Social Worker, Children's Safeguarding (Long Term) Teams

We are recruiting for permanent Social Workers in our Children's Safeguarding (Long Term) Teams, in Children’s Services.

This is an exciting time to join Wokingham Borough Council as we expand our children’s workforce to meet an increase in demand for our services and create innovative new teams, using Signs of Safety, Trauma Informed, Systemic and Attachment Informed as our practice framework.

When Children's Services get involved in the life of a child our priority is to make sure our social workers have the support, time and resources they need to provide an excellent quality of service - the kind of service we ourselves would wish to receive.

We are committed to our social workers having caseloads that give them time to focus on relationship based practice. To reflect this we are seeking experienced, permanent Social Workers who have a passion for working with and improving outcomes for children.

We are keen to hear from Social Workers that are flexible, dynamic and willing to work with safe uncertainty, to achieve the best outcomes for our children.

The Social Worker role

The successful candidate will work in partnership with children, young people and those connected to them, in order to co-create plans that meet their identified needs. The goal of our Long Term teams is to work collaboratively with families and other professionals to keep children within their naturally connected networks wherever safe and possible. Where this is not possible, we aim to work with children and their families to achieve permanency outside of family, whilst maintaining connections in accordance with the child’s needs.

Our Long Term Teams are currently working in a hybrid capacity, with our Social Workers combining a regular routine of working in the office, working from home, and working within the community. 

Social Workers in Wokingham are highly valued for the important and challenging work they undertake and will find an environment where their learning and development is promoted and supported. We welcome creative individuals who are keen to make a difference by finding supportive solutions for our most vulnerable children. We work within the Signs of Safety framework to achieve collaborative and positive outcomes for all our families.

Our Social Workers benefit from regular in-depth supervision with their managers, supportive peers and positive team spirit. Our Principal Social Worker and Practice Consultants work closely with our teams to provide learning and development opportunities.

We are looking for Social Workers with a minimum if 1 years experience of working in Children’s Social Care within the UK.

What we can offer you:-

• Salary of £41,511 - £47,754 (plus additional £3k Market Supplement)
• Manageable caseloads and supportive management
• Excellent Learning & Development and Career Progression programme
• Generous Annual Leave allowance (minimum of 28 days; with additional days added according to seniority and length of continuous service)
• Flexible working environment
• Enhanced Local Government Pension Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• A number of discount and benefit schemes locally and nationally

Wokingham Borough Council is based in Wokingham Town Centre, an attractive market town in Berkshire, with excellent road and rail links and is easily accessible from London and Reading.  The Borough has good schools and low levels of crime and the town is attractive to families and residents, who enjoy a high quality of life.

Closing Date: Sunday 1st December 2024, 11pm

Interview Date: TBC

For more information or an informal discussion about the role please contact: Recruitment & Retention Specialist, Alix Williams at alix.williams@wokingham.gov.uk

Interviews will be held on an ad-hoc basis in response to applications received.

If your application is shortlisted for an interview, you will be required to provide proof of your right to work in the UK at that stage. Additionally, successful candidates must present proof upon receiving a job offer.

Please note that all offers are conditional and subject to the satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks.

Wokingham Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff, other workers and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks along with other relevant employment checks.

Wokingham is an equal opportunities employer.