Specialist Support Worker

Salary Basis: Per annum

Leave Entitlement: 28 days

Application Deadline: 14/02/2025, 23:55

About the Borough

In Sutton, there is much for us to be proud of both as a council and as a borough. This includes high levels of resident satisfaction, the quality of our services, our success in addressing our financial challenges to date, the way that we involve and engage with residents on key issues facing the borough, and the enthusiastic and motivated staff that we employ.

Looking ahead, there are plans for the delivery of new homes and new schools and the London Cancer Hub is being developed, while the Council is also seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment.

All of this demonstrates a good track record and an authority that is ambitious and set to deliver more improvements for the borough. We’ve set out our vision for the future of Sutton in our corporate plan - Ambitious for Sutton. This strategic plan will shape the outcomes we achieve, the services we provide, and the impact we have on residents, to make Sutton a great place to live, work and raise a family.

Situated in Zone 5, Sutton is less than 30 minutes by train from central London, and south and south west London are easily accessible by public transport.

About the Role and our Ideal Candidate

This position offers an excellent opportunity to experienced social care professionals with outstanding communication skills and a compassionate manner capable of effectively managing a variety of specialist needs. We encourage applications from candidates with experience in delivering child care services within a local authority setting and those passionate about delivering person-centred care. You will join a welcoming, supportive, and energetic team dedicated to providing first class supervision and ongoing professional development opportunities.

In addition, we would expect the following from all suitable candidates (not limited to):

• Hold a recognised qualification in Social Care or similar
• At least two years working experience in children's social care or in a child and family setting.
• Substantial experience of working intensively with young people in need, on a one to one basis and with their peers, family and school/college or training provider
• Ability to communicate complex social issues clearly to both parents and professionals.
• Ability to plan and coordinate individual social care plans

If you’re a dedicated social care professional, with a passion for delivering exceptional care, London Borough of Sutton can provide you with a working environment that drives collaboration, supports and values empathy, understanding, and commitment to excellence. Take the first step towards a fulfilling career and apply now. We need your support to create a brighter future in the community we serve.

About Us

Are you passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of children and their families? Children Social Care at the London Borough of Sutton have embarked on a transformation journey and are seeking dedicated and compassionate Specialist Support Workers to provide a range of support and interventions designed to meet family needs in a flexible and responsive way.

Your Responsibilities

• Working closely with children, young people and their families to deliver personalised support to children, focusing on their emotional, social, and educational needs.
• Conduct assessments to identify the needs and strengths of each child.
• Assist children in developing life skills, coping mechanisms, and resilience, addressing challenges and barriers to their development.
• Engaging with parents and caregivers to understand family dynamics and involve them in the support process.
• Maintain a safe and secure environment for children, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations.

Specialist Support Workers are guided by the principles of Restorative Practices, working in family homes and communities, completing direct work with children, young people and their families. Your knowledge and expertise will help to deliver tailored support to individuals with unique needs, empowering them to reach their full potential.

Our Offer To You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across - however big or small - will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps. Our Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme embraces new ways of working. It provides improved work life balance for our staff as it allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week.

Benefits

• Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
• General Council Flexi-time (Please note, this applies to roles at grades 1-9 only)
• Public Health Service Localised Flexi-time Scheme - accrual of up to 5 days per year
• Three volunteering days per year in Sutton
• Comprehensive learning and development programme
• Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Car parking scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
• Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
• Subsidised gym membership

Application Process

Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.

To support our diversity agenda and reduce the risk of bias in our recruitment activities, our short listing process completely anonymises personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc. Our hiring managers review and short list applications based on the information provided as part of your application as to how well you meet the requirements and criteria for the role, as outlined in the job profile.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Additional Information

We pride ourselves on being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Borough and we aim to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve - the key highlights from our recent Equalities Workforce Report can be seen here. We are respectful of difference and realise the positive value of diversity in our workforce. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. As part of our Disability Confident Committed status, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.

We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.