Social Worker (Contact, Advice and Assessment Service)

Are you an experienced Social Worker looking to take the next step in your career within a supportive and collaborative environment? West Berkshire Council is seeking a dedicated professional to join our Children and Family Services team, reporting to the Team Manager, to contribute to the well-being and safeguarding of children and families in our community.

The Role

As a Social Worker within the Children and Family Services, you will be responsible for:

• Working directly with children and families to assess their needs and provide appropriate support and interventions.
• Conducting thorough assessments and maintaining accurate and up-to-date case records.
• Collaborating with other professionals and agencies to ensure the best outcomes for children.
• Attending and contributing to multi-agency meetings, including child protection conferences and looked after reviews.
• Providing advice, guidance, and support to parents and carers.
• Ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, regulations, and statutory requirements.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and attributes:

• Qualified Social Worker with a valid Social Work England registration.
• Experience working within a Children and Family Services environment, ideally with a focus on safeguarding and looked after children.
• Sound knowledge of relevant legislation, statutory guidance, and best practice in social work.
• Strong assessment and intervention skills, with the ability to effectively manage complex cases.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive relationships with children, families, and colleagues.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team.
• Resilient and adaptable, with the capacity to manage competing demands and work under pressure.

West Berkshire Council offer excellent employment benefits such as:

• Flexible working wherever possible between the hours of 07.00-19.00
• Hybrid working wherever possible working 40% in the office
• Access to a wide range of training and development opportunities 
• Generous Local Government pension scheme
• Family friendly policies
• A range of local discounts
• Wellbeing Programme including Employee Assistance Programme and employee benefits
• You will also be entitled to a generous annual leave entitlement starting at 29 days per annum (plus public holidays) Rising by an additional 5 days after 5 years’ service.

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment. 

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Clare Fox on 01635 519111 or email Clare.Fox@westberks.gov.uk.

If you are passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of children and families and want to work within a supportive and dedicated team, apply now to join West Berkshire Council as a Social Worker in the Children and Family Services.

Explore everything that a career with West Berkshire Council has to offer here: Working with Us

Equal Opportunities

The Council supports Equal Opportunity of employment, and positively encourages applications from people who fall within any of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

How to apply

Please now complete a short online application form. You will then be able to upload your CV.

This role has been identified as public facing in accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016; the requirement to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English applies.

West Berkshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all its staff and volunteers to share these values. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. Successful candidates will be offered employment subject to Disclosure and Barring Service checks along with other relevant employment checks.

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