Social Worker

36 hours per week

Location - Rochdale

Salary - £35,568 (£19p/h)

Flourish is the UK's most advanced provider of therapeutic services for children and families, founded and led by nationally recognised and respected management and clinicians. Borne out of our extensive experience in therapeutic fostering, our vision is to help vulnerable children, young people and families thrive in a safe and trauma-informed environment.

We are excited to be launching our first therapeutic family assessment centre in Rochdale and are recruiting a Social Worker to support us in realising our ambition. We are looking for passionate, committed and caring individuals to support a small, but experienced team.

About our service

· The aim of our service is to reduce the number of children coming into Local Authority care and to assess parenting capacity where the courts have directed this.

· Families utilising this type of service may include parents with learning needs; those presenting with issues around domestic violence and/or substance /alcohol misuse. Additionally, they may have mental ill-health and may have experienced some form of trauma in their life.

· Where concerns have been raised about a child's welfare or a parent's capacity to provide safe and appropriate care, Flourish Family Residential Assessment Centre will work alongside parents to address the issues specific to their case.

· Our homes house up to 4 families in 4 family suites. During their stay, the parents will be therapeutically supported in their parenting by Flourish staff, whilst being assessed by our social work assessors.

· The Flourish team is supportive in its approach, with our primary aim centering around promoting best practices, through guidance, role modelling, key work sessions and practical advice on matters relating to concerns, risk safety, routines and boundaries.

· This service is open 24 hours with shift patterns as per the rota.

Purpose of the role

• This is a dual role of Social Worker completing Parenting Capacity Assessments, and also leading the team of Family Support Workers.
• To support and mentor the Family Support Workers and Senior Family Support Workers.
• To complete Parenting Capacity Assessments.
• To shift lead and give direction to other staff.
• To be responsible for families files being up to date.
• To liaise with wider professionals.
• To provide supervision and guidance.
• To be responsible for managing and covering the rota.
• To be part of the out of hours on call rota.
• To be an appropriate role model to families at the centre and to provide support, advice, and assistance in the basic care of babies and children. To contribute to the process of family assessment as directed by the family assessment plan and work with the current strategies related to each family's case
• Supporting families experiencing a range of complex difficulties at a key time in their lives when they require intensive and round the clock support
• Implementing parenting interventions and supporting parents to develop the skills necessary to raise their children, by encouraging, teaching and modelling
• Supporting families with daily living tasks, attending appointments and activities.
• Having a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.
• Support parents to reach their full potential in caring for their children

What we Offer

• Competitive salary rates – we use structured pay grades, so salary is based on your training and experience
• Career progression opportunities and clear development pathways
• Comprehensive Induction and full training programme prior to starting in the Centre
• An emphasis on Continued Personal Development with funded opportunities to achieve recognised qualifications, with support though our Accredited Training Centre
• Company pension scheme
• Travel expenses, Blue Light Card discounts and other benefits
• Excellent Management Support and Supervision
• Simply Health Care Plan
• Company Sick Pay
• Death in Service Package
• Annual leave entitlement – 38 days (inclusive of Bank Holidays)
• Support from our Therapeutic Lead

Essential Requirements

· Be a Registered Social Worker with Social Work England.

· Have leadership qualities and experience of mentoring and supporting less experienced staff.

· To work collaboratively with families at the centre, supporting them with their individual needs as outlined in their family placement plan.

• Have a genuine desire to improve lives and promote self-esteem
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills and empathy
• Stay calm under pressure and work flexibly
• Work as part of a team - bringing energy and enthusiasm to the role
• Either have their Level 3 Children Residential Childcare qualification (or equivalent) OR is committed to working towards.
• Be willing to learn and go the extra mile

Responsibilities of the role:

· To work collaboratively with families at the centre, supporting them with their individual needs as outlined in their family placement plan.

· To be a consistent role model to families when supporting the care, development, and nurturing of their children during the assessment process.

· To help families participate in the assessment process and encourage them to take part in the sessions and activities as required.

· Promote participation and help families to become involved in local community activities relevant to the care and nurture of their children.

· Contribute toward the parenting assessment alongside colleagues and social workers.

· Involve families and children (where appropriate) in decisions about their assessment and in the plans that are made for them during the process.

· Work co-operatively and pro-actively as part of a team supporting colleagues and the manager.

· Provide advice and support to families in the centre in line with their placement plans, organisational policies, and good practice requirements.

· Ensure children and families in the centre are safe and protected from harm.

· Establish a nurturing relationship with families to help them progress through the assessment.

· Help families build positive relationships by ensuring the environment is free from bullying and prejudice and is a safe and fair place to live.

· Help families resolve conflicts and manage their behaviour safely and acceptably and ensure that unacceptable behaviour is challenged and addressed.

· Support families to participate in the local community, participating in activities and helping them make plans for their future.

· Ensure the home's records are completed to a high standard before the end of each shift and provide written reports for care managers, looked after reviews and care planning meetings.

· Attend shifts as required by the staff rota and the sleep-in rota.

· Undertake training as the organisation requires and take responsibility for continuing professional development.

· Attend and contribute to regular supervision meetings and complete actions from the annual appraisal.

· Work and contribute pro-actively to the team and report any concerns about unacceptable staff conduct or standards to your line manager.

· Adhere to all health and safety and workplace policies.

• To provide supervision and guidance.
• To be responsible for managing and covering the rota
• To be part of the out of hours on call rota.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From £35,568.00 per year

Benefits:

• Additional leave
• Company pension
• Private medical insurance

Work Location: In person