Social Worker - Solutions South

Job Description

About UsThe Solutions Service is a countywide service working with children and their families from 10 to 18 years to help prevent entries to care or to reconnect and reunify a cared for child with their family or extended kinship network. The service aims to helpfamilies reconnect and relate, to develop the right conditions for families to live together with stability and confidence.About The JobAs a Social Worker within the Solutions South team, you will offer a specialist social work service for children (aged 10-17) at the edge of care, enabling them to remain or return living with their family. Social workers in the Solutions teams lead on creatingholistic case formulations and needs led plans. You will deliver family network meetings and a range of solution focussed and relationship-based interventions with children, parents and families. You will utilise strength-based approaches that work in partnershipwith children and families/carers to make sustainable changes and build resilience.You will have a Social Work qualification and an understanding of the impact of trauma and crises on childrens and families lives. As a key member of the Solutions North team your approach is Trauma Informed and Solution Focused to support families aimsand enable them to sustain change. You will work with families who present in crisis and often have compassion fatigue, managing emotional wellbeing and support families to spend time together and strengthen or rebuild relationships. You will need empathyand emotional resilience to deal with case work involving families who may present distressing circumstances and / or challenging behaviours.Key Skills - (These will be used as the shortlisting criteria)Ability to analyse and interpret complex information about children on the edge of care, understand the impact of trauma and crises on family life, create holistic case formulations, identify and prioritise needs and implement effective plans to achievestability and maintain change.

1. Ability to deliver direct work with children, parents, and whole families using a range of strengths based and solution focussed interventions. Proactive and responsive at the point when families are in crisis, using negotiation and motivational skillsto manage conflict and drive change, containing your own and others anxieties and maintaining a focus on collective strengths and resources whilst working within the boundaries of the role.
2. Demonstrate good listening, communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to explain complicated information to children and families. Have sound and accurate IT skills, including report writing, maintaining accurate records, ensuring confidentiality,and protecting information.
3. Ability to collaborate and coordinate with colleagues and external agencies to deliver an effective and collaborative service across Childrens and Adults Services, Education, Health, Police and the Voluntary & Community sector.
4. Ability to reflect on own practice and learn from experience, prioritise and manage own workload, co-ordinating a range of tasks in a clear and logical way to meet agreed deadlines. Recognise limits of own accountability and responsibility and seek appropriatesupport, advice and supervision. Take responsibility for own performance and be proactive in relation to own work and professional development.

Qualifications and Experience:

• A recognised Social Work qualification e.g. Degree in Social Work, Post Graduate Certificate in Social Work, DipSW, CQSW or equivalent as recognised by the relevant professional body.
• Completion of relevant post qualifying training.
• Evidence of at least one years experience post qualification.
• Registration with the relevant professional registration body and maintaining registration with that body.
• Knowledge of theoretical Social Work concepts and practices, with demonstrable examples of dealing with a breadth of complex issues and situations, for example, attachment, impact of developmental trauma and child development, motivational interviewing,relational practice, solution-focussed interventions and systemic working. A good understanding and demonstration of anti-oppressive, anti-discriminatory and anti-racist practice in social work.
• Experience of effective partnership working and forming effective working relationships with individuals and colleagues, focusing on the needs and handling conflict and disagreement.
• Experience of effectively coaching and supervising others, acting as practice role model and promoting exemplary practice.
• Experience of managing levels of risk within a caseload of complex cases.
• Readiness to work towards Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS) qualification at Stage one or equivalent.

Further InformationTo apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring thatany gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to Social Work England registration, HCPC registration, an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.