Greater London (On-Site)
Permanent, Full time
No DBS check required
£35,000 - £39,999
FULLTIME
SOCIAL CARE OFFICER
CHILDREN’S SERVICES
£35,577 - £36,567 per annum
Permanent
Hybrid role – Newham Dockside E16 2QU
Closing date: 03/11/2024 at 23:59
JOIN US AND HELP BUILD A FAIRER NEWHAM
We’re a vibrant, dynamic, culturally rich London Borough with a young population and limitless potential. We’re a challenging yet rewarding place for social work practice to flourish and we are steadfastly committed to our workforce being representative of the families that we work with. We are taking coordinated, meaningful and focused action to develop an inclusive culture because we believe this is at the heart of enabling diversity in all respects, including diversity of thought. We are taking positive actions to challenge all forms of discrimination and injustice to help make Newham a fairer and more equitable place for children and families to live, learn and thrive.
We’re building a fairer Newham through investment, co-production and by continuously developing our 'Circles of Support' practice model; centring on systemic and restorative practice and a specialist support offer for our practitioners. Ofsted described Newham as having a positive culture of learning and development and we always try to develop talent in-house.
We understand that supporting children and families can be a challenging yet ultimately very rewarding profession that makes demands of you personally and professionally. In Newham we value your wellbeing and we aim to ensure that you have a better work/life balance through a remote working offer when you are not visiting children and families, a modern office space for when you’re on site, a flexible working policy where all requests are considered, and a support offer to support you to do your best work.
ABOUT THE JOB
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join a newly formed integrated team in children’s social care that brings together the Assessment and Intervention services. The new model is designed to streamline support for families, with a single social worker from referral through to longer-term support, promoting stronger relationships and more effective intervention. This integrated approach aligns with the Newham Circles of Support practice model and aims to provide holistic outcomes for children and families while maintaining performance standards.
As a Social Care Officer in this new service you will support qualified social workers by assisting with assessments and intervention activities, helping to identify the needs of vulnerable children and families, and contributing to creating and executing effective support plans.
You will also be involved in tasks such as completing chronologies, genograms, life story work, and direct work with children. Your role will include liaising with partner agencies, contributing to multi-agency safeguarding plans, and supporting safeguarding enquiries. There will also be an administrative element within the role, supporting social workers in their practice.
To find out more download the job description.
ABOUT YOU
We are looking for a passionate and dedicated team member who is able to work independently and efficiently in a fast-paced environment. You will need to have strong organisational and communication skills, as well as the ability to prioritise tasks effectively. A working knowledge and experience of children’s services and of the social determinants that affect children's well-being, including housing, physical and mental health is essential for this post.
You do not need to be qualified in social care.
You should be flexible and willing to adapt to the changing needs of the service. Experience working with vulnerable populations and children’s services is essential, along with knowledge of statutory frameworks like the Children Act 1989 and the Care Act 2014. Familiarity with safeguarding practices, as well as strong IT skills, will be key to success in this role.
If this sounds like the role for you and you want to contribute to the positive futures of children and families in Newham, we’d love to hear from you.
For more information, please contact Senior Project Manager: Jasmin Razzaque jasmin.razzaque@newham.gov.uk.
WHY WORK WITH US?
We’ve been working hard to make Newham a great place to work.
- A commitment to addressing disproportionality wherever we find it.
- We’re a GOOD local authority focused on reaching excellence.
- We offer genuinely flexible/hybrid working as long as children and families are supported.
- Stability: 100% of our Senior Managers and 71% of Team Managers are permanent.
- Our firmly established practice model, Circles of Support, was recently nominated for the prestigious MJ Award for Innovation in Children’s Services and allows systemic, restorative practice to flourish.
- A competitive package for Social Work Officers of up to £36,567.
- Wellbeing service, leisure and discount benefits (Council scheme).
- Travel season ticket loan, cycle scheme, Local Authority pension.
TO APPLY
To apply please submit your CV and a supporting statement (1-2 sides of A4) through our online recruitment portal.
Shortlisting decisions will be based on candidates' relevant experience and suitability for the role in line with the person specification, as described in their supporting statement and CV.
Closing date: 03/11/2024 at 23:59
Interviews: Mid November
Additional Information
We are committed to creating an inclusive, anti-racist environment for all. When you apply for a job at Newham, your application is considered on its merits regardless of your age, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender identity or sexual orientation. If you share our vision and values, and you bring the experience and skills we need, that’s all that matters to us.
The London Borough of Newham has important responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. If you are appointed to a job that involves working with these groups, you may be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Please attach your supporting statement, explaining in no more than x2 A4 sides why and how you meet the criteria for this role.
We practice anonymised recruitment. Please ensure that you remove all personal information from any documents that you upload.
The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found by https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.