Permanency Specialist Social Worker

Overview

Fixed Term Contract for 9 months, Part Time 18.5 hrs per week. Join our Amazing Team at Bristol City Council. We have a part-time Permanency Specialist Social Worker position available. This is a newly-created role and will offer support to existing teams to further strengthen our good practice. Our last Ofsted report noted “Decisions to bring children into care are timely and are appropriately overseen by senior managers. Children who need to come into care in an emergency receive sensitive support from Social Workers, who provide effective help in times of uncertainty and distress. Extensive thought and attention are evident in planning for children.”

Do you have a passion for making a positive impact on the lives of children and families? Would you like to use your experience and skills to achieve permanency for children and to support the development of less experienced social workers? If so, consider joining our dedicated and supportive service, where you can contribute to positively influencing the lives of children and families. This position is located in our safeguarding services at Welsman East & Central office.

The Role

The focus of this role is to ensure children have a clear and achievable pathway to permanency, whether through reunification with their family, adoption, special guardianship, or long-term foster care. The Permanency Specialist Social Worker will work primarily alongside the child’s social worker and team manager to support practice, maintain an overview of progress towards permanency and unblock barriers. They may undertake joint work and mentoring to ensure a safe and permanent outcome for the child and may be required to do some direct work such as undertaking a parenting assessment or CPR. You will play a pivotal role in providing support and intervention for families going through Court processes. You will need a deep understanding of child protection, family law, adoption, fostering, and permanency planning and be familiar with relevant legislation (e.g., Children Act 1989, Adoption and Children Act 2002, Care Planning, Placement and Case Review). Strong communication, report-writing skills and an inventive approach to achieving permanency are required.

What We Offer

• Generous Rewards: Flexible working, competitive pay, an excellent Local Government Pension scheme, and generous annual leave. See our social work microsite for benefits.
• Unrivalled Career Development: Innovative organisation with training and progression tailored for social workers.
• Ongoing Support: A supportive work environment with good management support.

Why Join Us

• Inspiring Culture: Our practice culture focuses on facilitating effective changes within families; staff are dedicated to Bristol\’s children and families.
• Supportive Environment: High levels of satisfaction in supervision and management support in complex situations.
• Learning Culture: A culture that values continuous improvement and learning.

Please note this role is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.

Why Bristol City Council?

We offer a fast-moving, supportive environment where you can develop new skills within a high-profile organisation. You’ll receive a rewards package including flexible working, flexitime, Local Government Pension scheme, and generous annual leave. You’ll contribute to making Bristol a better place.

How to Apply

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and we reserve the right to close this vacancy early. Please apply as soon as possible. To be shortlisted, demonstrate how you meet each essential criterion in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. We may shortlist against desirable criteria as well when numbers are high. References may be requested for candidates offered a job. For roles requiring DBS checks, references are requested after invitation to interview.

For permanent Bristol City Council employees, this post will be a secondment. For employees on a fixed-term contract, the secondment must not extend beyond the end of the fixed term. If you are currently a casual worker or agency staff, this post will be a fixed-term contract. We are a Disability Confident employer and will guarantee an interview to applicants who meet the essential criteria and request reasonable adjustments during the process.

We welcome diverse applicants and are committed to equality in hiring. The personal information section of the application form will be treated confidentially.