Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council prides itself on being a great place to work where staff are trusted, valued and supported to make a positive contribution at work.
We are seeking a qualified Social Worker to join our Family Placement Team on a permanent basis, working 22 hours per week.
Our Children’s Services is focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for our children and young people. We are creating an environment where social work practice can thrive, where social workers are encouraged to be innovative and creative to ensure the services we offer to children and families help improve their lives.
We currently have a unique opportunity for a social worker with experience of working in the field of fostering, looked after children and kinship care to join a busy and highly motivated Family Placement Service. The Service has expanded, and we have developed three specialist teams: Recruitment and Assessment (foster carers and supported lodgings), Post Approval Mainstream Foster Carers and Kinship.
The post on offer is within the Kinship Care Team, which focuses on the supervision, training and support of kinship carers as well as assessment of kinship carers seeking special guardianship. The Kinship Team recognises the positive impact that placing children in Kinship care can have on their overall wellbeing and outcomes and strives to support children remaining in their family network. We are a dedicated team, passionate about improving the lives of our children and young people and ensuring foster carers get the support and recognition they deserve.
The successful candidate will have good knowledge of current fostering legislation and regulations and must be able to demonstrate excellent organisational, assessment and report writing skills. Applicants should ideally have experience in completing fostering/SGO assessments and/or supervising, supporting and training foster carers and be able to meet tight timescales.
The posts on offer are part time, 22 hours per week and the actual salary for the role is £22,725.40- £28,053.57 (FTE: £38,220 - £47,181).
It is anticipated that an appointment will be made at Grade K-L to maintain a skills balance within the team.
To be considered for interview, you will:
* Have a relevant social work qualification
* Be registered with Social Work England
* Have passed your ASYE year (please note we run a separate programme for newly qualified Social Workers)
We know and understand that being a social worker is hard work and challenging at times, that’s why we reward you with a very attractive employment offer and excellent benefits. Alongside regular supervision, access to training and shared learning, mental health and well-being support, we offer a wider range of benefits including:
* A competitive salary of £20,474.27 - £28,053.57 (actual pro rata salary)
* Generous annual leave entitlement. Ability to purchase additional leave is also available
* Generous Pension Scheme through the LGPS with ability to pay extra and plan for retirement
* Your SWE Registration paid for
* Access to a number of employee benefits including salary sacrifice Car Lease Scheme, discounts at high street and online retailers, employee assistance programme, physiotherapy and more.
For more information about working for Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, please visit the Careers section on our website: https://www.stockton.gov.uk/careers
If you would like an informal discussion about the post, please contact Laura Fenwick, Recruitment and Assessment Team Manager on 01642 528854.
Guidance for applicants
You must ensure that anything submitted in your application is factually accurate. Plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. Whilst we accept candidates may use AI tools within job applications; submissions must be truthful and relevant to your own experience.
Please note that all communication regarding your application for this post will be sent to the email address that you have registered with North East Jobs, including your invite to interview if you are short-listed. Please check your email after the closing date for notification from ‘DONOTREPLY@NORTHEASTJOBS.ORG.UK’. All communication will also appear in the ‘My Messages’ section of your North East Jobs account.
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