About The Role

Are you a Newly Qualified Social Worker or do you qualify in the upcoming months?

Are you looking to find the best opportunities to develop and progress with high levels of support in the first steps of your career?

Birmingham Children’s Trust has all that and more…

In the spring of 2024, Birmingham Children’s Trust received nearly 200 applications from student social workers who wanted to join our ASYE (Assessed and Supported Year in Employment). As the largest Local Authority in Europe, we have an excellent and varied ASYE programme run by our highly recognised Trust Practice Academy.

Our next ASYE cohort starts on 6^th October 2025 – do you want to join us?

We understand that your first year as a social worker is so important for your career and that the transition in moving from student to social worker can be challenging.

You will be supported every step of the way through your ASYE journey.  You will be a fully integrated team member from the outset and work alongside - and learn from - very experienced and knowledgeable managers and social workers in our exceptionally dedicated workforce. There will also be wrap around support from a dedicated Senior Practitioner from our Academy to work with you on your own individual development journey.

You will receive:

• • Monthly training and development opportunities
  • Monthly Study time
  • Regular supervision from your team manager and your dedicated Academy Senior Practitioner
  • Wrap around support and protection as you develop your skills

Here at the Trust, we already have an established learning journey following your first year as an ASYE to become an Accredited Child and Family Practitioner to support your career progression in the second year.

Development, opportunities and support continue throughout your career in the Trust enabling you to become the best Social Worker you can be. We will offer you a mapped out clear career progression pathway supporting your development into a senior social worker role and beyond.

Our Ofsted feedback in 2021 reported that the offer to social workers in their first year of practice and social work apprenticeships is building an increasingly stable workforce who like working for the trust. In November 2022 Skills for Care fed back that they were “extremely impressed” with the offer to Newly Qualified Social workers joining the Trust with high retention rates and good support available. 

Why not hear it from our newly Qualified social workers on our ASYE programme themselves…

“ I have really enjoyed my experience as an ASYE Social worker, I have felt completely supported by my manager, SPED and team throughout the year, which was comforting for me, considering this was the start of my career where I needed that extra guidance. This ASYE programme has helped me to develop my knowledge and reflect on my social work practice, and it was also a good way to form positive relationships with colleagues, which also provided that extra level of support’” Naomi

“I enjoyed the ASYE programme, it enabled the space for my professional growth and for me to re-adjust to the Social Work profession. The ASYE programme provided varied training; a protective case load; opportunity to develop a professional support network with my colleagues on my ASYE cohort”    Jermaine

As a Newly Qualified Social worker you can work in a range of services such as our Assessment and Short Term Intervention (ASTI), Safeguarding, Children in Care teams, Children with Disabilities, Youth Justice Service or even Fostering or Adoption. There are a wide range of teams and services available and we explore areas of interest within the application process. **Not all teams are able to offer the retention payment and this is subject to service area**

If you are successful and offered a role (subject to passing your social work degree and obtaining SWE registration), you will join our next ASYE programme, commencing on 6^th May 2025. There are also opportunities to begin your time in the Trust before the 6^th May in alternative support roles whilst you await your registration.  

Interviews will take place between 7^th and 25^th April and will be held virtually.

We will also be at the COMPASS Jobs Fair on Monday 17th March - come and see us with any questions you might have!  

A requirement of this role is for you to have an enhanced DBS check, therefore if you have signed up to the DBS update service or are thinking about joining this service then please let us know on your application. 

If you have any informal enquiries, please don’t hesitate to contact: 

joinus@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk

Or visit the Practice Academy webpage to find out more;

https://www.birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk/practiceacademy

We shall be running two webinars, providing an overview of the application and interview process, as well as all things ASYE – as well as what it’s like working in the Trust. We welcome you to come talk with us and look at the opportunities available to you.

Monday 24^th February – 5-6pm:

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 342 566 017 451

Passcode: NK7v7Yv2

Thursday 13^th March – 1-2pm:

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 364 913 912 783

Passcode: 4bd6to7S

Please note if you require sponsorship for these roles, we are currently unable to offer this.

Applications close at 11.59pm on 23^rd March

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit.

We actively deliver services that are culturally responsive to the needs of the children, parents and carers we work with to deliver equality, diversity and inclusivity in all we do.