Consultant Social Worker in Somerset

Within our Family Safeguarding Teams, you will be able to work alongside adult-focused practitioners in the specialist areas of substance misuse, domestic abuse, and mental health, to inform assessments and plans. You will also work with children and families who are experiencing challenges around complex neglect, sexual harm, physical harm, risks outside of the home including child exploitation, and parental learning difficulties.

Here in Somerset, we support innovative and creative social work undertaking direct work with children and young people to hear their voice and understand their experiences. You will work with parents and the wider family network, with access to Family Group Conferencing, to support them to identify strengths, tackle problems and change interactions and behaviours. You'll be well supported with regular and reflective group and personal supervision.

What we are looking for...

You will need to be an experienced qualified social worker with a minimum of 3 years post qualification experience working with children and families in Safeguarding Social Work, and registered with Social Work England. It’s essential to have experience of managing court work / PLO and to have experience of adoption work and experience to qualify you to be able to write CPRs. You will be passionate about strengths-based practice, proud of your profession, and able to reflect and think creatively about how you can build relationships to make a difference to children and families. You will be flexible and innovative in your approach to practice and to leadership in social work. You will be a competent IT user, able to use or learn to use LiquidLogic. You will need to hold a full driving licence and have access to your own vehicle as travel is required within Somerset.

Responsibilities

• Act as the lead professional for the more complex cases and offer high level professional and statutory advice to other Social Workers.
• Undertake advanced assessments including court reports, child permanence records (CPRs) providing detailed outcome focused analysis of the main issues including risk and needs in relation to service users and carers so that, within relevant legislation, appropriate action is taken, monitored, and reviewed effectively.
• Specific responsibilities and duties relate to Permanence, Child Protection, legal work, Children Looked After, Fostering and Adoption.
• Represent the service in legal proceedings.
• Operate with a significant degree of professional independence and demonstrate competence through CPD and achievement of appropriate post qualification awards.
• Manage a workload within the designated function of complex and challenging cases with knowledge, skills and sensitivity or cases of sufficient risk and profile to warrant an experienced worker to work solely on it.
• Have an increased level of autonomy and decision making, based on experience and knowledge.
• Will report to the relevant manager on the progress of these cases.
• Chair appropriate meetings including strategy discussions, to ensure the effective review of plans and make any necessary amendments to ensure the quality of care required.
• Will be expected to identify and specify the need for immediate and future changes to improve practice wherever necessary.
• Able to model and facilitate reflective practice.
• Maintain performance and develop practice and expertise in line with personal targets as agreed through supervision and annual review.
• Contribute to the achievement of Key Performance Indicators identified through service planning.
• Work to the prescribed quality standards for service provision set out by the service for all workers and participate as required in any review of quality standards or professional practice in the postholder's area of expertise.