Advanced Social Work Practitioner

Are you passionate about making a difference to our citizens and the district that they reside in? Then, we have an exciting opportunity for you to join our team.

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Advanced Social Work Practitioner to join Wakefield's Emergency Duty Team (EDT).

The EDT provides an emergency social work response outside normal office hours for children and young people where there are concerns of significant harm or where urgent statutory intervention is required. Working as part of a small and experienced team, you will play a vital role in safeguarding children, making timely decisions and working alongside partner agencies to ensure children receive the right support when they need it most.

The Emergency Duty Team forms part of Wakefield's Integrated Front Door and is co-located with West Yorkshire Police at Havertop Police Station, Normanton. The successful applicant will be subject to full police vetting.

About the Role:

• The Children's Emergency Duty Team operates 365 days a year and provides an out-of-hours service on behalf of Children's Social Care.

  As an Advanced Social Work Practitioner, you will respond to safeguarding concerns involving children and young people up to the age of 18 and make decisions where urgent intervention is required. You will work closely with a range of partner agencies to safeguard vulnerable children and support positive outcomes for families.

  This is a rewarding opportunity to work within a specialist service alongside experienced practitioners in a supportive and well-established team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Respond to safeguarding concerns and emergency situations involving children and young people outside normal office hours.
• Make informed decisions where there are concerns of significant harm and urgent intervention is required.
• Work closely with partner agencies to safeguard children and young people.
• Provide professional advice, guidance and consultation to colleagues and partner agencies.
• Ensure children and families receive timely and proportionate interventions in line with statutory responsibilities.
• Produce high-quality reports, case recordings and decision-making records.
• Contribute to maintaining high standards of practice across the Emergency Duty Team.
• Participate in a rota-based shift system to ensure the delivery of an effective out-of-hours service. This includes working 16:00 to 00:00 shifts across Monday to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:00 shifts on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, and undertaking overnight on-call duties following midnight as part of the EDT rota.

What will be expected from me?

• You will be an experienced children's social worker with a strong understanding of safeguarding, child protection and statutory intervention.
• You will be confident making decisions in complex situations, often with limited information and within demanding timescales.
• You will have the ability to work autonomously, exercising professional judgement and taking responsibility for decision-making within statutory and organisational frameworks.
• You will have strong analytical skills and be able to identify and effectively manage risk.
• You will build positive working relationships with children, families, colleagues and partner agencies.
• You will communicate effectively and demonstrate sound professional judgement when responding to emergency situations.
• You will contribute to a culture of high-quality practice, learning and continuous improvement.
• You will be able to remain resilient, organised and effective when managing competing demands in a fast-paced out-of-hours environment.

Essential requirements:

• BA or MA in Social Work, Diploma in Social Work or equivalent qualification recognised by Social Work England.
• Registered with Social Work England.
• Significant post-qualifying experience working with children and families within statutory children's social care.
• Experience of making complex decisions and managing risk.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with children, families, colleagues and partner agencies.
• Ability to produce high-quality written reports and records.
• Practice Educator Stage 1 qualified.
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for work purposes.

What can I expect?

• A competitive salary
• Generous holiday entitlement with the option to buy up to 10 extra days of annual leave
• Hybrid working (subject to role suitability)
• Access to high-quality training programs to advance your career to the next level.
• We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our staff. We recognise that resilient teams need good work life balance as well as supportive leadership.
• Discounted and subsidised public transport (Arriva Bus Annual Travel Ticket, Northern Trains Limited (NTL), MetroCard).
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and a Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC) scheme providing a tax efficient way to increase our pension.
• Great range of benefits including an Employee Assistant Programme, discounted membership to our excellent leisure facilities with free 12 weeks exercise program, discounts for a range of retail, entertainment, health and leisure providers, a cycle to work scheme, and many more

Want to know more?

If you would like to know more about the role, the recruitment process or working for Wakefield Council, feel free to contact.

Name: Caroline Pickard

Tel: 01924 303456

E-mail: carolinepickard@wakefield.gov.uk

Join us and make a real impact in the community. Apply today to become a valued member of our team!

Safeguarding

Wakefield Council is wholly committed to ensuring children and vulnerable adults are fully supported and safe. We are dedicated to the safeguarding of all children and vulnerable adults whilst promoting their welfare. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this responsibility.

DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service)

The successful applicant will be required to complete a Disclosure Application Form and to provide criminal conviction information.

Probation

In accordance with the Council Probation Procedure, this post is subject to a 6-month Probationary Period.

Fluency Duty

To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 (Fluency Duty), public facing roles will be subject to the Fluency Duty.

Diversity

Having a diverse workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve helps us to achieve the best outcomes for all. We encourage applications from everyone and actively seek to ensure that everyone feels included in the workplace so that we can make the most of our differences.

Why Wakefield

To find out more about the benefits of working at Wakefield Council, click here.