Social Worker: Assessment & Child Protection

Here in Swindon we have a clear vision and plans to reduce the need for children to come into our care with our new adolescent offer and edge of care work. We are continually working as a partnership to ensure our children are safe. We’re making a real difference to the lives of the children and families we work with in Swindon. Join us and be part of that difference.

Our Children’s Service is rated 'Good' by Ofsted, and we are proud that our Youth Justice Service has just received an outstanding outcome at their recent inspection. We are committed to ensuring that all our children reach their full potential.

We have implemented the Family Safeguarding Model in 2022, a new multi-disciplinary approach that supports a whole-system change to child protection for children up to adolescence, focusing on supporting the needs of children and adults so that children can safely remain within their families. This is a great opportunity to join us now and be part of this pioneering work as we continue to learn from multi-agency family work and support more families to look after their children in their families and wider communities.

We have an established and growing ASYE programme, linked to our Social Care & Leadership Academy, offering mentoring support, fostering a culture of learning and challenge, manageable caseloads and good quality supervision, as we commit and invest in growing our own talent, as well as our experienced social workers.

We have an opportunity for qualified, experienced and advanced social workers to join the Assessment and Child Protection Team. The team is made up of 5 PODs managed by 5 Assistant Team Managers and 2 Team Managers. Each POD of 4 Social Workers and their Assistant Team Manager is on duty once every 5 weeks. During the duty week, social workers in the team are allocated a caseload of children who require a statutory assessment or child protection investigation; these assessments inform the development of their plan. Some children require ongoing support from within our communities, or Family Intervention and Support Service, while others may require a Child in Need or Child Protection Plan. We strive to ensure smooth transitions for all of our children.

If successful, you will join a welcoming, supportive and nurturing team where expectations for children are high. You will receive monthly reflective supervision. We want to support your development and offer a range of training opportunities which can support in the progression of your career.

We require all social workers to have a degree or diploma in Social Work, full Social Work England registration and a proven ability to work in partnership with children, young people, parents, carers and partners. A strong strengths-based approach and child-centred value base that informs the work with children, young people and families is essential. Excellent interpersonal skills to engage and motivate children, young people and their families in a range of circumstances are necessary. Effective assessment, analysis and planning skills and excellent direct work skill base and knowledge that can be shared with colleagues across the team are required. Your aspirations should be limitless, and you will be as determined and passionate about Children’s Services as we are.

As a local authority, we continuously drive forward improvements in our services. We want our Social Workers to be part of our transformation, contribute to improving the safeguarding of our children, and we will make sure you have the full support network and training to do it. Our teams are ambitious and proactive, and we are looking for people who will share that ambition and be a part of our journey.

We are dedicated to ensuring that you can progress your continued professional development and access training and learning opportunities linked to the BASW competencies for career progression. We have an established Social Work & Leadership Academy. The Academy aims to celebrate the best in professional practice in Social Work and Social Care Leadership. The Academy represents an opportunity for us to demonstrate how we support, develop and value the professional disciplines in Social Work and Social Care through a targeted framework of career development and learning opportunities.

Your next package includes a relocation allowance of up to £8,000 (eligibility criteria applies), competitive salaries, free car parking at our central Swindon campus and easy commuter links to many locations. As an employee, you will receive a diverse and exciting environment in which to work, encouraging creativity and innovation whilst recognising the need to support ongoing personal development and a flexible work-life balance.

For Swindon to thrive in the future, we need to lay the foundations now. It’s why our regeneration and transformation programmes are already underway. You’ll be joining us at an exciting time on our journey. We’ll look to you to share your knowledge, influence decisions and drive real, positive change. With your contributions, we’ll achieve our vision of a prosperous, revitalised Swindon together. And you’ll be proud to say it was made better with you.