to continue to develop our practice and improve outcomes for children. We are currently looking for social workers to join our teams. To find out more about us
About the role
This is an exciting opportunity to join our Duty and Assessment team.As an allocated Social Worker in the Duty and Assessment Team, will have access to dedicated Business Support, resources to carry out your role safely and access to support packages which includes reflective clinical supervision offered via our Well Being service.
In the role you will manage a caseload of children who may be on Child Protection, Child in Need and Looked After Children plans. You will undertake visits to children and families and complete assessments and direct work to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. Duties will include:
1. Safety planning
2. Completing Section 17 Single Assessments and Section 47 Enquiries
3. Initial Child Protection Conferences
4. Initial Core Group Meetings and Child in Need Meetings
5. Court work including Section 7 and 37 reports
6. Applications for court orders including Emergency Protection Orders and Interim Care Orders
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Emma Levy by email on
About you
To be a Social Worker for AfC, you will be passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of children and young people. We are looking for someone who can work flexibly, has excellent communication skills and can work collaboratively to achieve shared outcomes. It’s a genuine team effort in AfC. To be successful in the role you will need to demonstrate;
7. You are able to use evidence and professional judgement to make decisions and determine the risk of future harm.
8. Your experience with CIN/CP/LAC.
9. Your experience of assessing the needs of children and their families in accordance with the Framework for the Assessment
10. Your excellent written skills and experience writing comprehensive reports for the Courts.
In addition we expect all of our social workers to have:
11. A full and valid driving licence and access to own transport
12. A professional social work qualification, CQSW or Diploma in Social Work (DipSW), or other relevant qualification recognised by Social Work England.
13. An active Social Work England registration.
About Our Benefits
We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to work remotely. Working in AfC you will also have access to:
14. 29 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after four years of Continuous Service
15. Managers who recognise complexity of cases and load, value hard work, provide reassurance, build confidence and facilitate career development and progression opportunities
16. Free parking at your main place of work
17. Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
18. Travel assistance package for business use, including car mileage reimbursement, an annual season ticket loan or access to the cycle to work scheme
19. Laptop, phone and systems so you can work remotely - enabling hybrid working
20. Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance
21. A minimum of 12 protected Development Days each year for all staff
22. A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
23. A range of staff discounts with national retailers and well known brands
24. A huge range of additional professional development opportunities as part of our regional Social Work Teaching Partnership.
To find out about all of the breadth of benefits of working for Achieving for Children. For our social work offer .
Important Information
Start dates: Achieving for Children have meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.
Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance.
Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
For more information about AfC: Drop in and meet Regina on the first Wednesday of every month at Civic Centre, Twickenham or Ash on the first Tuesday of every month at Maidenhead Town Hall.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.