Social Work Consultant
- Durham County Council
- Full Time
- Durham
Job Description
We have a wonderful opportunity to progress your career and step into a leadership role as we are looking for a Social Work Consultant to join our Families First service.
If you are brave, decisive, curious, flexible, nurturing, and a wonderful communicator then this could be the next step for you. This role will suit an experienced Social Worker ready to take the next step.
WHAT IS INVOLVED?
The teams have made wonderful progress so you will be joining at a brilliant time where Signs of Safety is flourishing as a practice model , Liquid Logic supports our work and you can be part of a leadership team focusing on a nurturing learning culture promoting relational , strengths based, trauma aware practise.
You will be working with creative, supportive leadership team working with Children and Families. You will be supported by amazing colleagues, Team Managers, Social Work Consultants, and the extended senior management team. We provide a really strong training and development offer and are really open to discussions about flexible working.
Recently we asked our team why people stayed and what was good about Durham and feedback to our Principal Social Worker was: 'We stay because of strong leadership and an open culture where you can ask questions. Supportive. An organisation that focuses on children rather than services. The opportunity to work in specialist services and we appreciate flexible/hybrid working'.
In our most recent Ofsted Durham's Children's services received a judgement of good overall and leadership was described as outstanding noting that 'Leaders in Durham have an acute knowledge of the needs of children in Durham' and that 'There has been a relentless focus and deliberate drive to working longer and more intensively with families, in order to achieve real sustainable change, and to improve children's circumstances in the longer term, preventing multiple re-referrals back to the service'. 'Leaders intelligently recognise and understand the needs of Durham children and build supportive services around them.' and 'Leaders and managers at all levels continually strive for excellent social work practice and are not complacent.' We would love you to be part of this journey with us.
Durham Children's social care won a gold award for most supportive employer and one of our Social Workers won a silver award for Children's Social Worker of the year in the National Social Work awards 2022 - we are committed to helping your practice flourish and are overjoyed for our staff to be recognised in this way.
We encourage you to contact Barbara Adams on 078843 66642 to arrange an informal discussion about the role.
HOW WILL I BE SUPPORTED?
We are passionate about social work in County Durham. We are committed to providing a culture where good practice can flourish. We ensure our social workers are highly supported and encourage flexible working to achieve a good work-life balance.
You will benefit from a range of training opportunities and professional development through personalised induction, professional supervision, and mentoring.
Take a closer look: https://www.durham.gov.uk/childrenssocialworkWHAT WILL I NEED?
You will:
- Play a key role in developing and monitoring the competency of front-line social care practitioners by developing, maintaining and championing expertise in specific areas of work with children and families; by driving excellent practice based on research evidence and professional experience; and, by supporting achievement of improved outcomes for vulnerable children and their families.
- Work alongside the team manager to manage a team which carries out meaningful and rewarding work which achieves the best outcomes for children.
- Build and maintain successful working relationships with colleagues from a wide range of agencies.
- Competitive salaries and 27 days holiday per year rising to 32 days after five years continuous local government service.
- Option to purchase up to 10 additional days annual leave per year.
- Excellent work/life balance through schemes including job sharing, compressed hours and flexi-time (allowing up to 13 flexi days per year).
- Hybrid working (home and office working).
- Excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Plus, top up options - Salary Sacrifice Shared Cost AVC scheme and standard AVC scheme for members of the LGPS.
- Wellbeing Portal and access to an Employee Assist Scheme.
- Wide range of learning and development opportunities including professional qualifications, coaching and mentoring.
- Employee Benefits Portal and Lifestyle Savings Scheme (discounts across a host of major retailers).
- Discounted DCC gym membership.
- Staff networks run by staff for our staff, including Race Equality and Diversity, Disability, LGBT+, Armed Forces, Carers, Menopause.
- Trade Union membership.
- A range of other salary sacrifice schemes such as car leasing.
