Trainee Social Worker (Children's)

Trainee Social Worker (Children's)
JOB DESCRIPTION
'Social workers told inspectors that they feel well supported by their managers and senior leaders and enjoy working in Cornwall. Social workers are capable, committed and are ambitious for their children's futures and demonstrate a breadth and depth of skill and experience. These are qualities that are reflected in the positive outcomes that are being achieved for children in Cornwall'

Ofsted 2022

'Social workers have a very good understanding of the children they work with; they visit them regularly and ensure that their needs are holistically well considered' 'Staff development is delivered through an effective and well-targeted workforce development framework. Staff morale is high.'

Ofsted 2019 - Outstanding grading

We believe that the children of Cornwall deserve the very best. We have a clear commitment to build upon our strong, resilient Social Work workforce.

We are looking to recruit applicants interested in embarking in a career in social work in Cornwall. This is a unique offer, with a full salary throughout and all training paid for.

This scheme offers both an Undergraduate and Postgraduate pathway via the Open University .

The academic courses starts in January 2025 however there is a two-pronged application and interview process starting from July 2024:

1. Application and Interview with Cornwall Council in July for position
2. Application and interview with the Open University to secure Academic course place from August onwards.

The Undergraduate Route follows an Integrated Social Work Degree Apprenticeship with fees funded from Cornwall Council's apprenticeship levy.

More details on the course can be found here:

The Masters level Post graduate diploma is fully funded by Cornwall Council training budget. More details on the course can be found here:

If you work within direct service provision with children and families, have strong values and ethics, a commitment to humane, relationship- based practice, an abiding curiosity, motivation and passion for this area of work, and have been considering a career in social work, we would like to hear from you.

To be considered for the Traineeship Scheme you must:

• Be working directly with children and their families, either as a practitioner or as a first line manager
• Have a proven track record of taking personal responsibility for the quality and consistency of your own practice in line with service standards.
• Be motivated and passionate about working with children and families
• Have good relationship skills, being able to communicate effectively in both verbal and written formats
• Hold a commitment to working for Cornwall Council as a Social Worker, completing your Assessed and Supported Year in Employment ( ASYE ) and early social work career practice within Children's Service.
• We also welcome internal Together For Familiesemployees to apply as part of our internal sponsored traineeship scheme. To qualify you must be a full-time employee of the Together for Families Directorate, be working directly with families, have support from your Team Manager and Head of Service , as well as meeting the below requirements.

All candidates must:

• Hold GCSE grade 9-4/A -C/ Functional/Key Skills Level 2 in English and mathematics, or a certified equivalent (certified evidence will be required on application)
• Be willing to undertake distance-based learning with the Open University For the Post graduate programme, in addition to Maths and English, hold a current degree in a related field
• Be willing and able to work full time, to meet the needs of the service and course requirements.
• Be committed to working with Cornwall Children and Family Services as a Social Worker for 3 years post qualification (Please note starting salary as a Qualified Social Worker is £31,968, Grade 3 SCP 4).

We will support you with:

• A salary as a Trainee Social Worker, whilst you undertake your training
• The costs of university fees and associated expenses (for the SW Integrated Apprenticeship degree route fees are funded by the apprenticeship levy )
• Qualified and experienced Practice Educator support
• Appropriate practice placements in line with the requirements of your social work course

Please note in order to qualify for the apprenticeship you must not be committed to or undertaking any other Government funded study.

This is a public/customer-facing role, where the statutory English language requirement for public sector workers applies.

This position will be subject to an enhanced criminal record disclosure check. Cornwall Council is committed to safeguarding and is an equal opportunities employer.

What you'll get in return:

Cornwall Council's ambition is to be an employer of choice, a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract, motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff. This helps provide our employees with a greater work/life balance. Whilst still ensuring that service needs are met.

Our core employee rewards and benefits include:

• a competitive salary.
• a defined benefit pension scheme, based on your career average earnings. This includes the option for extra voluntary contributions
• a generous annual leave entitlement with the potential to purchase additional leave.
• A national award-winning employee health and wellbeing programme
• Employee benefits scheme giving employees access to a wide range of discounts to local and national goods and services.