Consultant Social Worker - United Kingdom - Dorset Council

Description

About The Role

Join our exceptional team in children's services, where you'll be fully supported and appreciated throughout your career. In Dorset, we are dedicated to fostering an environment where every child can thrive, and we want our colleagues to do the same.

Our Front Door, sometimes known as the Children's Advice and Duty Service (ChAD) is a supportive and forward-thinking service, where you will be invested in and where you'll have every opportunity to make that positive difference to children's lives. Our Front Door Social Workers are known as Consultant Social Workers within Dorset and form a dedicated, collaborative and highly regarded team.

Our focus is on supporting families to meet the needs of their children and keeping children at home where it is safe to do so. You'll find a variety of exciting challenges, working with our children, families, and partners, in a workplace that inspires you to grow professionally and personally.

Here at Dorset Council, you won't just be an employee – you'll be a vital contributor to a legacy of positive change. Be a part of a community that values your skills, appreciates your passion, and recognises the difference you can make. Join us in creating a brighter future for children, young people, and families.

In July this year, the Department for Education officially announced the Families First for Children Pathfinder. Dorset has been recognised for the fantastic work with children, young people and families taking place by being selected to be one of only three initial pathfinder sites nationally, testing the delivery of key reforms across the sector. This is a fantastic opportunity and comes with central government grant funding and support which recognises the scale and ambition of the work we need to carry out. Find out more from our Director of Children's Services, Theresa Leavy:

We offer a diverse career where the positive impacts of your work will extend a long way beyond your day-to-day role. Identifying the support needs for children and their families, with an overall aim of children being safe, means that you are giving children and their families a better chance of a happy , healthy , and thriving future.

You'll find a variety of exciting opportunities to use a whole range of your skills as a practitioner working with our children, families, and partners, in an environment that inspires you, and colleagues, to grow professionally and personally. You'll work with many talented practitioners where support and development of one another, going out of our way to offer knowledge, time, and practical support are fundamental to the excellent service our families receive.

Join us and be part of our exceptional Children's Services team, recently recognised as Good with Outstanding Leadership by Ofsted, with the Children's Advice & Duty (ChAD), noted as providing a ' calm, well-organised service, where timely and appropriate decisions are made about how to protect and support children most effectively.' This is not just a job; it's an extraordinary opportunity to empower children and help them reach their full potential.With Pathfinder, we will be changing the way Social Care and how working with families is approached in Dorset and helping to shape this across the country. At the Front Door this mean integrating a range of additional functions and services, which will include our health services, namely CAMHS.

Weoffer a flexible and supportive work environment, with hybrid working and full-time/part-time opportunities.

As a Social Worker in our Front Door here in Dorset, you'll truly make a difference to the lives of children and young people in our beautiful county.

We prioritise your wellbeing by offering access to talking therapies, a network of Mental Health Champions, and workshops facilitated by our dedicated Employee Wellbeing Team.

You'll join a forward-thinking service , where you'll be encouraged to think creatively, question how we do things, and devise new, innovative approaches through our Partnership Workforce Events – our Children's Services' employee forum.

Our innovative model of working, Dorset Children Thrive , will support you to be part of a service that:

• Puts children and families at the heart of everything we do
• Focuses on 'getting it right first time' by providing early help
• Makes services easily accessible for all
• Develops a skilled, supported and confident workforce
• Provides quality and efficient services that meet the highest standards
• Measures success by how we have made life better for children and young people

What you can expect to be doing:

Our Consultant Social Workers currently work their full-time hours over a4-day working week (amended for our part-time staff), allowing greater flexibility and contributes to a great work/life balance.

Our Integrated Front Door to Children's Services encompasses the Children's Advice & Duty (ChAD) Service, the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), Early Help Hub (EHH) and our Out of Hours service (OOHS).

We truly are'One Team' where relationship-based and restorative practiceis central to our service culture. Our teamhave been able todevelop operational leads within the service,contributing to practice developmentwithin the service and wider organisation.

The ChAD Service is a telephone, conversation and consultation-based service for all safeguarding contacts and referrals, one where relationships and collaboration is promoted to ensure that children and young people receive the right support, first time and in their communities. We work closely with our Early Help Hub colleagues and MASH partners, so being an effective communicator and adopting a strengths-based approach is key.

About you:

You are a skilled practitioner and registered social worker who can work flexibly, demonstrate calmness and reflection whilst under pressure. You are someone who supports your colleagues and promotes relationships with partner agencies, and our communities to ensuring our children in Dorset thrive.

The ChAD Service works 365 days per year and our Consultant Social workers work on a rota basis. This requires a flexible and solution-focused approach, with a clear understanding of service demand and how we all work together.

We actively support a learning together culture. As a successful candidate you would demonstrate how you develop and promote a positive learning culture, not only in respect of your own learning but for others, whether this is within the service, the wider organisation, in our work with partners or with our children and families.

You will have a Diploma/Degree/MA in Social Work and have a minimum of 4 years post qualifying experience in Children's Services. You will also be registered with Social Work England.

What our employees say:

'Dorset is a great place to work. I have been made to feel very welcome. As part of your induction, you are given the support, equipment, time and training you need for a great start. The team are great and have a "can do attitude" and a real team spirit of helping each other out. Partner agencies work well with ChAD and the children are at the centre of everything we do. I can really see why Dorset is a "Good" Local Authority to work for.'

Quote from an employee who joined Dorset in August 2022.

'Having worked in MASH/ChAD since the beginning, I can honestly say the effort, commitment and passion the team put in to keep the children and young people of Dorset safe is second to none. There is always someone on hand to praise, support and nurture and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.'

Quote from an employee who joined the team in 2020.

'ChAD is one of the most friendly and supportive teams I have worked within during my career so far. We all work closely together, in the days, weekends, evenings and overnights to support each other and share our knowledge'

'Before coming to Dorset ChAD I was becoming increasing disillusioned with Social Work. In ChAD I have found the team to be supportive, respectful, and open to disagreement and debate without feeling "this is going to come back on me". The autonomy is refreshing and there is a nice culture and professionalism where I am no longer dreading Mondays and looking forward to Fridays.'

Quotes from current employees made in October 2023.

Further Information

Full-time/part-time and flexible working arrangements considered.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact one of our ChAD Managers:

Jonnie Daniels –

Rachel Gauntlett –

Jane Gillett –

This post involves working with children and/or vulnerable adults and/or having access to significant information about them. It will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check. See our policy on the employment of ex-offenders .

See our policy on safeguarding children and young people .

See our adult safeguarding policy .

See the children's social worker framework .

You must:

• have a degree in social work
• be registered with Social Work England (SWE)
• be able to fulfil the travel requirements of the post

Friends & Family Referral Scheme

The friends and family referral scheme applies to this post. If an employee recommended this post to you, please make sure to mention them when applying.

Employees can share this advert by using the button links alongside the job title.

Relocation expenses package

A generous relocation package is payable, of which up to £8,000 (of HMRC eligible elements) are free of tax. We can offer you help to move whether you are looking to buy or rent, depending on your circumstances.

Our package includes:

• an initial advance of up to £2,500 payable when you start
• help towards fees associated with buying/selling (up to £6,500)
• an option to receive help towards your rent or mortgage in the first two years

About Us

We'repassionate about making Dorset a great place to live, work and visit. Working forus should be no exception.

At Dorset Council we:

• provide more than 450 services to over 300,000 residents
• have ambitious aspirations
• are excited about our future
• care about Dorset and all the people who live here
• know that all roles make a difference and that our employeesare key to our success

You will:

• have access to a range of employee benefits
• be part of an organisation that supports each other to grow and succeed
• have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression

We are challenging ourselves to become a more diverse and inclusive organisation. We recognise that recruitment and inclusion of individuals with diverse skills, perspectives and backgrounds will bring real strength to the council and our communities. We have a commitment to equality and welcome applications from everyone.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We offer an interview to everyone who declares a disability and meets the essential criteria fortherole.

We are keen to make our interviews accessible. Let us know on your job application if you have a disability and need any reasonable adjustments.

We also look for applicants who share our commitment to our behaviours . We will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.

If appointed, the personal information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found at .

This role is UK based and we will need to establish your Right to Work as part of the appointment process.

We use generic job descriptions and person specifications. This means the job title on any attachments may differ from the job title in the advert. We may provide specific information in a context statement if relevant.

Find out more about how to apply .