Life Story Social Worker

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 understand that social work can be a challenging yet ultimately very rewarding profession that makes demands of you personally and professionally. In Newham we value your well-being 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 clinical offer to support you to do your best work.

ABOUT THE JOB: As part of our Children in Care team, we are recruiting for a Life Story Social Worker—a specialist role focused on helping children and young people understand their journey into care, their background, and their experiences. The Children in Care service enhances the family led, relational values that were already at the centre of our practice and will continue the evolution of our firmly embedded Circles of Support practice model. We’re keeping children at the heart of everything we do whilst improving the overall experience of the families, partners, and social workers in our sphere. We want to be at the forefront of evoking positive change in the sector and we’re looking for experienced, committed, relational social worker to join us and help us get there. Above all, we want to do the best for our children and young people who are in care, so that they understand their history and stories.

This role is ideal for a reflective, empathetic social worker with a strong understanding of life story work skills, child development, trauma, and therapeutic approaches.

• Undertake direct life story work with children and young people
• Create life story books and “Later in Life” letters
• Use therapeutic techniques to address trauma and loss
• Collaborate with social workers, carers, birth families, and professionals
• Support and mentor colleagues in life story work
• Ensure children’s voices and lived experiences are captured and represented

ABOUT YOU: We are looking for qualified, social worker-registered social workers with post-ASYE experience in long-term work with children and families. For the Life Story Social Worker role, experience in therapeutic life story work is essential.

• Be passionate about life story work and relationship-based practice
• Have strong communication skills
• Be committed to anti-discriminatory practice and cultural competence

We’re looking for conscientious, considerate and empathetic social worker who is committed to working relationally with children and young people. Newham is committed to our workforce being representative of the children and young people we work with, to enhance cultural competence and adjust our practice to suit the individuals we serve. We are looking for colleagues who share our values and are passionate about tackling dis-proportionality wherever they find it and building a Fairer Newham. You will have a genuine interest in a life story work, relationship based practice model, drawing on systemic thinking to inform your approach to building effective relationships with children and young people.

IMPORTANT: If you are an LBN member of staff and applying for this role as a secondment you should note that secondments are subject to the agreement of your current employing service. Please ensure that you inform your line manager of your intention to apply for the post in the first instance.

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.