Child and Families Social Work Practitioner - CIOC

Who We Are & What We Stand For

Do you want to help make Gateshead a place where everyone thrives? If that sounds like you, keep reading - we might be the perfect match.

We’re delighted that you’re interested in working with us. You’d be joining us at a very exciting time.

We pride ourselves on our ambitious and forward-thinking approach to taking care of Gateshead and its people, and we passionately believe that our employees reflect that spirit in truly enabling Gateshead to thrive.

At Gateshead Council you’d be a highly valued member of a team that recognises and respects the skills that you bring to your role, encourages creativity and passionately advocates a great work / life balance. Our actions speak louder than words, and with flexi-time and hybrid working available across many of our roles, as well as a full suite of outstanding employee benefits, we’re confident that it isn’t just the salary that attracts our staff.

Our Children’s Social Care team work to provide and further develop services to children and families across Gateshead to offer a focused and joined up approach to offer young people the best possible start in life. This is incredibly important work and includes an excellent early help and prevention service, assessment, intervention and safeguarding supporting children and their families, services for children in and having experienced our care, our fostering, residential and adoption services, support for vulnerable adolescents & those with disabilities and many more. It can be challenging but very rewarding work, as we passionately pursue our goal of helping Gateshead children to thrive.

Championing every child’s journey with care and compassion.

Our Children in Our Care (CIOC) and Care Leavers Service is a supportive, wellestablished team dedicated to ensuring children and young people receive the highest standard of care. Our three CIOC teams work closely with children, young people, families and carers to make sure their needs are met and that plans are in place for both their immediate and longterm wellbeing. Our Care Leavers team provides ongoing support to young people who remain in care after their 16th birthday, helping them participate in assessments, prepare for independence and develop robust Pathway Plans that promote positive outcomes. As part of our service, you will join an experienced, collaborative team that works across agencies, places the child at the centre of all decisionmaking, and is committed to continuous professional development with excellent training opportunities.

Making a lasting difference in the lives of children in our care.

We have a full-time time Social Work opportunity for an experienced social worker to join the Children in our Care and Young People Service.

What You Will Get To Do

• Lead on a varied caseload within our Children in Our Care team, delivering purposeful, highquality assessments and interventions.
• Develop and implement evidencebased care plans and pathway plans that promote the best interests, stability and longterm outcomes of children and young people.
• Ensure reviews, plans and decisionmaking consistently reflect the needs, experiences and voices of children, young people and families.
• Champion the safety, wellbeing and educational aspirations of children in our care, ensuring they are at the centre of everything we do.
• Apply traumainformed practice to understand and respond to the impact of early experiences, helping children feel heard, safe and supported.
• Contribute to highquality life story work, helping children make sense of their identity, experiences and connections.
• Support reunification where appropriate, maintaining meaningful relationships with families and contributing to ongoing work that strengthens stability and longterm outcomes.
• Work collaboratively with multiagency partners to provide holistic, joinedup support that strengthens outcomes.
• Maintain highquality, timely and reflective recording in line with professional standards and statutory responsibilities.
• Engage in ongoing supervision, learning and development, contributing to continuous improvement and excellent social work practice
  
  

What You Will Bring

• A recognised Social Work qualification, Social Work England registration, enhanced DBS, and the ability to travel for work purposes.
• Strong understanding of key legislation and guidance including the Children Act, Children and Families Act, Mental Capacity Act and safeguarding frameworks.

Electric & Hybrid Car Scheme: Get behind the wheel of a brand-new electric or hybrid vehicle through our salary sacrifice car scheme in partnership with NHS Fleet Solutions a cost-effective, environmentally friendly way to drive (after 12 months service).

Exclusive Discounts & Salary Sacrifice: Through our VIVUP employee benefits platform, enjoy discounts on shopping, travel, and services plus salary sacrifice options on white goods, electronics, and more, helping you spread the cost of essential purchases (after 6 months service).

Everyone's welcome here

Were an equal opportunities employer and aim to have a culture and a workplace where our people feel a sense of belonging, are respected and empowered to do their best work. At Gateshead Council we're an employer who embraces, and welcomes diversity, who's truly inclusive and who demonstrates equality for all. We'll go the extra mile so that our approach is representative of the communities we serve and each other. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

Ready to join us? Here's how

If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, we’d love to hear from you.

You can apply online by pressing the apply now button. Within the form, you’ll be asked for details about you, your career history, skills, experiences and qualifications.

We advise you to be as detailed and specific as possible, paying particular attention to any of the above which are relevant to the role to which you are applying.

If you have any questions about your application, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our recruitment team via

Please note: As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. However, in high-volume recruitment situations, it may not always be practicable to interview every eligible candidate. In such cases, we may need to prioritise those who best meet the essential criteria, based on the information provided in the application.

Additionally, the Council reserves the right to close this vacancy early or adjust the shortlisting criteria, including the pass mark for interview selectio

n, to ensure a fair and manageable recruitment process. We encourage early applications.