Social Worker role profile

Primary purpose of role

This is a statutory role whose primary purpose is to safeguard children and young people who have either suffered or who are likely to be at risk of suffering significant harm (as defined by the Children Act 1989) by identifying the full range of risks to children and help manage those risks; ensuring proportionate intervention, including securing and supporting alternative homes for children and for permanency including adoption.

Key accountabilities and key measures

Role outcomes

• Within statutory and legal boundaries undertake casework with children, young people and families, and where required carers, making operational day to day decisions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and young people at all times (100%)
• This role profile also covers social workers working within the Youth Offending Team to meet the regulations and requirements of the YOT under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and accountable to the YJPB

Role measures

Maintain satisfactory performance as measured through probation, performance review and government endorsed professional standards

Key activities

• Directing work with children, young people and families, and if required carers in multiple settings/locations, ensuring the child/young person’s voice is central to all case work and recording including:
  • Organising their own workload ensuring that children and young people are seen and statutory commitments are met within the prescribed timescales
  • Delivering recognised packages of support and tools to engage children, young people and families to achieve positive outcomes. This will require climbing stairs and lifting small children and their equipment, travel to and from destinations, lone working and occasional weekend and evening working
  • Building purposeful, effective relationships with children and families, and carers demonstrating a high level of skill in evidence based, effective social work approaches to helping children and families which support change
  • Working to tight deadlines, managing conflicting demands and interruptions (30%)
• Undertaking assessments of need and risk; planning for outcomes, reviewing in line with procedures and applying understanding of the key risk factors affecting child welfare and development. Where required, undertaking specialist assessments within the Criminal Justice arena including:
  • Assessing needs and risks through the completion of recognised assessment tools and child protection processes and investigations. Whilst the post holder will receive regular supervision they are expected to use their own initiative and skills and to take the appropriate steps to ensure children’s safety, develop and action appropriate plans
  • Analysis of the decision-making, the difference between opinion and fact, the role of evidence and the reasoning of any conclusions reached and recommendations made
  • Maintaining timely and accurate case recording in line with practice standards, managing information in line with the Council’s policies, procedures and guidance on data protection
  • Where appropriate, delivering specialist interventions, underpinned by safeguarding and public protection (30%)

• Preparing cases for court and give evidence on behalf of the Authority (30%)
• Participating in the service duty system as and when required (5%)
• Participating positively in supervision, practice, team and organisational development (5%)

Essential qualifications/knowledge

• Degree or higher qualification in social work that has resulted in registration with relevant professional regulatory body for the profession
• Knowledge of the principles of social work through professional judgement, decision-making and actions within a framework of professional accountability; how to manage competing interests of parents and children effectively, ensuring that children’s interests are always paramount
• Knowledge of the legislative frameworks for child and family social worker and if required fostering and adoption social worker and YOT

Desirable qualifications/knowledge

• Knowledge of child and family social work in a statutory setting
• Understanding of child development, including the impact of different parenting styles on development; the impact of loss, change and uncertainty in the development of resilience and assessment of vulnerability
• For Fostering/Adoption/Special Guardianship; experience of this area of work and understanding and knowledge of Fostering and Adoption legislation and regulations
• For YOT role – experience of Youth Offending work and understanding and knowledge of Criminal Justice system (effective practice qualification)

Essential experience

• Experience of working in a child care setting
• Management of the specific set of tasks relating to case responsibility with the support of an appropriately qualified supervisor; ensuring that the leadership of the multi-agency support network is properly utilised and effective, taking necessary steps to safeguard children’s welfare, where this is not the case

Desirable experience

• Assessing risk and need including child protection investigations and preparing reports for child protection conferences
• Planning and reviewing outcomes to achieve sustained change
• Working with service users who demonstrate challenging behaviour
• Experience in preparing and giving evidence in court
• Experience of working in statutory setting for child care social work

Essential skills

• Be able to recognise the risk indicators of different forms of harm to children including sexual, physical and emotional abuse and neglect; the impact of cumulative harm, particularly in relation to early indicators of neglect
• Effective communication skills (written, verbal and use of technology)
• Ability to build effective relationships in contexts that may encompass resistance to change, ambivalence or selective cooperation with services
• Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritise competing demands
• Ability to use strategies that promote professional resilience and management of self in circumstances that may at times be challenging.

The nature of the role includes lone working in home environments where basic rules of hygiene and safety are not observed and where the unpredictability of the home environment can also result in the potential risk of abuse and violence.

Involvement on a daily basis with service users who are experiencing or who have experienced all forms of child abuse. The subject material is often distressing and this is an integral feature of the role. Due to service users experiences and their emotional state often of anxiety/ distress there is a heightened risk that the post holder may experience, sometimes on a regular basis, significant verbal abuse, aggression and other anti-social behaviour from service users and/or members of the public.

Corporate standards

• In accordance with Council policies and guidance on information management and security, it is your personal responsibility for data protection, client confidentiality and information governance.
• Act at all times in accordance with appropriate legislation and regulations, codes of practice, the provisions of the Council’s constitution and its policies and procedures.
• Work within the requirements of the Council’s Health and Safety policy, performance standards, safe systems of work and procedures.
• Undertake all duties with due regard to the corporate equalities policy and relevant legislation.