Social Worker (ASYE) - Adolescent and Child Exploitation Team

At Bath & North East Somerset Council we have one overriding purpose – to improve people’s lives.

If your passion is around collaborative work with young people, centred on building relationships in order to help them develop resilience and make changes in their lives, then we are the Local Authority for you. Our dynamic teams work with families from point of contact through to long term support and intervention. Our practice model is underpinned by relationship-based, systemic approaches to facilitate change, alongside trauma informed practice.

Bath and North East Somerset Children’s Social Care are an innovative small Local Authority focused on therapeutic assessment and support. Rated Good by OFSTED, with continued vision and drive to improve further.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Social Worker (ASYE) to join our Adolescent and Child Experienced Team, which supports young people aged 11-18 who are vulnerable to or experiencing Child Sexual/Criminal Exploitation and County Lines. We are committed to being a dynamic and creative Local Authority, working hard to think differently about how we approach our work with young people and families. We are deeply committed to providing tailored high-quality services and well thought out interventions to families to keep young people safe. Our practice is values-driven with a strong ethos of child-focussed interventions.

About the role:

You will work in partnership with an enthusiastic team consisting of a Team Manager, Deputy Team Managers, Senior Social Worker Practitioner, qualified professional Social Workers, Child Exploitation Practitioner and Business Support staff.

This rewarding role will see you responding to, co-ordinating and delivering a range of social care services to children, young people and families in the Bath and North East Somerset. The role primarily relates to supporting young people who are experiencing extra-familial harm and a key part of our work involves building intensive relationships with young people and working in partnership with their families. We take a contextual approach to safeguarding and have well-established partnerships with agencies across health, education, support services and adult services to ensure we can respond as effectively as possible to the needs of children, young people, and their families. We work closely with our colleagues across the service.

About you:

The post holder will manage their own caseload, which will include children, young people and families with complex needs. You will be able to evidence a strong ability to analyse information and formulate outcome focused plans for children and families. Applicants must be confident in writing professional assessments/reports as well as presenting their evidence verbally. Applicants need to have very strong organisational skills to manage and prioritise their work effectively and in a timely way and will be committed to working as part of a team to support colleagues in delivering optimum services to children and families.

We are seeking applications from workers who have a specific interest in this area of work and are looking to enhance and further develop their skills and contribute to service development for vulnerable children.

You can expect:

• A comprehensive induction
• Managed caseload
• Dedicated ASYE programme with support from the Principle Social Worker and Specialist Workforce Development Officer
• Regular supervision – at a minimum of monthly one to one
• Weekly group reflective supervision to promote thoughtful and creative practice, supported by your peers and managers
• Monthly Peer Circles to ensure strong relationships and support between Social Workers across the teams, and opportunities to share good practice
• Extensive training opportunities, which include SARI workshops around culturally sensitive practice, opportunities to join a 6-month long training in Systemic Practice delivered by the Centre for Systemic Social Work, attachment-based workshops, and trauma-informed workshops
• Excellent Business Support staff supporting the team
• Tri-annual Social Work Conferences with guest speakers who are experts in the field. Examples of previous conferences have included Donald Forrester, Brid Featherstone, Rebecca Carr-Hopkins, ‘Annie; from Surviving Safeguarding, and Dr Karen Treisman
• Paid Social Work England membership renewals
• Access to Research in Practice
• Laptops and iPhones to promote flexible working, to enhance your work-life balance
• Relocation Payments are available
• A stable leadership team
• A stable and committed team, with very low rates of agency workers, and low vacancy rates
• Good practice to be recognised and celebrated through a quarterly newsletter

To apply you will have:

• A relevant social work qualification
• Knowledge of the legislative framework and legal proceedings that governs children’s services
• Knowledge of theory and practice applicable to social work
• IT skills to enable operation of standard electronic systems
• Passion, commitment, and motivation to support the most vulnerable families in our area

If you are interested in this post and require more details or just to chat through the role and what’s involved, please contact Sara Cotton, Deputy Team Manager on 01225 395978 or email sara_cotton@bathnes.gov.uk

Interview date: TBC

No Agencies Please.

Please note: that this advert may close earlier than the stated closing date due to high demand. We advise all interested candidates to apply as soon as possible.

*Please note, BANES Council operates a policy of prior consideration for roles for any individual on the Council’s at-risk register (redeployee). This means should a redeployee express an interest in this role, providing they meet the essential criteria for the role they will be considered ahead of external applicants.

About Bath and North East Somerset Council.

Working at Bath and North East Somerset provides an opportunity to contribute to your community and make a positive impact on the lives of residents. Our values shape how we work to deliver public services, and how we communicate with the residents we serve. We care about the best outcomes for local people, through our public services.

Why Bath and North East Somerset Council?

We offer a wide range of benefits, to ensure that you are paid fairly for your work, have the flexibility to enjoy a great work/life balance, and have the support you need. Go to https://jobsandcareers.bathnes.gov.uk/why-work-us/our-benefits

At Bath and North East Somerset Council we have one overriding purpose – to improve peoples lives. Find out more about our values at https://jobsandcareers.bathnes.gov.uk/why-work-us/our-values

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us. Find out more on our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion athttps://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/equality-and-diversity

We are a Disability Confident Employer – find out more at https://shorturl.at/ajrsW

The Council is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce. Applications for job-share, part-time and flexible working arrangements are welcomed and will be considered in line with business needs.

Please note that this role is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.

Safeguarding Statement: The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable groups and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of this commitment anyone working in a post with children or vulnerable groups will be expected to undertake an Enhanced DBS check with/without barred list checks.