Social Workers

We're seeking dedicated, qualified and experienced Social Workers to join our Assessment teams. We are a supportive, focused, and inspirational service. Our shared purpose is to nurture independence and freedom of choice in our children, young people, and families, helping them to achieve the best possible outcomes. All our staff work together to build and maintain a centre of excellence and best practice. In return for your hard work, we will give you the time and active support you need to make a difference. Promoting creativity is at the heart of our agenda to develop social work; you will be encouraged to share ideas, bring about positive change, and strive to continuously improve outcomes for our vulnerable children and young people.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct assessments of children and young people's circumstances and issues to determine intervention/referral to the appropriate service.
• Plan and implement interventions and actions for allocated cases.
• Monitor and review cases.
• Assess in more complex cases, with guidance.
• Provide professional advice and guidance to colleagues and partner agencies supporting children and young people.
• Liaise internally and externally and work with colleagues from other agencies to ensure children, young people and carers are supported.
• Carry out all duties with an awareness and understanding of the safeguarding requirements within area of responsibility.
• Provide advice and support to children and young people to assist in completing financial assessments.
• Proactively develop professional knowledge, skills and behaviours.
• Act in accordance with all policies and procedures which apply to the job and understand the reasons for this.

Requirements:

• Proven social work experience/placement in children and families setting/minimum of one year's post-qualifying experience.
• Demonstrable knowledge and experience of issues relating to children in need, child protection and looked-after children, including relevant legislation, guidance and procedures.
• Experience of service delivery which is culturally sensitive and responsive to the needs of a multi-cultural community.
• Able to prioritise and effectively work under pressure.
• Managing a quality service by ensuring key performance indicators relating to service areas are met.
• Ability to work well within a team and maintain clear and regular reporting lines to line manager and senior team members.
• Display agile behaviours and understand change at any given moment and respond to it effectively.
• Ability to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing, and to follow through on required actions.
• Commitment to the participation of children, young people and their families both at an individual and service level.
• In rare emergency situations, the ability to work flexible or unsocial hours at short notice.
• This role is subject to safer recruitment practices as it involves work with children and/or vulnerable adults.
• Satisfactory DBS check; Enhanced.
• Continued professional body registration.
• As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English.

Desirable:

• Have an understanding of the Children Acts 1989 and 2004 and other relevant legislation, procedures and guidance relating to children and families.
• Awareness of current issues in childcare policy and practice.
• Commitment to the Council's Equal Opportunities Policy and acceptance of responsibility for its practical application.
• Knowledge of current disability inclusion and accessibility best practices.

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a welcoming and exciting place to work. We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have tight-knit and diverse communities. Our work is always resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded: we are a borough focused on meeting and exceeding the needs of our existing and future residents.

London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the employers. This accreditation is proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace wellbeing, skills, progression and diversity.

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the Council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The Council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council.