Location: Kingston and Richmond
Type: Permanent, Full-time (Scale point: 29-32)
About the Role: The Social Worker within the Referral and Assessment Team works directly with children and families, focusing on initial involvement through various scenarios such as new referrals, child in need, child protection, and initial court proceedings. Responsibilities include strategy discussions, child protection conferences, child in need planning, and taking court actions if necessary. The role aims to prevent the escalation of concerns by engaging directly with families during times of crisis.
Key Responsibilities:
- Undertaking child protective investigations
- Safety and contingency planning
- Court work and pre-proceedings experience, including report writing and care planning
- Child-focused direct work demonstrating creativity and purposefulness
- Working with children through statutory services, including ‘looked after’ status
- Chairing complex meetings
Expectations and Support:
- Working effectively within a team environment
- Sharing good practice related to interventions
- Utilizing digital technology for agile working and engagement with children and young people
- Receiving reflective supervision using the Signs of Safety framework
- Continuous professional development through 1-1 and group learning experiences
Qualifications and Skills:
- Degree level education with a relevant professional qualification in social work
- Completion of Assessed and Supported Year of Employment (ASYE)
- Active Social Work England registration and commitment to continuing professional development
- Ability to build strong partnerships and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders
- Effective use of research, data, and evidence for decision-making
- Record-keeping and report-writing skills in accordance with local policy
- Knowledge of statutory legislation and national policy drivers in children’s services
- Strong analytical and planning skills for assessing and reviewing children’s needs
- Experience in child protection investigations and risk management
- Capacity to manage an allocated caseload, plan workload, and respond to unforeseen challenges independently
Personal Attributes:
- Alignment with Achieving for Children’s vision and values
- Strong organizational abilities, including digital literacy and multitasking
- Ability to manage priorities and work under pressure with initiative and creativity
- Flexibility, collaboration, and solution-focused approach
- Personal determination, drive, and energy to achieve challenging objectives for children
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and influencing skills
This role seeks an individual who is dedicated to supporting children and families in crisis, possessing a comprehensive set of skills and knowledge to navigate complex social work scenarios and contribute positively to achieving positive outcomes.