Designated Social Care Officer-Children's Services-(SEND)

About Us:

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF SHOFA’S MARKET

Children’s Services in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories, where courageous and inspiring professionals bring everything to their work.

Sometimes this even includes heartbreak. Shofa is a shining example. Shofa’s brother suffered with his mental health and died tragically young. She uses his memory as motivation to give Westminster Youth Council members the opportunity to have a voice and get involved in decision-making. This passion resulted  in her innovation: The Westminster Youth Market. Here local teenagers learn about entrepreneurship and develop their personal skills. This is an inclusive platform where everyone’s contribution and abilities are celebrated. Inspired by a promising life cut short, Shofa believes without vision there is no direction and every young person should be supported to realise their dreams.

Please view the extraordinary story of Shofa’s Market here.

The Role:

As the Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO) working across Westminster and our neighbouring borough of Kensington and Chelsea, you can make your own powerful contribution to the lives of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).  Both boroughs are rated as ‘outstanding ‘ by Ofsted for Family Services, so there are considerable strengths to build on.

In this critical bi-borough role, you will take the lead in framing and developing social care elements of our joint SEND strategy, in line with the SEND Code of Practice (2015). We’ll look to you to constructively challenge practice systems, processes and protocols to enhance SEND reform, using your accumulated intelligence and insight. In particular, you will identify areas where social care practice requires strengthening in line with the SEND Code of Practice, generating solutions and implementing strategies and plans to address issues.

Your success will depend on building and nurturing effective partnerships and working collaboratively across a range of stakeholders, exploiting opportunities for co-production. A source of expert professional advice on SEND reforms relating to social care, you will also act as our regional and national representative at key events.  It’s a genuine opportunity to think creatively and influence SEND strategy both within and beyond your home boroughs.

Please refer to the Job Description for more information.

About You:

A qualified and registered social worker, you’ll bring substantial experience of working with children and young people with SEND and their families. In-depth knowledge, and understanding of both social care operations and the SEND reforms agenda should be matched by genuine commitment and passion for making a difference.  Practised at co-production with families and in enabling inclusion, you will have a track-record of implementing cross-functional, cross-organisational change.  Naturally, you’ll have exceptional communication skills, including the ability to challenge, negotiate and influence at all levels.

The Council is committed to achieving diverse shortlists to support our desire to increase the number of staff from underrepresented groups in our workforce. We especially encourage applications from a global majority background and, while the role is open to all applicants, we will utilise the positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010 to appoint a candidate from a global majority background where there is a choice between two candidates of equal merit. If you are from a Global Majority background, you can self-declare this to the hiring manager as part of our positive action commitments.

What We Offer:

Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.

At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit  https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties

As a forward-thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.

The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application, we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.