Social Worker / Advanced Social Worker - Family & Friends Service

Social Worker / Advanced Social Worker – Family & Friends Service – Children – Croydon Council

Salary: Grade 11-14 (£44,019 - £52,116)

Retention Payment: £1,5000

Permanent – 36 hours per week

Hybrid working

The Opportunity 

Our family and friends fostering team is growing. We are seeking qualified Social Workers to join us and work together in driving the service forward. 

The responsibilities include the following, so we ask that you have this experience; 

The completion of post order support assessments of need to identify families and children’s support needs and the appropriate support available for them.

To liaise/refer children and families to our partner agencies, both statutory and voluntary including health and education, regarding therapeutic support

To identify and commission other therapeutic resources for children and families funded through the Adoption Support Fund (ASF)

To make applications to ASF for therapeutic work for special guardianship families. To oversee/ monitor the progression of these services and make further applications where appropriate

To implement and review financial support arrangements

To assist with the facilitation of the Special Guardians Support group for Special Guardians to attend and discuss issues regarding their care of the children.

The role will involve you using a range of systemic ideas in your work, including promoting a practice philosophy which seeks to empower service users, build on individual strengths, and develop strategies which support them to understand, manage and respond to risk.

Essential Requirements

We are looking for confident Social Workers, who are also:
Qualified and registered Social Workers/ Advanced Social Workers who are Social Work England registered, and have completed your AYSE 
Experienced in making assessments, implementing plans and delivering interventions
Skilled in managing complex cases and competent in presenting cases in court with demonstrable professionalism and empathy
Your experience of working in a statutory setting is desirable however not essential
Excellent written and verbal communications are essential, so too is a creative approach to getting compelling messages across.

Why Join Us           

In Croydon, our Children's Services has an established Systemic Practice model, experienced leaders, and high support for practitioners. Croydon people and staff are diverse, and we celebrate difference through focus on anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practice. We are committed to delivering excellent social work practice and services to our children and families. As well as this we also offer the following: Our teams consist of experienced Social Workers at various levels
Join a highly diverse workforce
Reflective supervision is actively promoted and supported.
The ethos at Croydon is very much about working together to make positive change
Caseloads of Social Workers are very manageable enabling managers to know children well & ensure high standards of practice
You will join an established team who can help you settle in and offer their expertise

Benefits
You will be valued for your skills and expertise, supported by the team of experienced professionals, as well as the management at Croydon Council, one of the largest employers in the borough. We also offer:

• Highly competitive compensation package
• Accredited Systemic Practice training
• A range of CPD opportunities
• 29-31 days (grade equivalent) annual leave in addition to Bank Holidays and option to purchase more
• A pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 20%
• Continuing Professional Development – genuine opportunities to grow, develop and specialise in your career
• Management development programmes
• Investment into your wellbeing
• Access to Employee Discount scheme with a range of programmes (Cycle Benefit Scheme, GymFlex, Retail Discounts and more)
• We promote flexible & hybrid working arrangements where possible to support a healthy work-life balance.

Please click here to view the Social Worker role profile

Please click here to view the Advanced Social Worker role profile

Disclaimer

Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We will be pleased to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements. As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role.

Croydon council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.  The Successful candidate will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check which allows them to work with children.