Social Work Assistant - Special Guardian Support and Therapeutic Fostering Team

In Kent, we are extremely proud of our Fostering Service and due to new opportunities being created within the Kent Fostering Service we are seeking a dynamic and highly motivated Social Work Assistant to join the Special Guardian and Therapeutic Support Team. Our paramount concern is the safeguarding of children and young people and this team will be offering support to carers holding a Special Guardianship Order and therapeutic support to mainstream foster carers to ensure that children's needs continue to be met to reach their individual potential. In order to achieve this we offer advice, information and supervision to guardians who need our help alongside making applications to access the Adoption Support Fund to give additional therapeutic support when required to children in their care. The team also offers a therapeutic service to foster carers caring for children in care via our in-house Senior Therapists. These children and young people can present with a wide range of complex
needs and there are times when both they and their carers will need extra support.

The role will consist of working directly with carers, children and young people in the community. Therefore the successful applicant will need to have experience in working with children and an understanding of the ways in which trauma can impact on a child's development and behaviour. It will also require an understanding of resilience and an ability to support carers, children and young people with this, by drawing on community resources. Applicants will need to be organised as well as having an ability to establish and maintain clear communication around work undertaken and outcomes. This will include having good oral and written communication skills, being computer literate and being able to work effectively on their own initiative and as part of a team. They must be able to demonstrate a sensitive and empathetic response to children, young people and their carers in addition to having an awareness of safeguarding and equal opportunities issues.

This role will offer plenty of opportunities to undertake training while working in partnership with carers, multidisciplinary colleagues and other agencies, including the voluntary sector.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Work that works for you and us - let's talk flexibility!

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note - if you are interested, please apply soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.