Social Worker - Children in Care

Do you have a passion for making a positive difference in the lives of Children in Care ?

We are interested in hearing from both experienced and newly qualified Social Workers who would like to join our Children in Care Team, working with children aged between 0 - 18 years.

Our Story:

Halton is a vibrant local authority with a rich history and heritage, featuring two iconic bridges that connect communities across the River Mersey. Located in Cheshire, Halton boasts excellent transport links between Liverpool and Manchester, as well as close proximity to both Liverpool John Lennon and Manchester Airports.

Our progressive community strategy aims to bring about meaningful, long-term improvements that enhance lives. It’s an exciting time to join us as we develop new policies and transform the way people access services.

We are immensely proud that when asked what’s great about working for Halton, the most popular response from our workforce has been ‘our colleagues’.

Our Team:

Our stable team consists of Social Workers, Community Support Workers, Personal Advisors and Outreach Workers as well as Team Managers, Service Managers and a supportive Head of Service.

Our service ensures that every child in care is carefully matched with carers who can meet their needs and support long-term permanency. Our focus is on providing safe, stable environments and achieving positive outcomes through long-term matching, family finding, or discharge where appropriate.

The team also focuses on supporting young adolescents to develop their independence skills through their pathway plans and prepare for the transition into adulthood, once they have turned 18.

Hours: 37 per week

Your Contributions:

As a Social Worker within our service, you will be responsible for care planning for children in care, ensuring they are safe, happy, and supported to achieve their goals. You will work closely with partner agencies to deliver high-quality care and positive outcomes for children and young people.

For this role, you must be a qualified Social Worker with knowledge of, and ideally post-qualifying experience in, working with Children in Care and Care Leavers, alongside key partner agencies as part of our corporate parenting responsibilities. However, comprehensive training is available, and newly qualified Social Workers will be supported through our Social Work Academy via the ASYE programme.

A full valid UK driving licence and access to a vehicle is also an essential requirement for this role.

Our Offer:

Aside from working with a great team, our employees have access to a fantastic range of benefits, including:

• A generous annual holiday allowance starting at 34 days per year (including bank holidays), increasing with long service

• Membership of our defined benefit, salary-linked Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with generous employer contributions

• 3 x Salary Life Cover via Local Government Pension Scheme

• Investment in your personal development

• Free Car Parking at HBC sites

• Flexible working arrangements

• Extensive employee benefits platform including discounted shopping, car leasing, gym memberships, wellbeing hub and Employee Assistance Programme

• A nurturing ASYE programme for newly qualified workers

• Opportunity for progression and continued professional development

A relevant market supplement amount is included in the advertised salary for each grade as follows:

Grade HBC7 - £2,710

Grade HBC8 - £2,710

Market Supplement's may be subject to early removal should there be rational to do so.

Next Steps:

At Halton Borough Council, we want all of our candidates to feel well-informed so if you would like to have an informal chat about this role, please contact Lyndsey Ratcliffe (Service Manager Children in Care) on 0151 511 8594.

Applications will be regularly reviewed and applicants invited to interview on an adhoc basis.

At Halton Borough Council we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce and a vital part of this is to encourage diversity in all respects. We are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and tailored to best suit the needs and strength of the individual. This includes making adjustments for people with a disability, neurodiversity or with long-term health conditions. If you require accommodations, please reach out during the recruitment process so that we can make this the best possible experience for you – resourcing@halton.gov.uk.

Please refer to the attached Job Profile for further information about the role and our values.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applications. If you’re interested, please complete your application as early as possible.

We look forward to receiving your application!