Social Worker - CYPDS - Children Social Care

About the Borough

The London Borough of Sutton is situated less than 30 minutes by train from Central London, with direct connections to London Victoria and London Bridge. Found in zone 5 with good transport links in and out of London, Sutton boasts award winning parks and open spaces, low crime rates, affordable housing and great schools. As well as high levels of resident engagement and satisfaction, providing quality services and success in addressing our financial challenges, whilst involving residents in key issues and high street changes.

Sutton is continuously investing in the health, wellbeing and education of our residents and the future generation, as set out in the “Ambitious for Sutton” corporate plan. We are home to the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together with the development of the London Cancer Hub, Sutton will be the world’s leading life-science district, specialising in cancer research and treatment. Our vision will create around 13,000 jobs while contributing £1.2bn to the UK economy each year, a vibrant community of scientists, doctors and innovative companies intended to deliver real benefits for cancer patients and drive economic growth. With the regeneration of the local areas with new homes and schools, Sutton is passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

The Council is seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment. As we strive to improve our services and spaces for our residents as set out in the ‘Ambitious for Sutton’ corporate plan, Sutton aims to shape the future of the borough and adapt to the needs of its residents to make our Borough a great place to live, work and raise a family.

About the Service and Team

Sutton's CYPDS consists of two social work teams, and a team of specialist support workers and provides a specialist service to children and young people with disabilities and their families. We are passionate about achieving the best outcomes for children and young people with disabilities, and promoting robust preparation for adulthood. We pride ourselves on engaging fully with children and young people, and ensuring that direct work is undertaken so their voices are heard. Our service has a strong learning culture, and there are many training opportunities. Our culture of strong, accessible and supportive management will provide you with good regular supervision and the opportunity to participate in restorative group supervisions.

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate

Social Workers on selected pay grades are eligible for our Welcome and Retention Bonus:

• £1000 paid in your first month salary and £1000 paid at the end of your 1st completed year in service.
• £2000 paid after your 2nd completed year in service.
• £3000 paid in your 3rd completed year in service and every completed year thereafter.
• Reimbursement of the Social Work England Registration.

With a total package up to £56,083 including bonuses and benefits, this is an excellent opportunity to advance your career in social care.

Social Workers within this service area are able to work flexibly between home and work to meet the needs of the service whilst recognising the benefits that a hybrid model of working can bring.

As a Social Worker within the Children and Young People's Disability Service (CYPDS) you will be responsible for a caseload of children on child-in-need plans, child protection plans, and some who may be looked after and subject to PLO or care proceedings. Your role will include the undertaking of all tasks associated with children under statutory frameworks. You will work closely with colleagues in Health and Education Services, and lead on creating short breaks support packages. You will also have the opportunity to develop skills in supporting young people in their preparation for adulthood, their transition to adult services, and parent carer needs assessments.

For more information about the role and/or an informal conversation, view the Role Profile or contact Andrea Bryant, Head of Service (andrea.bryant@sutton.gov.uk) or recruitment@kingston.gov.uk.

We welcome applications from Social Workers with significant experience in supporting children with disabilities, as well as social workers with experience of other statutory frontline children's services. You will have strong assessment, analytical and risk management skills combined with excellent communication skills. You will also be able to plan care packages and monitor and review their effectiveness.

In addition, we would expect the successful candidate to demonstrate the following competences (not limited to):

• You are a Qualified Social Worker with a Social Work degree or recognised qualification and registered with the relevant regulatory body Social Work England
• Have completed the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE)
• Hold the relevant skills, knowledge and aptitude to ensure that all vulnerable people are safeguarded from abuse and that all statutory functions, local policy, procedures are adhered to in a timely manner and documented accordingly.
• Compassionate and empathetic approach to work effectively with individuals and families affected by a learning disability
• Ability to demonstrate understanding, patience, and sensitivity when interacting with service users.

If you have experience in supporting children with disabilities to live an independent life, are competent in assessment and direct work, and are looking for the next challenging step in your career with a supportive management team, we encourage you to apply today!

Our Offer to You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 26-31 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade
• Enhanced Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Two volunteering days per year
• Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role)
• Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Application Process

Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections.

We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Sutton we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our PRIDE values.
Here at Sutton we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

As part of our award winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.