Job Details

Job introduction

We have vacancies in our generic children's social work pods and in our adolescent pod, which has been recognised as a model of good practice.

About us

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

"The multi-agency adolescent service that works with children who are hard to engage and require intensive support is an example of good practice. Social workers are tenacious in seeking to build meaningful relationships with children, and this supports the reduction of risk effectively"

(Ofsted’s ILACS report)

"88% of social workers said that they felt safe and supported despite the impact of Covid-19

91% of social workers felt they were well supported by their managers and had been supported with their individual circumstances during Covid" (Your Voice, our version of the social work health check, 2020)

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. 

Five 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. 

The Reflective Practice Groups have been developed with the Centre for Social Work Practice, who have completed an evaluation of these groups. This is an example of how we are leading in the development of innovative models of social work delivery and sharing this learning with the wider system.

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 the 13th June 2021

Interviews to be held 21st June 2021

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 Continuing Learning and Assessment Model (CLAM) which defines pathways for development and progression
• a salary within the range £32,910 to £35,745 per annum depending on level of experience
• a market supplement of £2,736 for social workers in case-holding pods
• 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 in our generic children's social work pods, which work with children all the way across their journey with our service, and our adolescent pod, which is part of our multi-agency adolescent service, and has been recognised as a model of good practice.  Social workers in the adolescent pod support a reduced number of young people who are at risk of risk of coming into care or custody and are often at risk of criminal exploitation.

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.

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

Carly Stockton (Adolescent Pod Manager) carly.stockton@brighton-hove.gov.uk

To find out more visit 'Social work in Brighton & Hove': https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/children-and-education/social-work-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

***Important Information***
As part of the application process we require you to answer some additional questions to support your application called 'Branching Questions'. These questions form part of the application process which you will find when you apply.  Please read the document below 'Maximise your chance'.

Additional information

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.

Company information

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

We welcome applications from all sections of the community but particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, LGB, male or trans as these groups are currently under-represented in our Directorate workforce. We have recognised that we need to do further work to support families and communities from a Black, Asian and ethnic minority background in the city and to support our BAME 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.

Files

• Cover Letter
• Branching Questions Guidance
• Our Values
• Social Worker Job Description & Person Specification