Jobs

Senior Social Worker Children Looked After

Senior Social Worker Children Looked After

Details

  • Reference: SCC/TP/287911/1394
  • Positions: 5
  • Salary: £46,399- £49,588 per annum plus an additional payment of up to £6,000 payable across your first 18 months in post
  • Category: Qualified Social Work - Children's
  • Contract type: Permanent
  • Working hours: 36 hours per week
  • Posted on: 9 July 2024
  • Closing date: 29 July 2024
  • Directorate: Children, Families & Lifelong Learning
  • Location: Reigate and Weybridge

Description

We have opportunities for Senior Social Workers to join our Children Looked After Teams based in Reigate and Weybridge.

When not working with our residents in the community, we are keen to support agile working with a combination of home and office working. We are keen to get the balance right of providing flexibility but ensuring you feel connected to your team and the service.

The salary range is £46,399 - £49,588 per annum. We also offer a financial package of up to £6,000 which is payable in 3 instalments across your first 18 months in post. Information about qualifying criteria to receive this payment can be found HERE.

Our Total Reward Statement includes additional information about other financial benefits available to you including professional fees, pension contribution and much more.

Rewards and Benefits

  • We pay your Social Worker England Registration fee
  • 28 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years' service (plus bank holidays)
  • Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
  • An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
  • Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
  • Paternity, adoption and dependants leave
  • A generous local government salary related pension
  • Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
  • 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
  • Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

Following our latest Ofsted visit in April, we are pleased to report positive feedback on our service quality for children in need or under child protection plans in Surrey. Ofsted recognized the improved impact of our 'comprehensive improvement programme'. You can read the full report here. We are committed to continuing our progress and are seeking motivated individuals to help us ensure children in Surrey are effectively safeguarded and receive timely support.

About working with Children Looked After
As a member in the Children Looked After Team, your role will be to support children living with relatives, friends or foster families and perspective adopters or older children living in children's homes and semi-independent units. You will build sustainable relationships with them and plan for their permanence. You will be responsible for ensuring their safety and support them take the necessary steps towards independence.

Through regular visits, assessments and reviewing their Care Plan, you will nurture and develop meaningful relationships with these children and young people; understand and interpret their wishes; and champion and support them to reach their full potential. Occasionally, you will be required to prepare reports and attend court.
You will be supported in this challenging role with regular supervision and consultations with our Mental Health Focussed Social Worker. You will also find support by working alongside other social workers, family support workers and partnership organisations such as: Health Services, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (New Leaf), Independent Reviewing officers and carers. 

Supporting You
In Surrey, you will have a sense of belonging within your individual team but also the wider service areas and directorate. You will receive high quality supervision, as there is a firm commitment towards dedicating time that focuses on the work you do with children and families, to enable you to work creatively and holistically with a child centred approach.
You will also be supported in your career development by your management team and our Surrey Children's Service Academy, which currently has over 60 courses available and offers a bespoke learning programme so you can be at the forefront of best practice, providing you with support and a clear pathway to achieve your future aspirations. 
Modules such as motivational interviewing and our total respect course allow you to feel empowered in having essential conversations whilst still ensuring a child centred approach to your practice.

Our Inclusive Approach
To apply you will need to upload your CV and answer the following questions. No more than 200 words per question:
  1. Please tell us what has motivated you to apply for this role?
  2. Please tell us about the key skills and experience you will be able to bring to this role. 
  3. Please tell us about an example that demonstrates how you have built long lasting relationships with children. 
If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to a short first round virtual interview to explore your answers to the above questions (lasting approx. 15- 20 min)

If successful following this, you will be invited for an in person interview, allowing you to meet the team, check out your potential office and get a feel for what your journey might look like.

We are committed to inclusive recruitment. That's why, if you're invited to a face-to-face interview, we'll share the themes of the questions with you in advance. This way, you can prepare and feel comfortable knowing what topics will be covered during the process, allowing you to confidently discuss your skills and experiences. 

Contact details
We'd love to hear from you and find out more about what you're looking for so if you'd like to talk to us please just drop a quick message to cflworkforceteam@surreycc.gov.uk and we'll get a call arranged.
The job advert closes at 23:59 on the 29th of July 2024.

Following the closing date, if your application is shortlisted you will be contacted by our CFL Workforce Team within 5 working days. 

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

You will need to be registered with Social Work England. 

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and locality based social care workers will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK, access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area. Reasonable adjustments where needed will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long term health condition to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the job. 

Our Values

Our values are as important as our abilities and shape who we are as an organisation. Discover more about our values.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description. Our Life at Surrey handbook also attached provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:

  • The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
  • The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups. We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Files to download

Job advert banner

Back   Apply online

Subscribe to our newsletters for latest news and events.