The Family & Childrens Support and Safeguarding Service plays a vital role in promoting the wellbeing of children and families by preventing family breakdown and reducing the need for intensive statutory interventions. Through a relationship-based model of practice, the service empowers families to achieve positive outcomes while meeting all statutory responsibilities.
Staffed by social workers, senior keyworkers, keyworkers, and local partnership advisors, the service delivers evidence-based support to vulnerable children and families, including those at complex Level 2b (CAF), Child in Need, and Child Protection levels. Teams operate within geographical hubs, working collaboratively in pods with strong supervision and clear referral pathways.
The service provides consultation and guidance to local professionals, facilitates multi-agency Local Allocation Groups, and supports the Troubled Families programme. By working constructively with partners across housing, domestic abuse, mental health, education, and more, the service ensures holistic, effective support tailored to each family\'s needs.
Main duties of the job
Social Workers in the Family & Childrens Support and Safeguarding Service hold case responsibility for children in need, those in need of protection, and looked-after children.
They assess risks and needs, complete statutory enquiries, and develop outcome-focused plans in collaboration with families and professionals.
Duties include convening meetings, writing reports for reviews and legal proceedings, and maintaining accurate electronic records.
Workers operate within legal and policy frameworks, including the Children Act 2004, and contribute to team and departmental targets.
They work flexibly, including occasional out-of-hours support, and engage in supervision, training, and service development.
Collaboration with keyworkers, advisors, and external agencies is essential to deliver coordinated, creative, and resource-aware support that safeguards children and promotes positive outcomes.
About us
Wiltshire Council isthe unitary local authority for the county of Wiltshire, England, established in 2009 to provide both county-level and district-level services.The council\'s vision is to foster strong communities where residents can achieve their potential through empowerment and inclusion.The council focuses on long-term challenges, community engagement, and delivering services that support independent living, reduce inequalities, and promote overall well-being.
Key Responsibilities and Services
* Community Services:
The council provides a range of essential services to residents, including waste management, public planning, and support for vulnerable populations, such as older adults and people with disabilities.
* Governance:
The council consists of elected councillors who form a cabinet to set the council\'s direction and priorities.A system ofoverview and scrutinyensures accountability for the cabinet\'s decisions.
* Strategic Planning:
The council engages in long-term planning, such as its household waste management strategy, focusing on new approaches and opportunities to manage waste over the next decade and beyond.
* Infrastructure:
The council uses Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds to support local infrastructure projects, including roads, schools, and recreational facilities, to manage the impact of development.
Job responsibilities
Care job family overview
Support and assist the well-being of individuals and groups to assure their protection, security anddevelopment
Safeguarding, protection and care
Community, residential, day or field settings
Ongoing risk/needs assessment of and advice for individuals/groups
Specification of any non-council provision
Individual or small group emphasis
Likely to involve immediate response to client
Service and Function Context
The overall responsibilities of the Family & Children\'s Support and Safeguarding Service are -
To prevent family breakdown
To prevent children and families needing more intensive statutory services
To deliver an effective family-based and relationship-based approach to enable childrenand families to achieve positive outcomes
To meet all relevant statutory responsibilitiesThe Family & Children's Support and Safeguarding Service has social workers senior keyworkers, keyworkers and local partnership advisors delivering or supporting evidence-based direct work withvulnerable children and families (working complex level 2b [CAF] cases, Child in Need and ChildProtection cases).
Social workers, senior keyworkers, keyworkers and local partnership advisors work together inpods within existing geographical hubs with appropriate supervision, management oversight andclear local referral pathways.
A relationship-based model of practice is followed by all staff in the service. Training reflects thismodel of practice and include skill-stretching for staff to be able to do more without referring on forspecialist support.
All staff in the service provide advice, consultation and guidance to other local professionals whoare supporting children and families with lower level needs/risks.
The service runs Local Allocation Groups (or similarly named group) in each hub attended by keypartner agencies. These discuss and agree resource/case allocation in each locality and facilitatethe sharing of expertise and advice.
The service supports the Troubled Families programme including in relation to identifying eligiblefamilies and assisting with tracking outcomes.
All staff in the service work constructively, collaboratively and effectively with a broad range of keyagencies delivering, for example, housing, domestic abuse, substance misuse, mental health,education, finance, employment and/or emotional wellbeing support.
Job Purpose
Specific duties and responsibilities include:
To be the primary worker with case responsibility for children in need, children in need ofprotection and children looked after - depending upon the function of the dedicated team.
To operate within the council policy and keep up to date with social work methods, practicedevelopments, new legislation and procedures, including the Childrens Act 2004.
To be responsible for the day to day interpretation of and implementation of statutory duties anddepartmental policy and procedures in the provision of services to children and young people.
To be allocated work from the team manager or any person delegated to act on their behalf basedon eligibility criteria and to hold case management responsibility for this work.
To complete enquiries and assess, the needs of and risks to vulnerable children and youngpeople in a timely manner giving due consideration to the wishes and views of the child and thechilds family. This will include the completion of S47 enquiries, single assessments and engagingservice users and other relevant persons in the work base, homes or any other appropriate venuee.g. hospital, school etc.
To take appropriate action to assess and minimise any identified concern or risk to children/youngpeople in accordance with the requirements and timescales of assessment frameworks, childprotection procedures and looked after children legislation and procedures.
To draw up and implement, with the child/young person and their family/carers, an appropriateplan to address identified issues and to maximise the participation of service users and carers inthis process ensuring that social work intervention is ongoing only when necessary in peopleslives.
To carry out regular reviews of individual plans, record outcomes and formulate revised planswhich are outcome focused.
To convene meetings e.g. core groups to assist in the implementation and review of plans forvulnerable children.
To write reports for child protection conferences, planning meetings, looked after children reviews,legal meetings and court hearings and attend these as appropriate.
To work collaboratively and effectively with Keyworkers, Senior Keyworkers and LocalPartnership Advisors on achieving shared family goals.
* To have a creative approach to meeting need and to ensure local provision, wherever possible, inorder to meet identified need within available resources.
To have a clear understanding of and ability to manage within financial constraints in servicedelivery.
To work proactively and in partnership with other agencies to plan and deliver coordinatedservices to children, young people and their families/carers which promotes and focuses onpositive outcomes.
Actively engage and contribute, when necessary, to Local Allocation Group case discussions (orother similarly named mechanisms/panels)
To maintain accurate and effective electronic recording of information and action taken in thecourse of casework.
To understand the need for and contribute to the achievement of team and departmentalperformance targets in order to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people
To maintain confidentiality of information acquired in the course of undertaking duties for thedepartment whilst operating in the fullest cooperation with other agencies to ensure that childrenare appropriately safeguarded.
To contribute to team processes in a positive and appropriate manner, by attending teammeetings and undertaking any necessary and appropriate team duties.
To make an active contribution to the development of service delivery through the sharing ofknowledge, information and skills.
To take responsibility for personal professional development through the utilisation of relevantpractice research/developments, legislation, participative supervision and appraisal processes.
To undertake further training which is consistent with the needs of the individual
and the organisation, as agreed with the manager.
To work within an equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory framework. Value diversity withinthe team and in contact with other professionals, children, young people and families.
Working within a legislative framework
Operating within relevant policy, legal, ethical and professional boundaries when working withchildren and families.
Effectively delivering all statutory requirements.
Following local practice standards and protocols.
Supervision and continual development
Actively engaging in individual and group supervision and embed learning in practice.
Maintaining up to date knowledge and skills as required by the role.
Participating in appraisal and team meetings and contribute to individual and team development.
Essential skills and qualifications:
Professional social work qualification.
Social Work England registered
Evidence of professional and personal development following achievement of professionalqualification, at least 2 with children and families.
Have up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance in relation to working with, andthe protection of, children and young people.
Experience of effective work within the legal time framework, including court proceedings
Up to date knowledge of key child care legislation, policies and practices central to theimplementation of a professional social work service on behalf of the council.
Proven experience to demonstrate the knowledge and ability to put into practice a range oftheories, models and interventions and to assess impact for the service user.
Knowledge of assessment processes including the contribution provided by other agencies,timescales and their impact on council and Government performance targets and indicators.
Experience of direct work with children, young people and families
Knowledge of child development
Understanding of the needs of vulnerable children, those affected by trauma and children in care
Experience of working with children in care, their families and foster carers.
Experience of completing assessments, reports and plans for children identified as vulnerable andin need.
Experience of mentoring colleagues
Experience of supervising student placements
Ability to professionally challenge i.e. strategy discussions, case conferences
Sharing research within team
Facilitating team training sessions
Involvement on practice/service developments/quality assurance activity i.e. audit
Raise professional issues within and external to the service in a positive and proactive manner.Identify as part of the leadership of the organisation in dealing with issues raised transparent,open and proactive.
Ability to give objective timely advice.
Knowledge and evidence of assessment skills, including engaging with users of services, otherprofessionals and agencies to achieve a holistic assessment.
Proven organisational skills, including the ability to prioritise work, manage own time effectivelyand meet deadlines.
Ability to keep accurate electronic records.
Takes responsibility for own professional development and commitment to evidenced basedpractice.
Ability to manage competing demands of a caseload.
Effective communication skills, both verbal and written with colleagues, outside agencies andservice users.
Ability to develop and maintain effective professional relationships within and outside thedepartment.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Professional social work qualification.
* Social Work England registered.
* Evidence of professional and personal development following achievement of professional.
* qualification, at least 2 with children and families.
* Have up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance in relation to working with, and the protection of, children and young people.
* Experience of effective work within the legal time framework, including court proceedings.
* Up to date knowledge of key child care legislation, policies and practices central to the implementation of a professional social work service on behalf of the council.
* Proven experience to demonstrate the knowledge and ability to put into practice a range of theories, models and interventions and to assess impact for the service user.
* Knowledge of assessment processes including the contribution provided by other agencies, timescales and their impact on council and Government performance targets and indicators.
* Experience of direct work with children, young people and families
* Knowledge of child development.
* Understanding of the needs of vulnerable children, those affected by trauma and children in care.
* Experience of working with children in care, their families and foster carers.
* Experience of completing assessments, reports and plans for children identified as vulnerable and in need.
* Experience of mentoring colleagues.
* Experience of supervising student placement.
* A post qualifying award in Social Work.
* Experience of delivering training
* A Practice lead
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
£45,841 to £51,855 a yearInclusive of 15% market supplement
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