Social Worker - (Perm/Full Time) - REF:HSCP/80529 - INV06777 in Greenock

Salary: Grade 8 £46,204 - £48,924

Location: James Watt Buildings

Hours Per Week: 37 Hours

Join a service that is transforming how children and families receive support. Inverclyde Children's Services is investing in relationship-based practice, early help and support and workforce development so social workers can focus on what matters most. The Request for Assistance Team is the front door to Children and Families Social Work, playing a vital role in responding to concerns, supporting early decision-making and ensuring children and families receive the right response at the right time.

This post offers the opportunity to work across a range of statutory responsibilities, including child protection, with a strong focus on screening, assessment and proportionate decision-making at the point of referral. Inverclyde is committed to delivering high-quality, relationship-based and trauma-informed practice, underpinned by the principles of The Promise. We have introduced Signs of Safety and Healing as our practice framework, supporting strengths-based, collaborative and transparent work with children, families and partner agencies.

As a Social Worker within the Request for Assistance Team, you will:

• Undertake timely screening and initial assessment of referrals, ensuring clear and proportionate responses.
• Use the Signs of Safety approach to inform decision-making and planning.
• Work collaboratively with families and partner agencies to identify risk, strengths and next steps.
• Be supported to thrive as a confident and valued practitioner with regular high-quality supervision.

This post is ideally suited to a Social Worker with experience in child protection practice, who is confident in their assessment skills and comfortable working within a fast-paced team environment while undertaking short-term interventions with children and families. However, if you are new to social work with children and families or are a newly qualified social worker we would still be keen to consider your application and how your skills and experience could fit into one of our other teams.

You will find that Inverclyde is a great place to work. We are small enough to be agile and responsive, with a visible and engaged senior management team, allowing you to make a real difference, while offering strong professional support, development opportunities and contributing to a positive team culture.

If you are due to complete your postgraduate social work qualification, we offer a programme that, subject to criteria, will reimburse your final year tuition fees if you are successful in your application.

If this sounds like where you’re meant to be, we would love to hear from you. For an informal discussion about this exciting opportunity and to learn more about our ambition for the future, contact either Lesley Ellis, Service Manager or Yvonne Lynch.

The attached recruitment pack includes further information in relation to Inverclyde HSCP, the Person Specification and Job Description which details the qualifications, skills, knowledge and competencies that are required for this post.

Inverclyde Council offers a wide range of benefits to employees including flexible working opportunities, attractive pension schemes, a Buy and Bank Annual Leave Scheme, career development and health and wellbeing support.

Inverclyde Council is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce and welcomes applications from all members of the community. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK as we do not hold a sponsorship license.

Vetting by Disclosure Scotland: If you work in regulated work (children and/or protected adults) you will be subject to obtaining a satisfactory PVG. A small number of posts require a Standard or Basic Disclosure check and the majority of all other posts will complete a Criminal Convictions Form. All disclosure checks are obtained via Disclosure Scotland. If you are the successful candidate you will be required to pay the cost of the disclosure check required for your post.

Regulatory Bodies: If your post requires registration with a Regulatory Body such as HCPC or SSSC etc., you are required to obtain and maintain registration including paying any fees for HCPC. As part of the local government pay deal, local authority staff are no longer required to pay SSSC fees.

Inverclyde Council welcomes applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.

Inverclyde Council recognises the mutual benefits of having a flexible, effective workforce to deliver the best services to our community, whilst enabling employees to balance their personal, home and work responsibilities more effectively, with a view to achieving greater job satisfaction, motivation, morale and productivity.