Social Worker - Initial Response Assessment

at  Cleantech People

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Social Work England registered.
• Degree or higher qualification in social work that has resulted in registration with relevant professional regulatory body for the profession.

EXPERIENCE:

• Experience of working in a child care setting.
• Experience of assessing risk and need including child protection investigations and preparing reports for child protection conferences desirable.
• Experience in preparing and giving evidence in court desirable.

KNOWLEDGE:

• Knowledge of the principles of social work through professional judgement, decision-making and actions within a framework of professional accountability; how to manage competing interests of parents and children effectively, ensuring that children’s interests are always paramount.
• Knowledge of the legislative frameworks for child and family social worker and if required fostering and adoption social worker and YOT.
• Knowledge of child and family social work in a statutory setting.
• Understanding of child development, including the impact of different parenting styles on development; the impact of loss, change and uncertainty in the development of resilience and assessment of vulnerability.

SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Able to recognise the risk indicators of different forms of harm to children including sexual, physical and emotional abuse and neglect; the impact of cumulative harm, particularly in relation to early indicators of neglect.
• Effective communication skills (written, verbal and use of technology).
• Ability to build effective relationships in contexts that may encompass resistance to change, ambivalence or selective cooperation with services.
• Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritise competing demands.
• Ability to use strategies that promote professional resilience and management of self in circumstances that may at times be challenging.
• Strong IT skills including Microsoft packages or equivalent (e.g. G Suite).
  Unless the DBS requirement stated above is for a Basic Disclosure, your DBS must be either through us or be accompanied by a subscription to the DBS updating service.
  SC Please note that clients invariably ask us to strip out contact details from CVs before we submit them for consideration. This is always quicker and easier to do if you send your CV to us in Word format, rather than as a PDF pleas

ENHANCED DBS DISCLOSURE IS LISTED AS A REQUIREMENT FOR THIS ROLE

A Social Worker is required to work in the Initial Response Assessment team. To safeguard children and young people who have either suffered or who are likely to be at risk of suffering significant harm (as defined by the Children Act 1989) by identifying the full range of risks to children and help manage those risks; ensuring proportionate intervention, including securing and supporting alternative homes for children and for permanency including adoption.

Key Responsibilities:

• Within statutory and legal boundaries undertake casework with children, young people and families, and where required carers, making operational day to day decisions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and young people at all times.
• Direct work with children, young people and families, and if required carers in multiple settings/locations, ensuring the child/young person’s voice is central to all case work and recording.
• Organise own workload ensuring that children and young people are seen and statutory commitments are met within the prescribed timescales.
• Deliver recognised packages of support and tools to engage children, young people and families to achieve positive outcomes. This will require climbing stairs and lifting small children and their equipment, travel to and from destinations, lone working and occasional weekend and evening working
• Build purposeful, effective relationships with children and families, and carers demonstrating a high level of skill in evidence based, effective social work approaches to helping children and families which support change.
• Undertake assessments of need and risk; planning for outcomes, reviewing in line with procedures and applying understanding of the key risk factors affecting child welfare and development. Where required, undertaking specialist assessments within the Criminal Justice arena.
• Prepare cases for court and give evidence on behalf of the Authority.
• Participate in the service duty system as and when required.