Duty Social Worker

Our Social Workers make a huge difference to the lives of people across our county, and we remain passionate about investing in retaining our own and developing practice and this an exciting opportunity which offers just that. In Staffordshire we focus on providing children and families with the right help at the right time. This is an exciting opportunity within the Lichfield District of Staffordshire to joint the Duty & Assessment Team under a temporary/fixed term contract for 9 months. This will provide valuable experience in supporting our local families from point of referral, through assessment and short term intervention, whilst making child focussed decisions, recommendations and actions for ongoing support if required.Main Responsibility You will:

• be within the Lichfield Duty & Assessment Team; covering child in need (s17) and child protection (s47) child and family assessment as well as short term interventions.
• be required to work with colleagues and partners to ensure timely and collaborative escalation and de-escalation procedures.
• work within the framework of legislation, agreed council policies and procedures to work with or on behalf of children, young people and their families, to improve their well-being, and promote their independence.
• be supporting families facing challenging situations, and managing complex issues. All with the support and oversight from line management, Advanced Social Workers and Social Work Practice Lead.
  
  You must have:
• A social work degree and be Social Work England (SWE) registered
• Knowledge of legislation and guidance underpinning delivery of children's social care e.g. Childrens Act, Working Together, Adoption Act, Every Child Matters
• Knowledge and skills in supporting assessment and formulating plans for children and young people
• Demonstrated ability in improving outcomes for children and young people
• Examples of creative social work practice to keep children and young people within their families where safe to do so.
• Full UK Driving Licence
• Effective verbal and written communication skills to engage with a range of audiences
• Experience of interagency working
  
  The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.
Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy: We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future. We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too. Our benefits: We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire