Advanced Social Worker

Our South Staffordshire Children in Care and Care Leavers Team supports the district's cared for children and young people to enable them to achieve their very best outcomes throughout their childhoods and into adulthood.

As an Advanced Social Worker you will have close links to the Assessment & Staying Together Teams and the Children in Care Teams based in the Stafford and South Staffordshire District with a particular focus on those young people in care or Care Leavers, age 16-25 years old.

Our purpose is to make a difference to the lives of children, young people and families across the county, working with agency partners to provide the most positive experience for children and young people and delivering dynamic and child centred care planning to the children and young people we are supporting.

This opportunity is to cover maternity leave for a period of 12 months.

You'll be responsible for:

• Line managing a team of Personal Advisor’s who provide advice, guidance and support to all Care Leavers (18-25 years old). This also includes young people age 16 & 17 years old. 
• You'll provide the highest level of professional leadership, motivation and direction to the Personal Advisor's, ensuring that the service provided is effective and meets the needs of young people and their support networks.
• Manage the allocation of work and  the day to day practice of the Personal Advisor's, ensuring that work is progressed in accordance with the statutory frameworks. Also to assist with the sign off of records such as Pathway Plans, visits and finances.
• Assess criteria for Leaving Care Service at 16 years old and eligibility for returning for support for young people aged 21 to 25 years old.
• Provide reflective sessions with the Personal Advisor's.
• Support to chair team meetings, set agenda, review and discuss teams’ vision for the next 12 months.
• Support with recruitment.
• Work directly in partnership with stakeholders including housing, young people, family, and voluntary and statutory agencies, including charities and to support with the planning of events for Care Leavers.

As an experienced Social Worker to apply for this role you must have:

• A Social Work degree and be Social Work England (SWE) registered.
• Post qualifying experience in Social Work.
• Knowledge of legislation and guidance underpinning delivery of children’s social care e.g. Childrens Act, Working Together, Adoption Act, Every Child Matters, Children Leaving Care Act 2000 and Children and Young Persons Act 2008.
• Full UK Driving Licence including Business Insurance and access to a vehicle for work.
• Knowledge and skills in supporting assessment and formulating plans for children and young people 
• Experience in mentoring and supervising others.
• Knowledge and experience of working with Care Leavers.
• 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.

For an informal chat about the role please contact: Jodie Sleight or Rebecca Metcalfe on 01902 506150

Proposed Interview Date - 6th June 2024

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

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

Our recruitment process:

As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post. 

As you’ll know safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people/vulnerable adults is important to us and that’s why this position is subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. If applicable you should disclose details of unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.