Job Details

Job introduction

Feedback from our Children’s Social Workers:

“The best Local Authority I have ever worked for”

“I enjoy and agree with the social work model we use – relationship-based practice and pod working”

“Feel a sense of cohesive ownership throughout the organisation”

“Commitment to local communities, continuity and long-standing relationships with service-users”

Sound like the sort of place you’d like to work?

 

About us

We have vacancies for social workers in our generic pods, which support children and families throughout their journey with us, as well as for senior social workers in Pod 11 and Pod 14 (based in our new Portslade Hub).  In addition, we have a vacancy for a social worker in our specialist adolescent pod.

“Social workers’ morale is high and they enjoy working in Brighton & Hove.”

(Ofsted’s ILACS report)

We have developed a whole system that provides containment for social workers so that they can build ongoing relationships with families and use these relationships to make a difference for children and young people. This system is made up of small teams, or pods, of workers who get to know each other and the families they are supporting. 

Six years ago, we re-designed our Children’s Social Work service based on feedback from families, young people and our practitioners. The changes we introduced have had a positive impact for social workers and their ability to provide consistent and purposeful support to children and young people.  More recently, this included making sure that social workers have support during COVID, including the right PPE and a flexible approach to support families and keep children safe. The principles behind our model and how we have brought about positive change are subject to an ongoing evaluation. This was published as a report with the University of Sussex’s Centre for Social Work Innovation and Research in July 2017 – ‘Empathy, tenacity & compassion'.

“Social workers have a good understanding of the children they work with.  They build meaningful relationships with children through direct work and regular visiting.”

The most recent Ofsted report rated our services as good and recognised the difference that the model of practice has made for children and young people in terms of greater continuity of social work relationships, improved outcomes and reduced risks. 

The report also highlights that senior leaders have worked purposefully to build a skilled and stable workforce with manageable caseloads and that the decision not to employ agency staff has been a key part of this.

We know that our social workers are our greatest asset and we strive to give them the time and active support they need so that they can make a real difference to children’s lives and realise our vision for social work.

Our pod model is based on providing emotional containment for social workers and, as well as not using agency social workers, we have developed a supervision model which includes weekly group supervision, 1:1 supervision, and Reflective Practice Groups for practitioners and managers at every level. 

We have recognised that we need to do further work to support families and communities who experience racism in the city and to support our Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff.  As a council we have made a commitment to being an anti-racist organisation and we have set up an Anti-Racist Project to make sure we achieve this within children's social work services.  We have also appointed a Lead Practitioner for Anti-Racist Practice and we are one of the Local Authorities piloting the Workforce Race Equality Standards for social care in 2021.  We would particularly encourage applications from candidates who identify as Black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background.

Closing Date: midnight on Monday 15th August 2022

Interview Date: Thursday 25th August 2022

About the role

About you

In addition to working for an organisation that values the immense contribution social workers make and ensures effective support is always in place, we offer a package of benefits including:

• our innovative and unique supervision model, including group and 121 supervision and reflective practice groups, and a learning and development pathway based on our model of practice
• a salary within the range £37,024 to £40,213 for social workers and £41,537 to £44,865 for senior social workers, both these ranges include a 12.5% market supplement
• a relocation package of up to £10,000
• a range of family-friendly policies including flexible working
• a range of exclusive benefits and discounts from a large number of the UK’s largest retailers and service providers to help your money go further.

We currently have opportunities for social workers and senior social workers in our generic children's social work pods, which work with children all the way across their journey with our services.

For these posts, you must hold a Professional Social Work Qualification and be registered as a social worker with Social Work England.  However, if you are an experienced social worker who is thinking about 'returning to social work', but who is not registered with Social Work England, do get in touch with Tom Stibbs.  We recruit for newly-qualified social workers separately in April.

In addition, you will need to have experience of working directly with children in need and their families in a multi-disciplinary service and be able to build strong, meaningful relationships with children from diverse backgrounds, their families and key agencies. 

If you need further information, please contact:

Tom Stibbs (Principal Children and Families Social Worker) tom.stibbs@brighton-hove.gov.uk

To find out more visit 'Social work in Brighton & Hove'

• Visit the Working for us website section to find out about staff pay and benefits, such as flexible working hours and generous annual leave
• Go to the Work and life in Brighton & Hove web page to find out what our vibrant seaside city has to offer

Please read our Apply for a job at the council (brighton-hove.gov.uk) pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.

As part of your application, you will need to complete your education and work history and provide answers to some shortlisting questions. Your answers to the shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our guidance here (Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.

Additional information

Regulations now require all staff who undertake work within CQC registered care homes to be fully vaccinated against Covid 19, unless they satisfy one of the medical/legal exemptions.  Being fully vaccinated or being medically/legally exempt will be a condition of your employment and you will be required to provide evidence of your vaccination status or medical/legal exemption as part of the recruitment process for this role

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is part-time or term-time only.

Work Permits: We may be able to obtain a Work Permit for this post but this is subject to meeting the requirements of the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Points-based Immigration System. Please see Gov.uk for more information on the Skilled Worker Visa.

For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us (brighton-hove.gov.uk)

Company information

Encouraging a diverse workforce

Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.

Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).

Please note that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check.

Files

• Cover Letter
• Social Worker Job Description & Person Specification
• Senior Social Worker - Job Description and Person Spec