Put children on the path to a better future!
In Kensington and Chelsea, we put local people at the heart of decision-making, working in partnership with them to provide quality services that are responsive, effective and efficient.
Our Family Services are founded on care, sensitivity and respect. It’s about finding the right support for each child. And as a senior practitioner in our unique Multidisciplinary Family Assessment Service, you’ll have around 12 weeks to assess families before making recommendations on whether children can safely remain with their birth families.
The team includes children’s and adult social workers and substance use specialist, a psychologist, parenting practitioners and an adult psychiatrist. With a wide range of skills and backgrounds, together we’ve developed a respected reputation for working creatively with families to try and help them turn their lives around.
Naturally, it’s about putting children first. You’ll assess their risks, their families’ capacity for parenting, and the potential for change. Then, you’ll either develop a clear plan for them to remain with their families or provide sound evidence that informs the tough decisions on what happens when a family can’t safely care for their child.
This is complex work. So, while you’ll focus on a small number of families, it’s vital that you have the empathy to quickly understand their views, build trust and create positive outcomes.
As well as working face-to-face with families, you’ll partner closely with other agencies, legal professionals and social workers. All of whom, rely heavily on the quality of your reports.
The service is known for its ethos of collaboration and supporting one another. And because of the specialist nature of the work, from day one we’ll expect you to be proactive in filling any knowledge gaps and grow your skills further with us.
Please refer to the Job Description for more information
DipSW (or equivalent), your impressive background in family safeguarding means you’re an authority on all the relevant legislation, frameworks, and processes.
Equally, you’ll bring an instinctive understanding of the support children, and their families need. As a respected communicator – in person and on paper – you’ll be able to instantly put people at ease, inspire your colleagues, and deliver the gravitas required for court work.
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.
Please apply online explaining how you meet the requirements set out in the person specification and job description. CV’s will not be considered for this role.
Application process
Please do not upload any documents, including CVs/Covering Letters or supporting statements, as these documents will not be reviewed and could result in your application not being shortlisted.
You should describe how you meet the person specification requirements for the position you are applying for in Section G of the application form.
Additional information
We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.
We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.
We engage our staff with a variety of learning types including face-to-face and virtual learning because we want to ensure our staff understand our values and behaviours, grow their skills and develop their careers.
This post is covered by the Fluency Duty, as outlined in the Code of Practice on the English language requirements for public sector workers.
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.