Social Worker

The Permanence Hub is pleased to offer three new and exciting opportunities for experienced and motivated Social Workers. The Permanence Hub is part of the Trust's corporate parenting service and has a clear focus on achieving permanence for children through safe reunification and kinship arrangements where this is in the child's best interests. The service supports children to safely exit local authority care through robust assessment, planning, intervention and support. The Permanence Hub works with children who are subject of Care Orders and living with parents under Placement with Parents Regulations, as well as children living within connected persons arrangements where carers are seeking Special Guardianship Orders (SGOs). The Permanence Hub consists of two teams, each comprising:

• 6 Social Workers 1 Reunification Worker 1 Family Support Worker
Working in line with Family First principles, the teams deliver focused assessment and intervention to support children, parents and alternative caregivers, ensuring timely permanence planning and improved outcomes for children., As a Senior Social Worker within the Permanence Hub, you will:
• Complete and review Placement with Parent (Regulation 17) Assessments.
• Contribute to Coram BAAF Form K Special Guardianship Assessments and the development of Special Guardianship Support Plans.
• Lead on the completion of Coram BAAF Form K Assessments and Special Guardianship Support Plans where the prospective Special Guardian is not being assessed through Sandwell Children's Trust Fostering Service.
• Work collaboratively with Reunification Workers and Family Support Workers to ensure identified needs are effectively addressed through targeted intervention and support.
• Complete high-quality assessments which provide clear analysis and evidence-based recommendations to inform permanence planning.
• Prepare court statements, care plans and support plans to support applications for Special Guardianship Orders and the discharge of Care Orders.
• Champion permanence planning and remain focused on achieving timely, child-centred outcomes.
• Demonstrate strong corporate parenting practice through purposeful visits, effective planning and high-quality recording.
  
  We welcome applications from Social Workers with experience of working with Children We Care For and permanence planning. We will also consider applications from practitioners who can demonstrate a strong interest in developing their skills and experience within reunification and kinship assessment work., To be successful in this role, you will:
• Hold a recognised Social Work qualification and be registered with Social Work England.
• Have successfully completed your ASYE within a Children and Families setting.
• Successfully progressed to Senior Social Worker.
• Have experience of working with children in care and an understanding of permanence planning.
• Possess a sound knowledge of legislation, statutory guidance and procedures relating to Children We Care For. Be skilled in assessment, analytical thinking and professional decision-making.
• Be able to identify strengths, risks and support needs and formulate clear recommendations.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to understanding and promoting the child's voice.
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Be organised, self-motivated and able to manage competing demands effectively.
• Be a confident team player with the ability to build positive, collaborative relationships with children, families and professionals.
  
  Sandwell Children's Trust - rated as a Good Provider.
At Sandwell Children's Trust, we firmly believe that the voice of the child should be at the centre of everything we do. We are on an ambitious journey to ensure that children and families in Sandwell are safe and empowered to thrive. Our 'Sandwell Deal', brings together our new improved offering that make Sandwell Children's Trust a great place to work; it also sets out our expectations of you as a member of staff., By joining our team, you will be making a real difference in the lives of children and families. We are dedicated to driving meaningful change and ensuring the best outcomes for those we serve. With the work that we have done so far and with the ambitions we have for the future, it's a really exciting time to join Sandwell Children's Trust and to become part of our Family., At Sandwell Children's Trust we strive for excellence to improve the lives of children. To achieve this, we know how important it is to retain and attract high performing, forward thinking and innovative people and provide them with all the support they need. With a culture of collaboration, partnership working and the child at the heart of everything we do, it really is an exciting time to join Sandwell Children's Trust. Working for us There are lots of great reasons to work with us in Sandwell Children's Trust. From a generous rewards package to a culture of learning and development. Our 12 reasons to work for Sandwell Children's Trust sets us apart as the place to grow your career and feel part of a great team. Please visit the Sandwell Deal and our 12 reasons via this hyperlink: https://sandwelldeal.co.uk, Sandwell sits in the heart of the West Midlands and has a diverse population of 341,729 people. While Sandwell is the 12^th most deprived local authority in England, it is a community where our families have high aspirations and where we pride ourselves on equality of opportunity and our adaptability and resilience.

What we can offer you:-
• A market supplement of £2,500 per annum.
• Retention bonus of £2,000 in year 1, £3,000 in year 2 and £5,000 in year 3.
• Generous annual leave of up to 31 days, plus 5 additional days for long service recognition.
• Your birthday off paid in addition to annual leave entitlement and 8 Bank Holidays, plus a concessionary day at Christmas.
• You will receive a generous local government career average pension scheme with employer contributions of 21.6%.
• We recognise individual loyalty with service awards from 2, 5, 10 and every 5 years onwards.
• Flexible working patterns that suit you and all of our roles have well-defined career progression.
• We provide competitive expenses for both mileage (55p per mile) and subsistence, plus access to a comprehensive employee benefits scheme., £46,753 - £52,317 per annum and a relocation allowance of up to £6,500 plus, excellent benefits. Additionally, we pay a retention bonus of up to £10,000 over 3 years.
12 month fixed term contract Hybrid Working - full time 37 hours per week We are proud to create an environment where our employees are nurtured, caseloads are manageable and continuous professional development is encouraged. With a culture of collaborative working and the child at the heart of everything we do, there's never been a more exciting time to join the Trust.,
• Flexible working patterns that suit you and all of our roles have well-defined career progression.
• Access to our Learning & Development portal offering virtual training programmes, learning & development info bursts, learning events and much more.
• The latest technology enabling more effective and streamlined working.
• Detailed and effective appraisals to strengthen your practice.
• Access to a range of family friendly policies.
Benefits & Rewards
• Up to £6,500 re-location package
• Generous annual leave entitlement, plus 5 additional days for long service recognition.
• The opportunity to purchase up to 10 days additional holiday through our salary sacrifice scheme.
• Your birthday off paid in addition to annual leave entitlement and 8 bank holidays, plus a concessionary day at Christmas.
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme, this is a nationwide career average scheme with employer contributions of 21.6%.
• We recognise individual loyalty with service awards from 2, 5, 10 and every 5 years onwards.
• Reimbursement of Social Work England registration
• 24/7 access to free and confidential employee counselling service
• Access to a range of discounts on products and services
• Salary sacrifice schemes for cars, bikes and technology.
• Refer a friend scheme
• Wellbeing initiatives and forums
• Discounted gym membership
• Eye care vouchers