Front Door Specialist Education and Early Years Practitioner- First Response
Salary range Band 8 (£39,513 - £41,511 per annum for full time, £18,751 - £19,699 pro rata for 20 hours)
Working Pattern Part Time Term Time Only
Working hours 20hrs per week
We will offer flexibility where we can if you are interested in a role, please speak to the recruiting manager about what flexibility they might consider.
Many of our colleagues can work from home for one or more days a week and/or they flex the hours they work. We call this SMART working, and it gives you the option to flex your days and hours so you can fit your work around your life and life around your work.
Contract type Permanent
Interview type In person
This is an exciting opportunity to lead and manage a team within Trafford Children’s Social Care.
Here in Trafford Children’s Services our vision is that our teams are offering the right help at the right time, and that at all levels our interventions make life better for children and families. We are ambitious for our children and for our practitioners - and our core value is ‘would this be good enough for my child’?
About you
We want to have practitioners and managers who are confident and brave in their practice and are supported by strong leaders at all levels. As a relatively small local authority, we pride ourselves on our friendly teams, manageable caseloads, creative approaches and colleagues who support each other. We were pleased to see this recognised in the Ofsted report that followed our ILACS inspection in late 2022, which highlighted that “social workers in Trafford are overwhelmingly positive about both the local authority and the support they receive.”
First Response
Our First Response service is our dedicated ‘Front Door’ to Children’s Services. It is a multi-agency team that plays a key role in supporting professionals ensure that our children and families receive the right help, at the right time, from the right professional.
As a Specialist Education and Early Years Practitioner you will work with a multi-agency team that consists of social workers and first response advisors alongside partners including police, education, health and a domestic abuse advisor. The team is responsible for offering initial advice and screening requests for help and support that are made into the service, across all levels of need.
About the Roles
As a Front Door Specialist Education and Early Years Practitioner you will be a valued team member within the First Response Team, a multi-agency front door to children’s Services and Family Help.
You will act as a link between the Front Door and education/early years-based professionals to promote appropriate referrals from schools/education settings and appropriate responses from the front door. You will support the information gathering and decision-making process at the Front Door
You will be able to Offer advice and support to education/early years settings and Front Door staff to find appropriate ways forward to address the presenting issues and ensure the right support is offered at the appropriate level of need
You should have:
* A recognised professional qualification in Education or any other relevant professional qualification at degree level
* Significant experience in a school or other education type environment or setting.
* Significant experience in a safeguarding or pastoral role with children or supporting vulnerable children
* Experience of multi-disciplinary work to achieve a common goal for families
* Detailed understanding of the guidance and legislation relating to schools and other educational settings, particularly in relation to their duties and responsibilities around safeguarding children
* detailed understanding of guidance and the regulatory framework, which govern the work of safeguarding in all agencies
About us
In Trafford our approach is strengths-based, using relational and restorative practice. Our recent Ofsted report referred to our "relational model of practice, which is well regarded by the wider workforce, has been successfully implemented.”
We believe that a culture and environment in which our managers and practitioners can thrive is an essential element of improving outcomes for children and families. To support this, we have invested in an ongoing programme with relational specialists Strengthening Practice to provide ongoing training and enhance our workers’ personal development. Our 2023 Ofsted report recognised this, noting a “cultural shift (that) has been underpinned by a strong training offer to support social workers to develop the skills they need to provide a better service to children”.
Trafford Council and its partners in the public, private and third sectors have a Vision which sees us working together to close inequality gaps and maximise Trafford’s huge potential.
Our vision: Trafford where all our residents, businesses and communities thrive.
Trafford is a lively, prosperous place to put down roots and build a career. The council and Trafford schools employ around 8,000 people, who are central to making the area great. In return for their commitment, the council offers its employees development opportunities, as well as a fair and flexible workplace. The council is a Living Wage Employer.
Additional Information
Please note all roles are now hybrid meaning a blend of locality-based and home working.
A DBS check with children barred list check will be required.
You may need to work outside of normal hours from time to time, including weekends and should be willing to travel within and outside of the Trafford area as required.
Contact Details
If you want further information or to discuss the role further contact Rachel.CarterBrowne@trafford.gov.uk
About the benefits
You will be welcomed into a friendly environment where your personal and professional development will be encouraged. You will have the opportunity to work and grow in a people-centered and values-based organisation that promotes a positive permission culture. Your opinions matter so you will have the opportunity to shape how we do things here at Trafford.
To learn more about Trafford as a place to work visit and to view more about our awards and benefits please visit: Trafford - Benefits | www.inploi.com (greater.jobs)
OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment - greater.jobs | www.inploi.com
For this opportunity, you must be able to prove you have the right to work in the UK - if in doubt please visit the following link Employers' right to work checklist - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Please note we are not a licensed sponsor.
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