THIS IS FIXED TERM APPOINTMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR 23 MONTHS WITH THE OPTION FOR SECONDMENT IF PREFERRED.

Are you a qualified and registered social worker with significant experience in public protection and children and families social work?
We are inviting applications for a professional adviser role to provide policy support and professional advice to the Scottish Government Child Protection, Bairns’ Hoose and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking (UAS) Children Care and Accommodation Development Units. We are looking for an individual who can identify key issues and liaise with stakeholders to articulate solutions that are workable, and in keeping with social work values and principles.
The three Units drive delivery of work on a number of high profile and politically sensitive child protection policy areas, working in a fast-paced environment with a high degree of Ministerial and stakeholder engagement. You will provide social work input and advice across the unit’s work, and collaborate with policy and professional leads to identify linkages, risks and opportunities across policy developments including The Promise, Age of Criminal Responsibility, Joint Investigative Interviewing and UNCRC.
Applicants should have experience of policy development and implementation and be confident operating at a national level. We are looking for an individual who can identify key issues and liaise with stakeholders to articulate solutions that are workable, and in keeping with social work values and principles.

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Provide social work input and advice across the work of the three units, liaising with sources of advice and expertise. In doing so, bring a consistent practice focus on children’s rights, equalities and family support.
• Play a key role in the development on the national Inter-agency Referral Discussion training team, in partnership with other professional advisers and key partners.
• Support implementation and monitoring of adaptations to local practice and procedures in line with new national child protection guidance and related continuous improvement workstreams.
• Be a core member of the Bairns’ Hoose Pathfinder Project Team and support programme delivery as required.
• Continue to inform the Scottish Government’s response to the growing pressures on local authorities as a result of the requirement to care for UAS children.
• Contribute to the drafting of national guidance, reports and responses to issues raised by Ministers, stakeholders and the public.
• Support the work of the Chief Social Work Adviser and play an active role in the Directorate’s professional adviser team, inputting as required to policy work on the establishment of the National Social Work Agency.
• Collaborate with Social Work Scotland’s Director, Children and Families Lead, Committees and networks to inform and influence policy and practice developments.

QUALIFICATIONS

You must be a qualified social worker registered with the SSSC or equivalent body.

TECHNICAL/PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:

• Policy Context and Purpose - Level 2
• Policy Delivery and Systems – Level 2
  For more information on these see here: Policy Profession standards.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Significant experience of working at a senior level in children and families social work, with operational experience in child protection.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

Other