Job Information
Children’s Permanence Social Worker
Children’s Permanence Team
Due to retirement, an opportunity has arisen for a qualified Social Worker to join the Children’s Permanence Team which is part of the Residential and Family Placement Service at Northumberland County Council. We are looking for an experienced social worker with a minimum of three years post qualifying experience in statutory social work.
The Children’s Permanence Team works with children who may have a plan of adoption. Involvement often begins during care proceedings when twin track planning is taking place and consideration is being given to achieving permanence for children outside of their family. Children’s permanence social workers work alongside the child’s allocated social worker to consider permanence options and to provide advice and support throughout the court process. There is also the opportunity to work alongside our colleagues in the locality teams and Pre-Birth Team to identify children where early permanence in a foster to adopt placement may be the most appropriate route.
In most cases, if a placement order is granted for a child in court, case responsibility will transfer over to the children’s permanence social worker who will be involved in family finding, introductions, completing paperwork for and attending adoption panel, and providing support to the adopters, foster carers and birth family.
A key part of the role is working directly with children to support their understanding of the planning around their care and helping them prepare for a move to adoption. This is often done through storyboards and other visual means to support the age and stage of development of the child.
This is an exciting role in a specialist team that combines core statutory social work tasks alongside providing advice and support around adoption. Due to the nature of some of the adoptive placements, this role may involve travelling to other regions for family finding and statutory visits, and occasionally this may include overnight stays.
The Children’s Permanence Team is led by a Team Manager, two Advanced Practitioners, five Social Workers and one Enquiry and Referral Coordinator.
We would welcome applications from those that are passionate about achieving permanence for children. If you would like to know more about the day-to-day role of a children’s permanence social worker, please contact one of our Advanced Practitioners, Leigh Finlay or Carra Charlton via 01670 626262 or leigh.finlay@northumberland.gov.uk and carra.charlton@northumberland.gov.uk
Alternatively, you are welcome to contact Team Manager, Wendy Jones for further details on 01670 626262 or wendy.jones@northumberland.gov.uk
Please note we use a generic Social Work job description; this role does not involve holding CIN/CP cases.
We are offering:
A competitive salary starting at £37336 up to £41418 (dependent on grade and experience) with a wide range of additional benefits
Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme (or other pension scheme)
A wide range of staff benefits including a competitive annual leave provision
Regular supervision
A supportive environment
Career progression opportunities
A generous remuneration package
Induction, support and mentoring from day one in post
Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
Essential requirements:
You will have excellent communication skills and be able to convey complex messages in a straightforward way, both verbally and in writing.
You will not be afraid to think creatively to solve problems.
You will be empathetic and sensitive to the needs of children, young people and families.
You will always want to hear the young person's voice and ensure that this is taken into account.
You will be passionate about maximising a child’s life chances to improve their overall outcomes
You will understand the importance of performance information and your contribution to maintaining high standards.
You will have experience of working in a multi-disciplinary environment
You will be able to contribute to the development of the service.
You will have a sound knowledge base of the Knowledge and Skills Statement for Child and Family Social Work and the application of Professional Capabilities Framework which will be embedded within all elements of your practice.
You must hold a relevant Social Work qualification such as the Social Work Degree, DipSW, CQSW or CSS and be registered with Social Work England. You should also have a minimum of one year post qualifying experience.
We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you wish to notify us of your eligibility for this scheme, please email hrrecruitment@northumberland.gov.uk or ring 01670 623930 with your name and the job title you have applied for and one of the recruitment team will ensure this is factored into the shortlisting process and kept anonymous. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format or would like us to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to attend an interview, please also let the team know. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.
Although we advertise on North East Jobs, and other websites, your application process will be directed to our Tribepad system. Please note that all communication regarding your application for this post will be sent to the email address that you have registered on Tribepad, including your invite to interview if you are shortlisted. Please check your emails regularly, including Spam/Junk, after the closing dates for notifications.
