Family Help Senior Specialist Social Worker

Use your experience to enhance work with children, young people and families

“I have progressed to Senior specialist social worker which I am pleased about as I feel it recognises some of my experience and skills. I like that there is still flexible working within our service ” (Annual health check)

Walsall is implementing the Families First Programme, based on the National Children’s Social Care Review and Stable Homes Built on Love. To do this we are creating a combined, multi-agency locality Family Help Service, building on the strengths of Family Safeguarding model

About the job

In this role you will be supported to identify your specialisms and areas of interest, and access to training to develop your expertise in these areas. This forms a part of our ongoing commitment to your development, with opportunities to progress into Senior Practitioner, Consultant Social Worker and Lead Child Protection Practitioner roles

Our Offer

To provide the right conditions for you, we are committed to manageable workloads aiming for an average of 12 children, high support from managers, essential paperwork only, enabling technologies, and all social workers will receive training in Systemic Family Practice.

Wellbeing is at the heart of our work. We offer specialised clinical supervision, a 9-day fortnight to support work/life balance, flexible working and specialist employee assistance and therapeutic support when it is needed. We know we need to make social work a career people want to stay in.

In this role you will be supported to identify your specialisms and areas of interest, and access to training to develop your expertise in these areas. This forms a part of our ongoing commitment to your development, with opportunities to progress into Senior Practitioner, Consultant Social Worker and Lead Child Protection Practitioner roles.

We are committed to anti-discrimination and equality and to developing a workforce that reflects the communities we service.

Salary Scale £42,403 - £47,420 (+10% Retention Payments after 2 years, increasing at 4 and 6 years)

Closing date: 30th September 2024

Would you like to talk to a social worker about the realities of working in Walsall?

If so, please contact Hannah Thompson Principal Social Worker how will connect you with one of our practitioners: Hannah.Thompson@walsall.gov.uk 01922 650363

View Job Description & Employee Specification

Walsall is an innovative and creative local authority, but above all our friendly supportive culture ensures practitioners have the right support to grow and develop.

You are part of a challenging profession, that’s why we ensure you are never alone but instead surrounded by approachable practitioners and managers. Allowing you to spend time on what counts, direct work with children young people and families.

Career development pathways, flexible working and our 9-day fortnight will make you want Walsall to be in your future!

Walsall is where innovation really happens. Our Families First offering is leading the way in the transformation of regional and national approaches too, and we’re one of only ten local authorities working this way. Our multi-agency structure is already established and we’re going to continue to innovate to ensure better outcomes for children and young people

Walsall is a truly exciting place to be where you can make a difference to every family. If you share our vision, shouldn’t you be here too?

Families First:

We’re committed to creating a culture of supporting families to overcome challenges and to stay together and thrive. Or where that isn’t possible, for family networks to offer safe, loving and stable homes and keep children out of local authority care

Family Service: Family networks will be placed at the heart of our practice, as we recognise the importance of engaging the wider systems around a family as early as we can so that children and young people remain living at home or with their families.

Family Help: Our family help service will align our family safeguarding model and targeted early help teams in supporting children, young people and families as soon as possible.

Child Protection: We’ve created a new role of Lead Child Protection Practitioner, and you simply won’t find that anywhere else. We’re continuing to develop our multi-agency child protection team. It’s all about developing systems and practices with partners including the police, health, and probation services to form an expert network of child protection leads and specialists.

Trailblazers

We are currently part of the regional Designated Family Judge Trailblazer pilot aimed at finding solutions to delay across the family justice system.

Innovation is at the heart of our practice within Walsall ensuing children, young people and families are at the centre of our work.

Looking after you

We’re committed to growing and developing our own workforce. So, you’ll be supported throughout their career to become skilled and confident through our learning and development offer.

We also want you to achieve and maintain a healthy work life balance and there’s a range of employee benefits to suit everyone’s lifestyles.

• Flexible working - there are different options depending on your role and on customer and service needs, and it includes 9-day fortnights, flexible and hybrid working
• Clinical Supervision
• Retention Payments post 2 years in service
• A commitment across our service to Equality Diversity and Inclusion
• Established learning and development frameworks

Walsall Council takes seriously the responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all the children and young people entrusted to our care and it is our expectation that all staff will share this commitment. We will ensure continuous development and improvement of robust recruitment processes and procedures that promote a culture of safeguarding amongst our workforce. Completion of an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check is a requirement for working with children and young people.

Note: Applicants appointed to posts that require an enhanced DBS clearance must declare any periods of time that they have lived, studied or worked abroad and be prepared to provide an Overseas Criminal Records Certificate (OCRC) or a Statement of Good Conduct (SOGC) relating to anytime they were overseas.

This post is covered by the Government’s Code of Practice on the English Language Fluency Duty for public sector workers. The postholder will be required to communicate verbally with customers and provide advice and/or information in accurate spoken English.

Important note: When completing your online application form, you will be asked to enter supporting information. You must enter a detailed supporting information statement describing how your skills, abilities and experience meet the specific criteria included in the employee specification. If you do not include a supporting information statement, you will not be shortlisted. Please also ensure that you complete the work history and qualifications sections of your application form. Please do not add a CV as we do not accept them. See our Information for Applicants leaflet for further information.