Salary range: £39,615 - £47,736 plus £2500 supplement per annum (Pending pay award)
Work location: London
Hours per week: 36
Contract type: Permanent
Vetting requirements: Enhanced DBS check
Closing date: 12 November 2023
Interviewing: 23 and 24 November 2023
In Kensington and Chelsea, we look after a diverse population, which includes people living in some of the nation’s most affluent and most deprived wards. We have high aspirations for all our children and young people and have shaped our social work services to deliver the best for them, including those who arrive as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and those who are leaving care without family support.
You will provide a full social work service to children being looked after by the local authority as a result of their immigration status. This will include care leavers from the age of 18 up until 25 years of age. You’ll join a well-established specialist team of social workers and personal advisors using systemic, trauma-informed practices to build and maintain compassionate, lasting relationships with children and young people.
You can expect to provide tailored care to overcome day-to-day problems, and support young people as they transition into adulthood and independent living. This includes working with legal representation and other organisations on the formal immigration processes for those seeking asylum. You will also ensure an effective transition for young people into leaving care services or making a return to their country of origin. Occasionally you will need to undertake age assessments.
Please refer to the Job Description for more information.
A qualified and registered social worker, you’ll have experience of working with children and young people. An understanding of child protection and statutory childcare work, including looked after children and care leavers is essential. Experience of working with asylum seekers and refugees is desirable but not essential, you must be ready to offer a service that is culturally sensitive and empowering.
To get you started, we offer a comprehensive induction and 15 days of systemic training, but professional development and learning opportunities will continue throughout your career with us. You’ll benefit from relatively low caseloads and regular supervision, and will be offered plenty of scope to innovate.
In return, you can look forward to a package that includes a competitive salary, a high-quality pension scheme and generous annual leave plus bank holidays.
We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants.
Kensington and Chelsea is an exciting and interesting place to live and work. We celebrate the rich diversity of our local population and strive to ensure everyone, regardless of their background, feels valued and included, with a diverse range of businesses and cultural backgrounds represented in our various districts. Here are five reasons to consider choosing Kensington and Chelsea. >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMYv670B9O0
As a social worker, Kensington and Chelsea presents a unique and rewarding work environment. The borough is home to a diverse community and the demographic make up of our staff reflects this.
We are committed to promoting equality and celebrating the benefits of diversity. We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.
The borough’s commitment to social care is reflected in its innovative approach to service delivery. For example, the Council has established a Bi-Borough partnership with neighbouring borough Westminster, which allows for the sharing of resources and expertise. The partnership has resulted in improved service delivery and better outcomes for vulnerable residents, which was recognised in our last ILACS inspection which found Kensington and Chelsea to be Outstanding in all judgement areas.
“Children in care and care leavers receive an outstanding service from workers who know them exceptionally well and are caring and ambitious for them. There is strong corporate support from the wider council to provide high-quality social work services for children, including significant financial investment so that the conditions are in place for excellent social work practice to flourish.”
Ofsted
Social workers in Kensington and Chelsea can look forward to a package that includes a competitive salary and child protection payment of £2,500 for social worker positions, membership of the Local Government pension scheme, Travel allowance scheme for zones 1 and 2, cycle scheme, reimbursement of Social Work England fees, generous annual leave plus bank holidays and discounts for many leisure activities, restaurants, shops and other establishments. Employees also benefit from an extensive training package, with access to the West London Alliance essential training and to years 1 and 2 of Systemic Practice.
In addition, we offer an annual leave purchase scheme where you can purchase up to 5 days annual leave per annum at 90 per cent of the actual cost. The Council has a staff contributory private healthcare scheme, open to all staff and offers a Dental Insurance Plan.