Social Worker/Senior Social Worker - First Response Team

Job Description

The London Borough of Harrow is pleased to offer an impactful opportunity for a Social Worker to join our First Response Team. As a key member of this service, you will help shape our success from the ground up, ensuring that children and families are assessed promptly and directed to the most appropriate services the first time. Operating at the local authority’s "front door," this team performs a critical assessment function to identify and address the diverse needs of Harrow’s community.

You will join a highly experienced group of professionals dedicated to an evidence-based practice model aimed at significantly improving outcomes for children and young people. This role requires a practitioner who thrives in a fast-paced environment and possesses the clinical reasoning to make sound decisions during the initial assessment phase. By providing high-quality, robust evaluations, you will play a vital role in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children.

At Harrow we offer manageable caseloads and supportive managers to ensure our children and young people are offered the best start.

In order to achieve this you will bring:

• A proven track record, experience of working and managing a caseload of child in need, child protection and assessing complex children and young people’s needs in Children’s Services.
• Social Work qualification Dip SW, BA (Hons) and/or Masters in Social Work.
• Enthusiastic to work within a team and independently with a manageable caseload and a good level of opportunities for career progression and training.
• Demonstrate an ability to build high quality relationship with children and families and across Children’s Services with internal and external partners.
• Managing a caseload of children in need and child protection
• Chairing professional meetings and managing plans
• Conducting S47 risk assessments jointly with partner agencies
• Presenting cases to child protection conferences
• Completing Single Assessments within timescales

The post is subject to enhanced DBS disclosure.

For more information, please refer to the Role Profile/Selection Criteria

About us

Harrow Council is the 12th largest London borough and one of the most culturally diverse local authorities in the UK, making it a great place to live, work and visit with a range of cultures, religions and opinions that come together to produce high achieving schools and a close and friendly community. Located 10 miles from the city centre and just 13 minutes to Euston from Harrow & Wealdstone station there are great transport links via the Metropolitan Line, Watford DC Line and national rail service. It is easily accessible to the M1, M25 and A406.

Other information

Support for candidates visit:Harrow.gov.uk Our behavioural indicators roles below G11 and above G11 Here at Harrow Council, the vision is one of 'Working together to make a difference for Harrow' Please click here to view Harrow Council's benefits

Important Note

To deliver our commitment to equality of opportunity in service provision, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs at the London Borough of Harrow. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender, reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, or maternity unless a Genuine Occupational Qualification applies. As such, we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds. For further information, please read our equality statement.

As a disability-confident employer, we are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and accessible to everyone. This includes reasonably adjusting the recruitment process for those with disabilities or long-term health conditions. For further information, please contact us at resourcing@harrow.gov.uk

London Borough of Harrow is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Harrow operates stringent, safer recruitment procedures.

Due to the high number of applications received for some posts, we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

Harrow redeployees will be given priority consideration.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, any your data protection rights, can be found by visiting www.cifas.org.uk/fpn