We are looking to recruit a committed, resilient and experienced Social Worker to our Special Guardianship Support Service within the Connected People’s Team.
The Special Guardianship Support Service is an integral part of the Connected People’s Team and shares commitment to supporting children remaining with their extended family when possible.
The Connected People’s Team undertakes robust, analytical assessments which focus on the trauma children have experienced and how the proposed carer/special guardian can provide long term care.
The Special Guardianship Support Service will ensure continued support to special guardians to enable them to meet the needs of the children in their care.
This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in assessing potential special guardians support needs, reviewing the support offered and a chance to be innovative and creative in providing individually tailored packages of support to special guardians, working alongside other professionals.
Cheshire West and Chester Council is a place where everyone can Thrive – through our core values of Teamwork, Honesty, Respect, Innovation, Value for Money and Empowerment.
The vacancy is for a Special Guardianship Support Social Worker
Grade (Progressed – completion of ASYE and/or further progression) SCP –: £, - £,
Grade (PQ Award/experienced) SCP -: £, - £,
The post requires a Social Work qualification, extensive knowledge of legislation underpinning delivery of social care and at least years post qualifying experience in a statutory setting.
The post holder will:
1. require registration with Social Work England as a registered Social Worker.
2. provide and review trauma informed support and training to families subject to Special Guardianship Orders (SGO), in line with statutory requirements and best practice guidance.
3. must demonstrate experience and a good understanding of working directly with children and families including working with connected carers.
Our Children's Social Care workforce is passionate and committed to improving outcomes for children in our Authority by providing a consistent, high-quality service to children and families, together with the support from a stable leadership and management team. We are committed to a culture of shared learning and development in which everyone has a part to play to ensure that our services to children and families focusses on positive outcomes.
We have developed and continue to embed ‘Our Way of Working’ with our multi-agency partners to ensure improved collaboration and one common approach to our work with families using Motivational Interviewing and Trauma Informed Practice. Social workers are encouraged to work creatively in planning and decision-making with children and their families and our partner agencies to achieve positive outcomes and with a focus on prevention at every level.
Our social workers will tell you:
4. They feel supported and part of a team.
5. They have access to excellent training opportunities.
6. Managers at Cheshire West and Chester strive to make Social Workers feel valued and recognised, they are approachable, available, and compassionate.
7. Social Workers are encouraged and supported to be creative and strive for excellence.
8. They feel valued and supported by their team, manager, and the senior managers.
As a local authority, we have developed an inspirational social work offer to support and develop our valued workforce, including:
9. high quality progression and developmental opportunities.
10. work-life balance, flexible and remote working arrangements available, including up to date IT equipment, and a smart mobile phone for all employees.
11. competitive working rewards.
12. high quality and frequent supervision.
13. strong reflective practice framework.
14. free parking at all our office locations.
Our commitment and investment in professional development means that most of our Senior Practice Leads, Team Managers and some Senior Managers have progressed within our own organisation.
As employers, we recognise that Cheshire West Council has a major role to play in improving the quality of life of its employees. We have a ‘hybrid’ working arrangement which allows us to be more flexible in how we provide services to children and families and an enhanced work/life balance to our Social Workers. We are committed to agile flexible and mobile working and helping employees to maintain an effective balance between their work and home life by being more flexible and creative in the use of our time and maximising the use of technology, whilst at the same time ensuring we can come together as teams and with our support networks on a regular basis.
We have a strong and supportive political and senior leadership team with a wealth of experience and knowledge about children’s outcomes across the borough of Cheshire West and Chester.