Senior Social Worker - Family Support & Safeguarding

About this job

We are looking for Senior Social Workers to join our Family Support and Safeguarding Service. We pride ourselves on our relationship-based approach to social work and ensure that our children and young people are at the heart of all we do. The FS&S Service aims to secure a permanent solution for all the children we work with, where intervention is needed to try ensure children are safe and able to achieve to their full potential. Your role will be to work alongside families where child protection and child in need plans are in place, to support looked after children, and to escalate cases through legal proceedings when required, liaising with partners internally and externally to ensure that services are provided efficiently and effectively. You will manage complex cases, planning intervention and support in a timely manner andmaking sure that the children’s voices are heard and recorded consistently. You will participate in service development initiatives, deliver workshops and complete audits, supporting the Team Manager in developing and improving standards. You will represent FS&S at internal and external meetings and will be confident in presenting information

Special requirements for this post

We welcome applications from qualified and experienced candidates. You will need to have a Social Work degree and have completed your ASYE. You will need to hold Social Work England registration.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and a comprehensive screening process will be undertaken on successful applicants including an Enhanced Children’s Department of Barring Services check

About you

You will be an experienced social worker able to work independently and to offer support to less experienced colleagues. You will have a commitment to building relationships with children, young people, and their care givers and using this approach to effect change. You will have experience in implementing child protection and child in need plans, always focusing on the child’s lived experience. You will be escalating cases through legal proceedings when required and supporting looked after children through to permanency. The work involves liaising with partners both within and without the council as necessary to ensure that services are provided efficiently and effectively and always focus on the best outcome for the child or young person. Ideally you will hold a post qualifying award and will want to be involved in supporting students.

About us

Barking & Dagenham is changing. It Starts Here.

Think you know Barking and Dagenham? Think again. While this small corner of east London might have a reputation for needing development, scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find active communities and a place that consistently punches above its weight. The borough is changing – and changing for the better. And It Starts Here.

Yes, the borough has its challenges. But it’s on the cusp of something exciting. With one of the youngest populations in the country, ambitions are high and rightly so. 98% of our schools are rated Good or Outstanding and every year more of our talented teenagers get into Russell Group Universities and hotly sought after apprenticeship schemes.

We have award winning parks, centuries old manor houses full of relics and artifacts you can go and see, and the ruins of one of Anglo-Saxon England's most powerful and wealthiest religious sites. We’re even bringing beavers and white storks to the borough to help rewild the local landscape and boost biodiversity.

Over the past few years, we’ve been working hard to improve how we deliver services and support our community. From tackling inequality to making sure our services are the best they can be, we’re focused on what matters most to local people.

We’re creating the conditions for people to thrive - so everyone can enjoy a good quality of life, feel proud to call this place home, and be part of something bigger.

#ItStartsHere - with our streets, our schools, our neighbourhoods. And with your application to join our determined team who are passionate about doing what’s best for the future of Barking and Dagenham.

As an Investors in People Gold Award employer, we’re serious about supporting our staff. From flexible working, professional training and career development to wellbeing initiatives, we want our people to feel valued and supported in everything they do.

Additional Information

We are putting the heart back into social work, supported by our relational practice model where we ensure the child’s lived experience takes centre stage. Ours is a culture of high support, high expectations and fair challenge. We need committed individuals to support us in the delivery of these aims and to become part of our team to make a difference to our children and families.

In return we offer a competitive pay package, £2.5k Recruitment and Retention Allowance, generous pension and relocation package, annual leave up to 30 days, excellent opportunities for career progression, whether you want to broaden your experience as a social worker or step into management, investment in your learning and development as well as a commitment to your wellbeing.