Social Work Assistant in Milton Keynes

We’re recruiting a Social Work Assistant to join our Children’s Services at Milton Keynes City Council. You’ll be part of a team that supports children in the care of Milton Keynes City Council. The team provides direct work and interventions, prepares children and young people for transitions, offers crisis intervention support, helps with education and health needs, and supports reunification home. The team supports on average 340 looked after children and young people who largely live in homes registered with Ofsted.

In this role you’ll work directly with children, young people, families and carers, offering practical and emotional support as part of a clear plan. You’ll work alongside social workers to gather information for assessments and to contribute to care plans through Family Support Meetings. You’ll help us deliver what matters most, by supporting our aim to make our city a better place to live.

This role requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check with barred list checks for children and adults.

This is a Site-Based role, and you’ll be expected to work from the designated workplace.

At Milton Keynes City Council, we aim to make a difference every day. We’re dedicated, respectful and collaborative. We act as one council, and we work hard to create cleaner, safer and healthier communities while tackling inequalities and supporting people to thrive.

• Work directly with children, young people, families and carers to deliver planned support in homes, placements and transition settings.
• Support social workers by gathering information for assessments and contributing to care plans and reviews through Family Support Meetings.
• Keep clear and timely records of your work and interactions in line with Children’s Social Care policies.
• Work with social workers and partner agencies to coordinate support that meets children’s needs, including education and health support.
• Take part in the team’s duty rota, including supported crisis intervention work when needed.
• Deliver all work in an anti-oppressive way, promoting equal opportunities and supporting children’s physical and emotional wellbeing.

• You understand Children’s Social Care responsibilities and you have experience of paid or voluntary work with children, young people and families.
• You communicate clearly and sensitively, and you write accurate records in a timely way.
• You can analyse information and produce clear summaries that children, families and colleagues can understand.
• You’re confident to question, challenge and solve problems to get the right support in place.
• You understand risk and you can observe, report and escalate concerns promptly, including when working alone.
• You organise your workload well and you work cooperatively with colleagues and other professionals to support children in care.

As part of the pre-employment checks, should you be offered the role, we’ll carry out an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, (unless you are currently registered with the DBS Update Service).

In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years. In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
• Excellent pension – everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support and a childcare subsidy.
• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
• Salary sacrifice car scheme - eligible employees can access low‐cost leasing of electric and low‐emission vehicles.
• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Why join us? Along with more on our Benefits, discover why Working at the City Council could be the right move for you.

Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.

We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference.

We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.

We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.