Opportunity in Southampton.
Experienced Children’s Services Social Worker
Be part of what we are achieving
Here in Southampton City Council Children and Learning Service we are proud to be compassionate and kind, to each other and to the families we are here to help. We are constantly learning, flexing and growing. The energy in the service to be better and do better on behalf of children, young people families and our diverse communities is invigorating and inspiring.
We need a small number of experienced social work practitioners to fill our few remaining vacancies. These social workers will be side by side with us as we continue to embrace the national social care reforms.
Relational Practice, systemic pathways
Relationships are everything. Permanence matters. This is why we have established an almost fully permanent workforce, and we are building systemic, reflective practice and leadership right across the service. We celebrate relational practice and we are investing in motivational interviewing.
Children, young people and families feel and know that they are held in mind. We are here to ensure they are safe and loved, and that we understand what they have been through.
Partnerships matter immeasurably. So, we are building these relationships creatively, with co-located domestic abuse workers in our family help and family safeguarding teams, and substance use workers and mental health practitioners alongside social workers supporting families where children have suffered harm. We are learning so much from each other and this is good for families.
The time and space to do your best work
A tight focus on caseloads and permanent skilled team managers enables our social workers to practice at their best. We care about our children and we will care about you.
We offer strong developmental opportunities for social workers, who thrive on helping children be the best they can be. We have career development routes through to management roles via ATM, and to being exemplary practice leaders through our senior social worker roles.
If you join us we will help you to build meaningful and influential relationships with children, families and partners. We hope this is why you came into social work! You will have a voice in a service that is hungry to learn from your experiences.
An aspirational service
We know we are not perfect, and we always strive to do better for children. But, we are proud of our achievements. In June 2023, Ofsted found that we were, ‘Good’ overall with ‘Outstanding’ leadership. We are working hard to be consistently good while always aiming higher.
In Southampton we are strongly invested in development of our workforce family. Our career development and talent management pathways will enable you to be part of our future.
Our practitioners and managers feel equipped to do what can be a really tough job through genuine support and meaningful challenge. Our excellent practice development team has huge energy for providing a vibrant learning offer.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for a Social Worker with at least one year’s proven experience of statutory social work with children, including Child in Need, Child Protection and Child in the care of the Local Authority. We are looking for a practitioner who is reflective and assured in their own practice, and ideally would have had experience of statutory social work with children. You will be able to support families in a way that is trauma informed, compassionate, and built on a strong grounding in national good practice, legislation and evidence-based approaches.
You will believe in the strength of families to care for their own children with our help, and in children's right to family life. You will understand the need for safety and permanence and you will be confident in achieving this for children.
You will nurture and develop meaningful relationships with your colleagues, families and partners. You will enjoy working in an ethnically diverse work environment and a vibrant, diverse local community, You will be culturally competent, inclusive, respectful and kind, with a strong commitment to anti racist practice.
You will have a Diploma or Degree in social work and be registered with Social Work England.
Please refer to the attached job description for the essential and desirable elements to apply for these roles.
What We Can Offer You
Salary: The salary band for this role is £41,771 - £46,141 per annum. The
starting salary is £41,771 with annual progression through the salary bands.
Here at SCC we have a range of different perks and benefits, a few examples can be found below.
- As Ofsted has stated in our inspection in June 2023 where we were judged 'Good', ‘Practitioners are supported by energetic and responsive frontline managers who maintain clear, confident and close oversight of children’s progress’. You will be provided with regular good quality 1-1 case and personal supervision that align to our systemic practice framework
- Excellent
- Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service
- Flexible working options (role-dependent)
- Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
- Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
- Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks.
- Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant
- Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform
- Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres
- Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans
- Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer
Contact Details For Informal Discussion
For further information on our benefits package please visit:
For further information and details regarding the position please contact Kate Kyzer, Team Manager –
Email
Recruitment contact details:
Tel: 023 8083 4033
For More Information About SCC Please Visit
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