Social Worker – Adults West and East Locality Teams

Salary - £42,708 - £47,754 (Grade 7)

Hours - 37 hours per week 

Contract type - full time/part time, permanent posts

Be the social worker you want to be…

In Wolverhampton we are ambitious for our social workers, passionate about excellent, relational social work practice and courageous in our innovation, with leaders who are visible and responsive.

We need people like you who will support us to work in a truly person-centred and strengths-based way.

At the award-winning City of Wolverhampton Council, we work restoratively with people, building strong relationships and making connections to help them find long-lasting solutions that are right for them using the Three Conversations© approach. At the heart of this way of working is having a meaningful conversation with a person, listening hard and being interested in what matters to them. But it’s also about innovation, creativity and professional autonomy.

Our vision in Adult’s Services is that the individuals we support will be at the centre of everything we do. We are committed to celebrating uniqueness and promoting independence, wellbeing and safety.

We are a forward-thinking, responsive organisation and want our social workers to spend their time building relationships with people and families to achieve real, sustainable change. We have a clear development pathway alongside a substantial training and development offer which is varied and responsive to practice challenges. Our senior managers and leaders are visible and take the time to listen to frontline employees.

It is desirable for you to be a Best Interest Assessor, Approved Mental Health Professional, Practice Educator or supervisor.   However, if you don’t hold this qualification, we will support you to develop your career in one of the above areas through regular supervisions and professional conversations. Whilst we are currently a generic adults team, we are going through a transformation, creating different exciting opportunities, and we would particularly welcome people with experience of working with adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and people experiencing sensory needs. The successful applicants will be committed to working with and safeguarding vulnerable adults. You will need to be able to work with your colleagues in multi-disciplinary teams and ensure person centred planning. You will also be fully committed to promoting customer wellbeing, independence and reablement.

If you are someone who is passionate and tenacious, wants to do the best job possible and is committed to excellent social work practice then we want to hear from you!

We will inspire, support and champion you so that you can be the social worker you want to be.

Join us…

You will:

• Be dedicated to working directly with people with care and support needs and carers to ensure that their voices are heard, and they are supported to live their idea of a good life
• Have a sound working knowledge of relevant legislation, such as the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act as well as key social work models and theories and evidence of application of this to practice
• Have strong analytical, assessment and negotiation skills
• Have excellent time management and organisational skills
• Be passionate about making a difference and committed to strengths-based working
• Be able to demonstrate you can work with colleagues and alongside service providers, police, health colleagues, voluntary partners and commissioners
• Have strong interpersonal, communication and IT skills
• Be registered with Social Work England
• Have a vision for your own career development and clear plan for your future training needs
• Have completed the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) or an equivalent post qualifying pathway

These posts are subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

For your valued contribution we offer:

• Fantastic learning and development opportunities, including access to Research in Practice for Adults (RiPfA)
• A Social Work CPD / Career Pathway which will support you to progress and develop
• Regular informal and formal reflective supervision
• Peer reflection sessions
• Adhere to working to a trauma informed model
• Permanent social workers will be able to claim back their Social Work England fees
• Reimbursement of Blue light discount card membership fees
• Additional payments for practising Practice Educators
• We encourage, inspire and value an inclusive culture here at the council where employees can flourish, thrive and be themselves. We have four vibrant and active employee networks including four staff equality forums (Race Religion and Belief; Disability and Age; Gender Maternity and Paternity and LGBT+). We have also developed rainbow platform, and training is available.
• Access to an external and independent confidential reporting service for employee concerns to be raised (“Safe Place”)
• A commitment to eliminating discrimination and supporting employee wellbeing to ensure a good work /life balance, which includes a strong employee assistance scheme and access to numerous wellbeing resources
• Supportive and flexible working arrangements, which may include some home working
• Excellent local government pension scheme

To find out more about us why not take a look at our website: www.wolvessocialworkjobs.com

For further information on these posts please contact:

Saima Hassan (Social Work Unit Manager) on 01902 556729 or mobile 07974 045641

Beverley Cummings (Social Work Unit Manager) on 01902 555878 or mobile 07581 072295

The recruitment process will consist of a formal panel interview which will include a presentation. Details of the presentation shall be shared with candidates that are shortlisted. 

Please note a separate advert will be placed for Newly Qualified Social Workers as and when vacancies occur, as you will be supported by the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) programme.

More Social Worker roles may become vacant during this recruitment campaign therefore if you are deemed as appointable following the interview process you may be offered an alternative post.

You will be notified on the outcome of your application form as soon as possible after the closing date.

For full details of the responsibilities and requirements of this role please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

Our working arrangements

All council roles are allocated to either a fixed, field or flexible work style. Some roles are agile which enable and empower employees to maximise their performance and productivity, whilst maintaining a healthy work life balance.  Roles with a fixed workstyle work in a fixed permanent council location.  Roles with a field workstyle are usually allocated where employees are required to be out working in the community with a minimum requirement for 'touch down' space at any council location. Roles with a flexible workstyle have a flexible base location to meet the needs of the business and employees can work from a mixture of home or any council office, partner/client, or external location, as required to meet service requirements.

Please refer to the Job Description for further information on the workstyle assigned to the role you are applying for.

For more information about working for our organisation including the culture of the Council, the Council plan and vision, staff equality forums, core HR policies and much more please click here.

Diversity 

We are committed to building a workforce that is reflective of the diverse community we serve. We want to attract the best applications from people of all backgrounds and underrepresented groups because we strongly believe in adding value through diversity, inclusion, and equality. Our employees enable us to deliver services that are accessible, inclusive, and reflective of Wolverhampton residents. 

Our status as a Disability Confident Employer showcases our commitment to people with disabilities or health conditions, advocating for their opportunities and potential. 

We've received the Stonewall Gold Award, emphasising our dedication to the LGBT+ community by nurturing an inspiring, inclusive, and equal workplace. 

As of March 2023, the RACE Code Quality Mark signifies our active engagement with racial equality. These recognitions validate our continuous efforts towards fostering an inclusive work environment that respects and values our diverse employees. 

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the essential criteria for the post. 

We encourage, inspire and value an inclusive culture here at the council where employees can flourish, thrive and be themselves. We have four staff equality forums for employees to join. These help to ensure our employees have a voice, they feel empowered to speak up and where everyone is treated with respect - Learn more about the staff equality forums here

Recruitment of Ex-Offenders 

We are committed to the fair treatment of all our employees, potential employees, or users of our service regardless of offending background. The Council uses the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for any vacancies that require a DBS check to obtain information about applicants to assess their suitability for employment in positions of trust. We do not discriminate unfairly against any individual on the basis of a conviction or any other information revealed as a result of a DBS disclosure - Learn more here

Employment Information & Support 

If you are considering applying for an apprenticeship or a role where the salary is (Grade 2-5), and would like to visit us to learn about the application, interview process and what it is like to work for the council, please click on this link to find out more - Learn more here

Attached documents
Job Description and Person Specification