Social Worker

Purpose of the Job:
The post holder must complete the Consolidation Module within 3 years of qualifying as a Social Worker.

Main duties and responsibilities:

- Manage a Children & Families caseload to include complex and diverse cases, involving assessments, reviews and the preparation of welfare reports and court attendance, to effectively meet the needs of the client group, in line with the competency standardsset out in the Competency Framework. The caseload will be managed within the relevant framework of supervision dependent on the complexity of the case and post qualification experience of the post holder but all cases will involve difficult and distressingsituations.
- Contribute to and review the development of ongoing initiatives to achieve a more effective use of resources within Children & Families Services.
- Initiate and develop close working partnerships with statutory agencies, voluntary and private sector agencies, carers and those with parental responsibility in order to facilitate effective service delivery.
- Inform advise, counsel and support clients and carers, individually and in group settings, to relieve stress and modify attitudes of behaviour to meet the needs of the client.
- Ensure that information systems, e.g. CAFIS, and client records are effectively maintained to provide up-to-date and accurate information, upon which decisions affecting service delivery can be made.
- Maintain a personal awareness of legislation, departmental and corporate policies and procedures, particularly those relating to Looked After Children, Children in Need and Child Protection, acting in line with these to ensure consistency and a high qualityof service delivery across the Directorate.
- Recruit, train, assess and support adoptive parents and foster carers to ensure that there is a suitable range of placements to meet the needs of children within the District and across the County and to facilitate the adoption and fostering process.

Attend training courses and other development opportunities as agreed with line manager to ensure compliance with GSCC requirements.

Footnote: This job description is provided to assist the job holder to know what his/her main duties are. It may be amended from time to time without change to the level of responsibility appropriate to the grade of post.

The following outlines the Minimum criteria for this post. Applicants who have a disability and who meet the minimum criteria will be shortlisted.

**MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS**

Degree in Social Work (Dip HE/Degree or Post Grad) and registration as a social worker with the General Social Care Council

**EXPERIENCE**

Relevant experience to demonstrate the competencies required.

**SKILLS AND ABILITIES**

Good interpersonal skills in order to communicate effectively with clients and colleagues, and when working in groups

Ability to prioritise and to work effectively on own initiative as well as within a team

Good report-writing skills and the ability to communicate clearly in writing

Ability to work within a court setting

Computer literate

**KNOWLEDGE**

A working knowledge of child development and demonstrate an ability to underpin practice with a theoretical base, including attachment theory and the needs of Looked After Children/Children in Need/children in the Child Protection system

A working knowledge of national policies, frameworks and regulations.

Working knowledge of Quality Protects and Working Together

A working knowledge of County procedures relating to Looked After Children/Children in Need/Child Protection

A knowledge of family court proceedings

Knowledge of family relationships

Good knowledge of assessment frameworks

**PERSONAL QUALITIES**

Emotionally resilient

Willingness to attend regular training opportunities

Commitment to equal opportunities

Discretion

Flexibility

Ability to travel across a wide geographical area in a timely and flexible manner at various times of the day

**COMPETENCIES**

Competencies are set within the Competency Framework for Children's Social Services.