Senior Practitioner (Assessment)
- Employer
- Medway Council
- Location
- Chatham, Kent
- Salary
- Up to £45835 per annum (inclusive of market premia)
- Closing date
- 20 Feb 2019
View more
- Contract Type
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full Time
- Function
- Social care jobs
- Sector
- Local authority central children's services, Local authority social services
Job Details
Senior Practitioner (Assessment)
Up to £45835 per annum (inclusive of market premia)
Plus £2000 per annum retention payment (payable after 2 years service in Medway), the option of a Lease Car or Essential User allowance and up to £6000 towards relocation.
We are recruiting Senior Practitioners in our Assessment pods within the First Response Service, who have the drive and experience to help us achieve the best possible outcomes for children, young people and families.
You will manage a complex caseload delivering high quality casework to children and families. You will also be able to offer expert opinion and support to less experienced colleagues and social work students on placement.
As a registered social worker with HCPC you will have significant post qualifying experience of working with children and families in the statutory sector as well as an in depth knowledge of national policies, strategy and developments relating to Children’s Social Care Policy.
We have made significant investment in our service to achieve manageable caseloads and provide each social work pod with dedicated administrative support. You will be supported through group and individual supervision. In additional you will also be provided with a Microsoft Surface Pro and mobile phone to support mobile working.
Our assessment pods are led by a Practice Manager with five social workers, one of whom may be newly qualified. We promote joint working to share risk assessment and enable different perspectives while providing intervention as early as possible during the assessment. We have strong links with partners in Early Help and universal services to ensure we provide the right service, for the right children, at the right time.
Through our career progression scheme you will have the opportunity to further progress your career within Medway. You will have access to a comprehensive core and advanced skills programme through our award winning Children and Adults Academy. We have also have formed a partnership with the Centre for Systemic Social Work to provide comprehensive and accredited systemic training to support our social workers achieve the best experience of relationship based social work for our children and families.
Medway is at the heart of the Thames Gateway, only 30 miles from central London and has excellent transport links. A modern place, surrounded by award winning rural areas and rich heritage and an abounding cultural offering makes Medway a fantastic place to live and work.
For an informal discussion please contact Kelly Cogger, Area Social Work Manager on 01634 335618 or Ian Smith, Head of Safeguarding on 01634 337302.
Closing Date for applications is 20th February 2019
Company
About Medway Council
It’s our Practice that will make the difference
In Children’s Services and across all our social work practice we are committed to social work values and promoting the professionalism of social work. Our delivery of children’s services is informed by our vision of achieving positive change for families we work with so that children are safe, services are effective, and families feel supported and enabled to care for their children.
We are committed to establishing a skilled and permanent workforce. We have four defined social work roles, NQSW; Social Worker; Experienced Social Worker and Senior Practitioner to support practitioners to stay in practice. Medway Children and Adults Academy has a comprehensive programme of training and support including an ASYE programme and post qualifying accredited training for experienced practitioners and managers. We will support you through training, reflective group and individual supervision, coaching, team and service meetings as well as offering a wealth of opportunities to help you with your continuous professional development.
Medway has been successful as the lead partner to obtain funding for the Kent – Medway and South East England Teaching Partnership, with Kent County Council, the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University. Together we will develop joint approaches to recruitment, curriculum development and delivery, to meet identified needs both for students and qualified social workers.
The Medway model of social work uses Systemic Theory and approaches as a foundation for understanding the complex problems our families face and it supports our belief that children are best cared for within their families so long as this is safe. We use the Strengthening Families Model to organise and describe our work with children and families throughout our case records; the model is used in our Child Protection Conferences. Specific models of assessment and intervention are used for identified needs such as the Graded Care Profile; Parenting Assessments and Direct work with Children. Our professional development offer includes training in all these areas and also the Practice Education of social work students. We have redesigned our career progression scheme to reward continuity of practice and designed career pathways that reflect the importance we place on the work social workers undertake.
To achieve our vision, we need your experience. You will be working in small pods which consist of 4-5 social workers, and a practice manager who will provide management oversight and support. In addition each team will also have dedicated administrative support. Retention payments and additional benefits are provided to support a long term career in Medway.
Why Medway?
Medway is a truly great place to live, work, learn and visit. Medway is one of south-easts most aspiring and developing destinations. Its name is taken from the magnificent river that flows through it, and comprises of five main towns, Chatham, Strood, Rochester, Gillingham and Rainham.
Medway is rich in heritage, hosts more than 30 days of free festivals and events each year and offers beautiful natural landscapes– as well as a range of shops, bars and restaurants for every occasion
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