Social Worker & Experience Social Worker - Family Support & Safeguarding Teams
Portsmouth City Council invites qualified Social Workers to join the Children and Families Directorate within one of our Family Support & Safeguarding (FSS) Teams.
Overview
Portsmouth City Council has been recognised by Ofsted as a Good Local Authority, with Outstanding ratings for our Family Safeguarding and Support Teams. As a Social Worker in our Family Support & Safeguarding Teams, you will support children in need, those requiring protection, and children in care. You may also work with families under the Public Law Outline (PLO) or within care proceedings. You will be supported by experienced managers and colleagues. We are committed to your professional development. You will receive training in Restorative Practice and Motivational Interviewing during your first year, and benefit from our Stronger Futures Academy and a comprehensive CPD pathway aligned with Social Work England standards.
The Role
As a Social Worker, you will help children and families achieve their full potential by:
* Delivering timely, high-quality assessments that lead to clear, targeted plans.
* Providing a responsive, child-centred service that reflects the wishes and feelings of children.
* Promoting service user participation and respecting diversity.
* Ensuring timely and permanent care arrangements that support children\'s long-term outcomes.
If you are passionate about making a meaningful difference and committed to high standards of practice, this role could be the perfect fit.
The ideal candidate
We are looking for skilled and motivated professionals who are eager to grow and champion best practice in social work.
You will have:
* A Diploma or Degree in Social Work and registration with Social Work England.
* Completion of your ASYE (Assessed and Supported Year in Employment).
* A solid understanding of relevant legislation, including the Children Acts 1989 and 2004.
* Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with children, families, and professionals.
* Resilience, integrity, and a commitment to achieving outstanding outcomes for children.
* A restorative and anti-oppressive approach to practice.
* A collaborative mindset and a commitment to inclusive, people-focused work.
* Proficiency in MS Word, Outlook, and case management systems.
* Empathy, diplomacy, and respect for service users.
Additional requirements for Experienced Social Workers
* Expertise in managing complex cases and higher levels of risk.
* Significant post-qualifying experience in relevant settings.
* A commitment to ongoing professional development, including mentoring students and undertaking relevant training.
Application process
We anonymise applications during application & shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered.
As part of your application, you must complete a personal statement demonstrating how you meet the requirements of the job against each of the points described in the “Who is the Person” section of the Job Profile, using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work or personal experience.
We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal. We are committed to offering an interview to all those candidates who qualify under one of our commitments and meet the minimum criteria; however, for roles that receive a large number of applications, this is not always possible, and we will select the candidates that best meet the minimum criteria.
You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.
What we can offer you
Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and guided by core values that set who we are, what we stand for, and how we act. Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our careers portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
DBS Disclosure at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership safer recruitment procedures.
Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or call the Recruitment Team on 02392 616 800.
Hybrid working and contact
Attendance requirements to the designated workplace will be a minimum of 2 days in the office to suit the requirements of this role.
Ofsted commentary:
“Skilled, joined-up work, delivered through the local authority\'s preferred model of practice and involving workers for adults and children, is improving the experiences and progress of children. Portsmouth\'s leaders are ambitious for their workforce to be trained and effective practitioners. The chosen model of practice has become strongly embedded in the work with children and families and workers have been trained and supported in this approach. The multidisciplinary model has improved outcomes for children and reduced harm, and feedback from families to inspectors was overwhelmingly positive. Portsmouth is a centre for learning and practitioners benefit from a comprehensive workforce development offer. Social workers talk positively about working in Portsmouth and inspectors consistently heard about their loyalty and commitment to the service.”
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