Children Services Experienced / Senior Social Worker - Level 3

London Borough of Lambeth

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Social Worker Department: Children's Social Care Division: Children's Services Business Unit:

Grade: PO3

Responsible to: Team Manager Responsible for: N/A

Main purpose of post

- To implement positive change in complex cases in children, families and carers lives by using systemic social work methods, models and tools, with the aims of helping them to be as independent as possible. To also manage and minimise risks of abuse and neglect as well as meeting care needs while exercising a high quality of professional judgement.

- To lead and oversee professional judgements in the context of the relevant legal and policy frameworks.

- To undertake and advise on high need comprehensive/complex and proportionate assessments of children using the assessment framework, to plan how those needs will be met, to support them with putting those plans in to action, and review those plans and reassess needs.

- Establish and develop collaborative robust working with partner agencies; and promote, model and be accountable for effective inter-agency working arrangements to ensure children are protected from risk of significant harm and their care needs are met.

- To carry out safeguarding enquiries, support the work of others involved in these enquiries, and to support children, families and carers with care and support needs to develop and put in to action plans appropriate to their wishes and circumstances.

- Act in the role of the lead professional and be accountable in complex, statutory cases that require a qualified children's social worker, particularly child protection, care proceedings and looked after children cases.

Our Core Values

- We believe children are best cared for in their birth families and where this isn't possible we take timely and appropriate action so children have permanence and stability.

- We work openly and collaboratively with parents and families understand why we are involved.

- We treat everyone with dignity and respect.

Key Unit Accountabilities

1. To manage and monitor on a high need complex and challenging caseload of children, families and carers with a degree of autonomy; developing and implementing casework while informing and making recommendations to management of any of irregularities/serious issues. This will include carrying out effective work in cases with the following characteristics:

a. multi-agency input

b. complex family or organisational dynamics

c. work with complex emotions and reactions

d. manage professional differences

e. multiple problems or disadvantages

f. multiple and significant risk factors

g. the need to take into account the public interest

2. To undertake and devise in-depth and robust assessments, care planning and reviewing activity and formulate recommendations for support plans. This will include:

a. Able to have multiple ideas and taken on board the positions of others in order to deliver interventions.

b. Contributing to work across networks, communities and agencies

c. Influencing change in the lives of children, families and carers through relationship-based work

d. Practice that is demonstrably evidence-informed

e. Work that evidences sound decision-making, that is done with an appropriate level of independence and autonomy

f. Co-ordinating work across networks, communities and agencies

g. Taking the initiative, to form constructive alliances and to act as a change agent

h. Applying skills appropriately around management of self and professional identity

i. Working with appropriate independence, which will involve collaborating on equal terms with members of other professions

3. To prepare applications and reports for court and to represent the Council at court in relation to this and make recommendations and judgements to consider legal action, where appropriate.

4. To explore and maintain high level knowledge of legislation and regulations and departmental procedures relating to working with children, families and carers.

5. To attend, prepare for and make constructive use of supervision, appraisal and case reflection meetings with line manager.

6. To undertake responsibility for complex projects or areas of work in agreement with line manager.

7. To organise and plan your own and colleagues (where applicable) work activities taking into account competing demands and priorities and to keep the manager appraised of any difficulties.

8. To recognise and act on actions on safeguarding concerns relating to children, families, carers and professionals with care and support needs, and contribute to the response to such concerns.

9. To identify where needs cannot be met due to unavailability of resources or because of inadequate financial provision, and to make recommendations to management on how to move forward.

10. To identify, manage and analyse complex information, producing comprehensive, analytic, high quality reports required for the monitoring of performance and quality.

11. To contribute to the investigation and resolution of complaints, Member's Enquiries or Local Government Ombudsman enquiries, and play a part as needed in identifying and acting on the lessons learned from these.

12. To prepare and present complex information in a range of settings: to meetings of colleagues, reviews and panels, as well as legal proceedings.

13. To model and implement flexibility in undertaking the duties and responsibilities of this job, and participate as required in groups and task teams, some of which may involve working across disciplines, or with colleagues from across the Council and partner organisations.

14. Meet the requirements of the Professional Capabilities Framework, Social Worker level, and of registration with the HCPC in respect of practice standards, conduct and professional development.

15. To carry out the duties and responsibilities of the post with full regard to the Council's Equal Opportunities Policy and any other council policies and good practice and guidelines, and for all work to be carried out in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty.

16. To undertake other duties within the post's scope of responsibilities that might be reasonably requested from time to time.

17. To model good practice, setting expectations for others. To begin to take responsibility and accountability for the practice of others e.g. mentoring newly qualified social workers the work of more junior staff. Such as AYSE assessor /Practice Educator

18. Developing in depth specialist knowledge and skills in an area such as practice education or research methods and act as a champion contributing to the development of services, policies, practice and research.

19. Work with a degree of independence, whilst recognising when and how to seek advice from a range of sources. Use supervision to identify strategies to build professional resilience and balance the potential for bias in decision-making.

20. Due to the nature of the work with vulnerable children, families and carers some work beyond normal office hours is required from time to time.

21. To work flexibly in undertaking the duties and responsibilities of this job, and participate as required in multi-disciplinary cross-department and cross-organisational groups and task teams.

22. To take responsibility, relevant to the post, for ensuring that Council statutes and government legislation is upheld. This includes, amongst others; Management Compliance Charter, Environmental Policy, Data Protection Act, Race Equality Action Plan, Quality Assurance Plan, Health & Safety, Sustainable Construction and Recycling.

23. To take responsibility, appropriate to the post for tackling racism and promoting good race, ethnic and community relations.

PERSON SPECIFICATION Social Worker - PO3

It is essential that in your written supporting statement you give evidence or examples of your proven experience in each of the short-listing criteria marked Application (A)

You should expect that all areas listed below will be assessed as part of the interview and assessment process should you be shortlisted.

If you are applying under the Disability Confident scheme, you will need to give evidence or examples of your proven experience in the areas marked with "Two Ticks" (??) on the person specification when you complete the application form.

Shortlisting Criteria

For link/career graded post, please mark knowledge, experience, and behaviours clearly for each grade.

Key Knowledge

K1

Up to date professional and technical expertise in relation to children.

K2

Knowledge of complex social work theories and values, and research and how to apply these in practice using the latest and most relevant evidence.

K3

Thorough and up to date knowledge of proposed and actual legislation, statutory regulations and Government guidance and standards relevant to children.

Relevant Experience

E1

Pre or post qualifying Children's Social Work experience within a statutory or ...