This is an exciting opportunity to be part of our Safeguarding and Support Team as an Advanced Social Worker. In this role, you’ll be holding a reduced complex caseload alongside working to support others learning, in particular in your area of specialism.
Our Advanced Social Work Practitioner group has grown, and our focus on group supervision, opportunities to develop specialisms and secondments has created a supportive and inspiring learning culture with opportunities to engage in new experiences. Hounslow is committed to career development and providing our Social Workers with the opportunity to develop their skills further. You will receive regular, reflective supervision from an experienced Social Work Manager and there is training through the London Alliance and through the local Safeguarding Partnership. As you progress through your career there is support for training as Practice Educators and for managers such as Level 3 and 5 Leadership, as well as coaching and mentoring schemes.
Within this role you will work to maintain high standards of professional practice, working at all times in the best interests of children and young people, ensuring that there are clear evidence-based assessments and care plans in place on all allocated cases.
Safeguarding and Support is part of Hounslow’s Children’s Specialist Services. The team works with other teams within the service and our multi-agency partners to safeguard children and young people and to improve their outcomes.
The team is composed nine Social Workers, two Advanced Social Workers, two Assistant Team Managers and a Team Manager and in addition business support. As an Advanced Social Worker, you will report to the Team Manager who will offer experience, guidance, support and regular and reflective supervision.
If the points below resonate with you, we’d love you to put in an application:
1.Your will apply knowledge from a range of theories and models for social work intervention with individuals, families, groups and communities.
2.You will engage with families in challenging situations to ensure risks to children are identified and managed.
3.You will have a good understanding of childcare legislation and be able to proactively manage both Private Law Proceedings and Public Law Care Proceedings.
4.You will work closely and in partnership with Health, Social Care, SEND, CAMHS colleagues, Police, and partner agencies to ensure joined up and consistent practices.
1.You will have considerable experience within statutory social work and have a specialist interest area that you are knowledgeable and passionate about and have the ability to support the learning of less experienced staff.
2.You will have the ability to manage a complex caseload working with a high degree of personal accountability and autonomy.
3.You will have expertise in a specialist field (agreed with the Departmental Leadership Team) acting as a resource to the team and department to develop practice, engage in research and evaluation of practice.
4.You will undertake student supervision and mentoring of less experienced staff and encourage creativity and innovation when co-working cases whilst ensuring practice is focused on safeguarding and within the Council’s policies and procedures.
Professional Qualification:
1. A recognised Social Work qualification (Degree/Diploma) is essential.
2.You will need to be a qualified Social Worker and have at least 2 years statutory experience.
3. Registered with Social Work England.
4. Enhanced DBS check is required.
Read more about the work you’ll be doing in the Role Profile.
We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they think they can’t tick every box. At Hounslow, we realise the ‘perfect candidate’ doesn’t exist. So, if you can do most of what we’re looking for, go ahead and apply. You may be just the right candidate for the job or be perfect for one of our other roles!
The London Borough of Hounslow is a vibrant, exciting place to visit, stay and explore, with many hidden gems. Miles of rivers – including the Thames, canals, nature reserves and parks, bustling town centres, and a fantastic leisure offer.
Children, young people and families are at the heart of all we do here in Hounslow. We listen to what children, young people and families have to say about what we do and how and where we do it because their say matters. Putting children, young people and families first is at the heart of our Family Friendly vision and we are committed to developing and supporting our workforce to deliver excellent services using resilience-based approaches.
We are looking for skilled, dynamic and motivated professionals who are aspirational for children and young people with the ability to drive change in the families and professional systems they work within. If you thrive in a child-centred and creative environment – Hounslow could be for you. We know that to recruit passionate, dedicated social workers - where there’s simply more demand than the available resource - we must show our appreciation in more tangible ways. That's why we have put together an attractive package for all our social workers.
In return for your skills, knowledge, and experience, you will receive an appropriate starting salary and a friendly, kind, positive and supportive working culture. We also offer:
Annual leave – Generous annual leave entitlements starting from 22 days and rising to max 30 days.
Christmas closure – Up to 3 days, between Christmas and New Year, if your office is closed. This is at the discretion of the council.
Employee benefits –a range of discounts and benefits across a range of companies which you can access as an employee of Hounslow.
Enhanced maternity leave – Up to 52 weeks’ leave after the birth of the baby and the option of a phased return over 3 months.
Flexible working arrangements - our focus is on the outcomes you deliver and we are flexible about where and how this is best achieved.
Local Government Pension Scheme – Open to all employees, this is a tax approved, occupational pension scheme. Your contributions are based on a sliding scale according to your salary band.
Learning and development – we want you to learn everyday. We have a fantastic range of resources and opportunities and are committed to your development throughout your career with us.
Premature baby leave and pay – where a baby is born prematurely. We are proud to have The Smallest Things Charter mark.
Paternity Leave – Up to two weeks paid leave Parental Leave – Up to 18 weeks’ unpaid leave.
Parental Bereavement leave - two weeks’ paid leave following the death of a child or a stillbirth.
Pool cars –Pool bikes –available for our employees to use for work.
Shared parental leave – Up to 50 weeks’ shared parental leave.
Season ticket loans – Interest free loans for British Rail, Underground and Bus season tickets.
Staff wellbeing services - Including access to Occupational Health, an Osteopath/Chiropractor and Employee Assistance Programme.