Social Worker - Adoption Team, South Essex

About the role

Social Worker - Adoption Team, South Essex

Permanent, Full Time

£34,712 to £46,751 per annum

Location: Basildon

Working Style: Operational field-based worker

Closing Date: 4th June 2023

Job Purpose

Children and Families is recognised as a service in which social work can develop and prosper, with a culture of collaboration, integrity and compassion; promoting development and wellbeing of children, young people and their families; protecting them from neglect and abuse. Working together with partners delivering a range of early help, family support and effective social work interventions which build resilience, remove barriers and enable children and young people to look forward to a brighter future.

Social workers manage a defined caseload, including assessment of risk and purposeful intervention through direct relationship based work and review. Delivering excellent practice and value for money services.

A registered social worker, educated to degree level, with ability to demonstrate practice in accordance with current professional standards. Experienced in developing strong working relationships with partners, other agencies and stakeholders to deliver improved outcomes.

The Team This is an exciting opportunity to join an established team of social workers who co-ordinate, undertake and support assessment of suitable adoptive households and seek to identify suitable adoptive placement for children whose care plans are one of adoption. The team is based in Chelmsford however the adoption agency covers the county and therefore we support colleagues in our neighbouring quadrant teams when required.

The Role

To act as a role model and source of professional expertise in relation to current best practice in adoption.
To uphold statutory requirements of both adoption and children’s legislation, plus any Departmental requirements
To participate in team meetings and to attend any other meetings as required, including wider agency/departmental meetings
To attend relevant children’s reviews and adoption planning meetings when required by the team manager (with the exception of Recruitment and Post Adoption)
To lead and contribute to training courses when required
To ensure both the safety and best interests of children are paramount and that child protection procedures are followed
To be accountable for working cases and to undertake direct work with children as requested by the team manager to include assessments of children, and any siblings
To undertake the assessment of prospective adopters (with the exception of Recruitment Team and Post Adoption), support approved adopters through introductions and the placement of a child through to the making of an adoption order
To maintain an up to date record of activity on case files in line with the department case recording policy, produce reports, attend court and give verbal presentations to the Adoption Panel as required
To participate in case discussions, Strategy Meetings, Legal Case discussions, Child Protection Conferences and Statutory Reviews.
To work effectively with other child care social workers to ensure that children are placed for adoption with the minimum of delay
To promote and comply with Safeguarding procedures
Record details of assessments on the system; collate cohort and trend data, monitor outcomes and respond to data requests.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

A recognised social work qualification i.e. Diploma, degree or Masters in social work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent, with current registration with Social Work England as a registered social worker.
Evidence of continuing professional development, aligned to any relevant Professional Competency/Capability frameworks or Knowledge and Skills Statements.
Experience within a social work setting with evidence of challenging social and family situations.
Strong communication skills and an ability to develop a rapport and engage with diverse groups of individuals.
Developing strong relationships with partners, other agencies and the local community, to achieve joint objectives and offer a supportive framework for children and families.
Understand delivery of value for money interventions balanced against need.
Evidence of clear decision making in order to highlight and limit the potential risks associated with intervention.

To read more about us please visit: Children & Families

Please take a look at our ‘No Magic’ Children & Families video here

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community here .

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

Downloads

Pay and Reward | Our Ways of Working | About Us | Organisation Behaviours

Social Worker – Adoption Team, South Essex