At Sandwell Children’s Trust we are committed to delivering positive changes to the children and families of Sandwell. As we move forward on our continual journey of improvement, there couldn’t be a better time to join us.

We are looking for experienced and dedicated Social Workers to join our Court Teams and to be committed to delivering positive changes to the children and families of Sandwell.

Our Care Management Service

Two dedicated Court Teams sit within the Trust’s Care Management Service, which is led by the Head of Service. Our Care Management Service has a further 10 teams working with children in need of help and protection and a specialist children with disabilities team. Each team is managed by a Team Manager and 3 Service Managers support and oversee the day to day operational demands. One Service Manager has direct oversight of both Court Teams and is continually developing this specialised and highly skilled court service.

We are passionate about relational social work and believe the key to achieving sustained positive change for families lies in the relationships we form with children, families, each other and our partners. Alongside this, we promote a strength based approach to the work undertaken and continually strive to improve and develop practice across the service.

Why work for Sandwell Children’s Trust?

At Sandwell Children’s Trust we are proud to a be a progressive organisation where we all work as one for the safety, health, happiness and prosperity of our children and families and where we ensure this is also the case for our great employees.

At Sandwell Children’s Trust, Social Workers can flourish and achieve their full potential as we are continually striving to safely reduce caseloads and provide essential support to our Social Workers to ensure that they have the skills to make real positive changes to our children, young people and families.

Our 12 reasons sets us apart as Sandwell Children’s Trust is the place to grow your career and feel part of a great team.  Please visit our 12 reasons via this hyperlink: https://www.sandwellchildrenstrust.org/work-with-us/

There are many benefits for working for us too:

• Access to our Learning & Development portal offering virtual training programmes, learning & development info bursts, learning events and much more.
• The latest technology enabling more effective and streamlined working.
• Detailed and effective appraisals to strengthen your practice.
• Great career progression opportunities.
• Access to a range of family friendly policies and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits & Rewards

• £2,500 market supplement
• Up to £6,500 re-location package
• Generous annual leave of 30 days (rising to 35 days after 5 years’ service) and an additional 9 public holidays; plus, the opportunity to purchase up to 10 days of additional holiday through our salary sacrifice scheme.
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme, this is a nationwide career average scheme and is a valuable part of the reward package for employees.
• 24/7 access to free and confidential employee counselling service
• Access to Occupational Health services including 24/7 confidential employee counselling service, healthy heart, stress awareness and yoga sessions, physiotherapy self-referral, healthy eating advice and much more.
• Access to a range of discounts on products and services
• Refer a friend scheme that pays £1,500
• Wellbeing initiatives and forums
• Car lease scheme
• Cycle2work scheme
• Discounted gym membership
• Eye care vouchers
• Reimbursement of Social Work England registration

The right candidate will able to:

• Work in an organised and planned way to ensure timescales set by the Trust and the Court are consistently met;
• Produce reports for Court, write court statements, care plans and assessments in a succinct manner, demonstrating highly attuned skills in gathering, assessing and analysing key information leading to evidenced-based recommendations for children;
• Represent the Trust in giving evidence in Court;
• Work in a collaborative way with partners, both within the Trust and externally;
• Keep children at the heart of everything they do.

About you:-

• You must be Social Work qualified with a good level of experience in working in a children and families setting and have managed a complex case load;
• Experience of Court Work;
• A sound knowledge of legislation and guidance;
• Ability to analyse information and make informed decisions;
• Good knowledge of child development;
• A clear decision maker and good team worker.

About Sandwell

Sandwell sits in the heart of the West Midlands and has a diverse population of 327,378 people.  While Sandwell is the 12^th most deprived local authority in England, it is a community where our families have high aspirations and where we pride ourselves on equality of opportunity and our adaptability and resilience.

We have excellent and affordable transport links, quality housing at affordable prices and an abundance of entertainment, arts, culture and history right on the doorstep.

How to apply.

Interested, or have any questions?  For an informal discussion contact Julie Daley, Interim Service Manager by email julie_daley@sandwellchildrenstrust.org

Alternatively please email to Recruitment_childrenstrust@sandwell.gov.uk

Closing date for applications:  31st March 2021

* This supplement will be an additional £2,500 per year paid monthly through normal salary arrangements, to permanent Social Workers and Team Managers working in Care Management. This market supplement does not apply to ASYEs until they move out of their first year.

Sandwell Children's Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable groups including children, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.  An Enhanced DBS is required for this position and registration with Social Work England.

Supporting documents
Person Specification Band F
Job Description Band F
Benefit's & Reward's
Job Description Band G
Person Specification Band G