Social Worker First Response

Come and be part of our Outstanding First Response Children's Duty. It's an exciting time to be a part of Children and Family Services at Leicestershire County Council, our staff are at the heart of delivering excellent services to children and families across Leicestershire. Come and join us and make a difference in the lives of children and families in Leicestershire. Our recent Ofsted inspection praised Leicestershire's work to build "strong and long-lasting relationships" with children and families which lead to many families achieving "positive changes" in their lives. They highlighted an "ambitious and child-focused senior leadership that has successfully created a culture where the experiences and progress of children are at the heart of social work practice". You can read more about our Ofsted Outstanding rating here About the Role Our First Response Children's Duty comprises of a screening and assessment team. The screening team is responsible for incoming information regarding children and families, considering support needs, safeguarding and assessing risk. The assessment team is responsible for Section 17, assessment of need across the county, as well as safeguarding Section 47 enquiries. You will need to be adaptable, to work well under pressure both individually and as part of a team and work to tight timescales. In Leicestershire, we have a fantastic package to provide our workers. This includes hybrid working, celebrating diversity with a range of events throughout the year, recognition of our staff in annual Pride In Practice events, fantastic learning and training opportunities – enabling our staff to develop and progress within their roles and committed wellbeing support. We are proud of our continuous improvement plan - 'Achieving Excellence through Purposeful Practice which sets out our key values, behaviours and ambitions. We have embedded the Signs of Safety approach throughout our services and this approach mirrors our values of Aspiration, Being Curious and Collaboration. We are focused on working with families and the networks of family, friends and professionals around children, to work in collaboration to achieve shared goals. We are committed to our vision of becoming a trauma-informed responsive department where we believe we are "stronger together". Our culture is one of partnership, where we look for solutions and recognise the potential impact of trauma on the children and families we work with and on our staff. We will strive to create a safe, compassionate, healing environment demonstrated through relationships based on trust, respect, hope and empathy. We will achieve this through a spirit of curiosity, by nurturing connections through relationships, making a deliberate effort to know and understand people, and by providing hope for growth and recovery. Learn more about how we are responding to trauma, taking pride in practice and celebrating our achievements in social work here. We support and empower our staff to be the best that they can be. We will give you the support and resources that you need to work in collaboration with children and families. For further information on what it's like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please visit: Children and Family Social Worker recruitment Social Worker benefits Social Worker brochure Social Worker job profile Working in Children and Family Services A DBS enhanced check for a regulated activity is required for this post. For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement. About You To apply for this post, you must respond to and evidence the following 7 essential criteria within your personal statement. This should be no more than 1,000 words. Be a qualified Social Worker holding a Social Work degree or equivalent, e.g., CQSW, DipSW (with specialism in children's services) and be registered with Social Work England, hold a valid driving licence and access to a vehicle. Extensive knowledge and application of social work legislation, methodologies, social care policies, guidance, procedures and case reviews with a commitment to your continuous professional development. Have ability and experience of supporting with service performance and the learning and development of individuals as well as a team. You must also understand, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion. Have experience and understand the importance of multi-agency working and the differing roles, responsibilities, remit and functions of other parts of the wider service and agencies. The ability to communicate clearly and accurately, both orally and in writing, with a wide range of people, including representatives from other agencies, using skills of negotiation and persuasion. Have good IT skills, including Microsoft Outlook and Word, and database applications. Excellent demonstration of the ability to prioritise effectively across a wide range of competing demands to meet deadlines. Time management skills and the ability to respond flexibly to changing requirements. You must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence (or be able to convert your current licence) AND have access to a vehicle. **Please ensure your application includes a full career history and provides reasons for any gaps To find out more about working for Children and Family Services click here Children and Family Social Worker recruitment You must also have an understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion. In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process. Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. For more information or an informal discussion, please contact: Helen Rhind, Assistant Service Manager helen.rhind@leics.gov.uk Jo Searle, service manager, First Response – joanne.searle@leics.gov.uk Dominic Lewis-Gordon Team manager - Dominic.Lewis-Gordon@leics.gov.uk