Social Worker (Level 2 & 3) - Children and Families First Teams

Safeguarding is everyone's business. While initial risk assessments take place in the Assessment Service, our Children and Families First teams provide longer-term intervention for families where level 4 support is needed to reduce risk and achieve positive change. You'll work with families where children have been assessed as being in need or at risk of harm. This includes supporting children subject to child in need and child protection plans, and in some cases, children at the early stages of being looked after. Our teams use a restorative practice framework and a range of interventions to address and reduce risk. Key areas of focus include co-production, safety planning, strong relationships with children, early permanence planning, and legal interventions where children are not considered safe in their family. There are 6 Children and Families First teams, each consisting of a Team Manager, Assistant Team Manager, 7 Social Workers, and a Family Support Practitioner. All statutory teams are co-located at the Civic Centre, Bournemouth, but work flexibly across the BCP area.

We're proud to have achieved a GOOD Ofsted rating (Dec 2024), and we're on an exciting improvement journey. Now, we're looking for experienced, passionate Social Workers to join our Children and Families First Teams and help us deliver outstanding care and support to the children and families who need us most.,

• Significant experience in frontline safeguarding social work
• Ability to manage complex referrals and casework
• Strong analytical, decision-making, and conflict resolution skills
• Experience mentoring less experienced staff or students
• Commitment to continuous professional development
• Willingness to undertake Practice Education training if not already qualified
You'll also need to be able to travel across the BCP area.

If you're reflective, proactive, resilient, and passionate about putting children's voices at the heart of everything you do, we'd love to hear from you. Find out more about our new terms and conditions in our 'More than just a job' brochure on our careers site. For an informal discussion, contact Vanessa Johns, Service Manager for Children and Families First and PLO & Court at vanessa.johns@bcpcouncil.gov.uk Apply today and help us make a difference. We're looking forward to welcoming new colleagues under this refreshed framework of pay, terms, and conditions. To promote fairness and consistency, all new starters will begin at the bottom of the pay band. This reflects our commitment to equity across the organisation and aligns with the approach taken with existing staff during the transition. While the starting salary is fixed, the role offers excellent scope for growth, meaningful contribution, and being part of a forward-thinking team. About BCP Council BCP Council provides services to a diverse community of 400,000 residents and employs more than 5,000 people. Our area includes over 15 miles of beautiful world-renowned coastline. We can offer career defining roles to transform and improve services. By working with us, you can help deliver a vision of a thriving, word-class, prosperous and inclusive place for generations to come. Our Benefits A Place to Thrive - Join BCP Council At BCP Council, we're not just building a workforce- we're transforming how we recognise and reward our people., Children's social care Could you play a part in delivering an outstanding service that improves the lives of the children in our community? If so, BCP Children's Services is looking for you. To transform and improve our services we are looking for committed and resilient social care professionals who will be fully supported to become the best practitioner that they can whilst developing a meaningful career. We are looking for colleagues to join us who think big, enjoy a challenge and can bring fresh ideas to our services in order to help enhance the lives of our local children in childhood and beyond. We want the best possible outcomes for children and young people across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Our children's services teams aim to create the right environment for social work to flourish and for our children and young people to achieve their goals and ambitions. If you're dedicated to making a real difference, have the skills, experience and commitment and if you want to be part of a team where your efforts and contributions will be noticed, we want to hear from you.

Our workforce says it best: "I've never felt so supported" "BCP is like one big family… which is really rewarding" "You can do lots of different direct work with children - last year I even went crabbing with a family on the beach. It was amazing!" Check out this video: A day in the life of three social workers at BCP Council on Vimeo