Senior Social Worker - MACPT

Job Description

Discover yourself in Lewisham where what you do makes a difference to our vibrant and culturally diverse communities !

We have a rich history of welcoming people from all over the world and are proud to be recognised as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary, for our work in championing the rights of refugees and migrants.

Introduction

An exciting opportunity is available as part of the DfE Pathfinder project. We are seeking an experienced social worker to become a Senior Practitioner in one of the newly established Multi Agency Child Protection Teams.

What’s the role ?

This role will play a key part in the supporting the development of the team and is an exciting opportunity to influence social work practice on a local and national level. The successful candidate will be able to work effectively across the multi-agency partnership to ensure the safeguarding of children in Lewisham.

The successful candidate will have recent experience of working in frontline operational safeguarding practice and a thorough knowledge of child protection and PLO/court processes and accompanying legislation

The Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams will be responsible for the following core areas of work:

• Chair or attend all strategy discussions
• Co-work all s47 enquiries with Family Help
• Co-work all child protection cases with Family Help
• Chairing of child protection conferences
• Provide QA, consultation & advice across all stages of child protection work
• Co-work all Public Law Outline cases
• Co-work early stages of care proceedings

The successful candidate will have considerable experience of working in frontline operational safeguarding practice and a thorough knowledge of child protection and PLO/court processes and accompanying legislation. You will be experienced in building effective working relationships with key partner agencies such as health, education and the police.

The Role

The Senior Social Worker will sit within the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team and will have responsibilities in working alongside members of the Family Help service where there are concerns regarding significant harm to children.

This is a crucial role which requires strong practice knowledge and experience, and a proactive approach to contribute to a positive team culture within a multi-agency staff group. The role will require you to work closely with other teams in children’s social care, developing and maintaining relationships with staff and our partner agencies.

About You

Those applying for this post will need to have

• Minimum 2 years post qualifying experience in frontline safeguarding practice
• Experience working with families in PLO and care proceedings
• Experience in supervising or developing less experienced staff

The person applying must have a thorough technical knowledge of the requirements of Working Together 2023, the Pan London Child Protection Procedures and other relevant safeguarding statutory guidance. A track record of working within practice improvement and an in depth understanding of the Signs of Safety practice framework are essential.

You will work alongside your team to promote and deliver the objective, that all children and young people in Lewisham are safe and reach their full potential.

You will need to be a skilled and reflective practitioner with a clear vision of what good practice with children and families looks like. You will be able to make effective decisions regarding children’s safety and use your skills to support change and improvement.

You will need to be a registered social worker and have recent proven frontline operational experience and be able to demonstrate your experience, skill, and ability to think strategically and embed the strategic objectives into operational practice. You will need to evidence reflective and creative practice.

A child focused approach is essential, ensuring that the views of Lewisham children are central to developing and delivering services.

Our Vision - What Good Children’s Social Work Looks Like in Lewisham

In Lewisham Children’s Social Care, we know what good social work looks like and we are passionate about creating the right conditions and culture for good practice to thrive.

• Families are respected and supported to stay together, whenever there is safety.
• Families will tell us they understand why we are involved.
• Children will tell us their social worker has made a difference to their lives.
• Children who are in our care know we care and we won’t give up on them.
• Young people who have been in our care feel confident about their future.

Creating an Inclusive Lewisham

A core value of Lewisham Council is to 'draw on the diversity of our communities to create a more inclusive Lewisham'. We believe that freedom from discrimination and equality of opportunity are fundamental rights, and that each person should be valued regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, gender re-assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, or age. Social inclusion lies at the heart of everything we do as a Council in our roles as an employer, a provider of services and a community leader.

What’s in it for you ?

Excellent training and development opportunities, plus a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday allowance
• Local Government Pension scheme
• Flexible working and family friendly policies
• Season ticket and bicycle loans
• A range of staff discounts including local subsidised gym memberships
• Supportive staff networks

What we’re looking for

If you want to work in a thriving borough and our social work vision connects with your professional values, then we are interested in hearing from you. We are looking for people to join our team who:

• value the importance of communication and seeking feedback
• can inspire and motivate those they work with, manage and lead
• are committed to developing their skills and expertise to deliver an excellent service
• are professionally curious and value thinking slowly and calmly in a balanced way
• work inclusively, collaboratively with others recognising their strengths
• take responsibility and make a positive contribution by focusing on solutions
• are transparent, are appreciative in enquiry, reflect and learn.

Location

The job is primarily based in Laurence House, Catford, London, SE6 4RU but we operate a hybrid approach where you will be required to work both in the office and from home on a regular basis.

Special conditions

• To apply for this post, you must have a degree in social work or equivalent qualification
• be registered with Social Work England
• The job is subject to an enhanced DBS check

The recruitment process is anonymous and we don’t accept CV’s.

Applicant handbook- please read the guidance in this handbook when applying. It is essential that you complete the application fully and that your supporting statement covers how you meet each of the person specification criteria listed.

For an informal discussion about the role and recruitment process, please email LewishamWorkforceDevelopmentGroup@lewisham.gov.uk with your contact details and we will call you to discuss the role in more detail.

Further information

Lewisham Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.

We value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds

Please click here to view the Job Description and Person Specification

Salary

£50,175 - £52,269 per annum (SSW/ SCP 35 – 37)

N.B: All appointments will be offered at the minimum spinal column point (SCP) for the grade of the role. The only exception to this will be when matching current salary (up to the maximum of the scale), which is subject to evidential proof.

Diversity

Lewisham Council is a Disability Confident employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply

The Council has a dedicated employment support service, Lewisham Works, which offers Lewisham residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you want to join Lewisham Works, please email JobsAndSkills@lewisham.gov.uk and an advisor will be in touch with you.

The Council reserves the right to close adverts early if there is a large response.

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