Senior Social Worker Uk Sponsorship Available

Job Description

JOB SUMMARY

Senior Social Worker – Children’s Specialist Support Team – Children’s Social Care, Bracknell Forest Council.

An amazing chance for an experienced social worker to join our disability team and make a difference in the lives of children and young people with exceptional needs.

The Children’s Specialist Support Team is a multi-professional service that provides “appropriate aid at the right time” for children with disabilities and their families.Our staff supports children and young people up to 18 with impairments and complex needs, promoting safety and happiness for both them and their families.

The Designated Social Care Officer for SEND is based in the team and collaborates with Children’s Social Care to ensure proper oversight of children’s SEND when receiving services from other social care teams.​

You will be in charge of a caseload of disabled children, including those in need, those covered by Child Protection Plans, those in care, and those whose Care Proceedings have been commenced. You will be responsible for completing assessments, devising care plans, and ensuring that appropriate services are provided to each child’s specific requirements.

We are a modest, welcoming, and pleasant local authority. Our leadership team understands the importance of providing Social Workers with a secure physical and psychological foundation from which to perform at their best. We are proud of our connected and inclusive culture, which prioritises wellbeing and gives you a strong sense of belonging.

Bracknell Forest Council has a nationally known practice model called the ‘Family Safeguarding Model’.

The integrated Family Safeguarding Model is based on Motivational Interviewing (MI), and it focuses on working collaboratively with families to keep them together when it is safe. Empowering families, children, and young people allows parents to make good adjustments for better results for their children and themselves.

Ofsted has evaluated us as “outstanding.”In June 2022, Ofsted determined during our inspection that

“Children with impairments and their families receive specialised help that enhances their experiences”.

Inspectors concluded that social workers and other frontline practitioners benefit from reasonable caseloads, adequate training, and effective and reflective supervision that places children at the centre of decision making.

In November 2023, our Ofsted monitoring visit revealed:

• Social workers are often supervised by their managers.
• Caseloads are reasonable, giving professionals time to connect with children.
• Social workers are quite happy about working in Bracknell forest.
• The quality and impact of social work practice for children in care, particularly impaired children, has steadily improved.
• Senior leaders have a thorough understanding of children’s development. This allows them to keep a clear awareness of the strengths and opportunities for improvement in services for children in care, including impaired children.
• Disabled children’s requirements for permanence are carefully recognised. They are well-matched with their carers on panel.
• Adult services facilitate effective transition planning for children who will require ongoing care as they grow into adulthood.
• The youngsters are also given appropriate life journey tasks to assist them understand their time in care. This is supplied in response to their communication needs.

Children’s Social Care is to improve the lives of Bracknell’s children and make a positive impact.

Because we are Bracknell Forest.

What’s it like to work in our team?

The Children’s Specialist Support Team (CSST) is a highly skilled group that works with children who have disabilities and/or severe health requirements. We are an experienced, pleasant, and supportive team dedicated to putting children first in everything we do. We offer a variety of services to children with special needs and those who have been assessed as having increased vulnerability. This covers the Council’s legal obligations for disabled children in need in the community (such as care packages and short getaways).

The team is an eclectic mix of different service areas covering a wide breadth of work with children with disabilities, occupational therapy, short breaks (including Larchwood, our short break respite unit), taking a child-centered and social model approach – partnership and collaborative working is the key to our success.

The team is well-integrated with local partners, and it collaborates with specialists in domestic abuse, mental health, and substance addiction.

Social workers have the tools to help families form meaningful relationships and make long-term changes. To help you provide high-quality, consistent social work, we have a thorough learning and development programme led by our Principal Social Worker. We offer resilience groups, well-being events, regular, reflective one-on-one and group supervision, and peer support. Bracknell Forest is an excellent environment to learn and grow your practice.

You will be assisted in carrying out the following duties and responsibilities…

You will be in charge of a caseload of disabled children, including those in need, those covered by Child Protection Plans, those in care, and those whose Care Proceedings have been commenced. You will be responsible for completing assessments, devising care plans, and ensuring that appropriate services are provided to each child’s specific requirements.

Please see the attached job description for additional information.

You will receive the following benefits:

• An inclusive and social work atmosphere.
• Generous holiday annual leave entitlement.
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Internal sports and social club activities, with subsidised leisure centre and gym membership.
• Supermarket Discount
• A fantastic office site near to the refurbished town core (Lexicon).
• Opportunities for flexible and agile employment.
• Social Work England registration expenses will be reimbursed.

What we are looking for

The children and young people we work with have informed us that social workers should:

• Be personable, entertaining, and energetic.
• Listen respectfully, take action, and adhere to deadlines.
• Keep promises, be available, and on time.
• If you’re also:
• An knowledgeable and dedicated advocate for children
• A dependable practitioner who can establish trusting relationships with children and young people while providing stability and ambition during your time with us.
• An experienced social worker with extensive experience working with children with disabilities and their families.
• An experienced social worker with a demonstrated capacity to manage challenging cases.

An experienced social worker with a thorough understanding of relevant legislation, including safeguarding and child protection processes.

Then we would appreciate your application.

Interview date

Closing date: 30.06.2024.

In-person interview date: 12.07.2024

Interviews will be held in person, allowing candidates to meet the team and gain firsthand experience with our workplace. Furthermore, this strategy enables the recruiting manager and team to make contacts with potential team members.

Want to ask us a question?

For an informal talk or to ask inquiries regarding this position. Kindly contact:

Catherine Lloyd, Team Manager: Catherine.Lloyd@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.

Bracknell Forest values equality, diversity, and inclusion, and we welcome applications from applicants of all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, handicap, or age. As a Disability Confident Employer, please contact our team at recruitment@bracknell-forest.gov.uk if you require any changes during the recruiting process.

At Bracknell Forest Council, we strive to foster an open, ambitious, and always-learning working culture that fosters wellbeing.We encourage our employees to prioritise their own well-being and support one another, allowing them to be themselves, perform at their best, and provide great care to our residents. The Bracknell Forest Council Wellbeing Network consists of different staff wellbeing support groups; we now have 35 Wellbeing Champions who are all qualified Mental Health First Aiders, a Disability and Neurodiversity Staff Forum, and a Pause for Menopause Open Forum.

We will assess applications on a regular basis and have the right to close the advertisement early if appropriate applicants are identified. To minimise disappointment, you should send your application as soon as possible.

Bracknell Forest Council is devoted to protecting and promoting the well-being of children and vulnerable individuals. We expect everyone who works with us to share this commitment. As part of our pre-employment screening procedure, all successful candidates for this position will undergo a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate their experience working within the present Social Care System and Framework.

The Council can reimburse you for your Social Work England registration fees.

We can only accept applications from people who currently reside in the United Kingdom.

Candidates in the UK seeking sponsorship can assess their eligibility for the post by comparing their circumstances to the applicable criteria.

No agencies, please.

Equal opportunities

Bracknell Forest Council: Working for Equality. We encourage applications from all areas of the community.

How to apply?

Please apply online using the link provided.

Please keep in mind that we will not accept CVs that are not accompanied by a properly completed online application.