Salary range: £35,223 - £38,934 per annum.
Work location: London
Hours per week: 36
Contract type: Permanent
Vetting requirements: Enhanced DBS Check
Closing date: 10th July 2023
Interview date: Week Commencing 17th July 2023
Working with families to tackle difficulties before they become problems
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. We have high aspirations for all our children across our diverse communities and, in our most recent Ofsted inspection, we were judged as outstanding in all areas.
Joining our Early Help Service, you will support a caseload of families to build on their strengths and help them overcome issues before they reach the level of requiring specialist or statutory intervention. Using a model of practice built around a ‘whole family’ approach, you’ll coordinate the work of many different agencies, often taking the lead to shape the precise support your families need. It’s an opportunity to bring your existing expertise to a team where you will be highly valued, but also to expand your skills and knowledge to address a wider range of needs.
Please refer to the Job Description for more information.
You’re someone who’s motivated by the rewards of breaking down barriers to give families a positive experience and genuine hope for the future. Capable of building trusting and responsive relationships with children, young people and their carers, you’re likely to have a background in an area such as early years, parenting, family support, youth, education or youth justice. Perseverance and patience are key and you must be capable of managing challenging situations. You should also be a great listener and a creative problem-solver.
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.
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.