Job Title: Social Worker – Kinship & Fostering
Hours: 37 per week
Salary: HC8 £35,235 – £39,513 (plus £5,000 market rate supplement per year £40,235 - £44,513)
Welcome payment: £5,000 after 6 months completion in post
Relocation package of up to £10,000 available
Contract: Permanent
Closing date: 15/12/2024
Come and join us on our Restorative Journey of Improvement to gain the best for children and families in Herefordshire
The Role
We are looking for experienced Social Workers to help us on our improvement journey. We need both assessing and supervision/support staff so, if you think you have the right skills, please get in touch.
Working within the Kinship part of the Fostering Team our focus is on assessment of connected person foster carers and Special Guardians, and the support and supervision of approved connected foster carers. We also cover private fostering work and offer ongoing support to Special Guardians post-order. We are a dedicated team, passionate about improving the lives of our children and young people, and ensuring Kinship carers get the support and recognition they deserve.
You will be fully qualified (DipSW, CQSW, CSS or equivalent), with a minimum of 2 years’ experience in statutory social care, preferably within Kinship & Fostering. Strong skills in assessment and supervision of carers are essential, with the ability to provide analytical comprehensive reports for court within timescales.
Herefordshire is on a journey and we would like you to be part of our next chapter. This is an exciting opportunity to have a genuine impact on the local authority and help improve and protect the children and young people within it.
We Offer
A competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:
- Social Worker starting salary: HC8 £35,235 – £39,513 per annum
- Market rate supplement: plus £5,000 per year
- Welcome payment: £5,000 for experienced social workers joining our children’s teams
- Relocation packages: support of up to £10,000
- Pension Scheme: Enrolment in the Local Government (LGPS)
- Professional development: protected time and budget to support social workers develop themselves and their careers.
- Career progression: clear pathways to progress to senior social worker level
- Generous Annual Leave: 31 days (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum
- Flexible working: flexi-time, job-share, part-time hours and, in some instances, home working
- Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
- Payment of professional membership fees
- Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.
About Us
Herefordshire is a beautiful, historic county located in the heart of the Marches on the border with Wales. We are one of the most rural and sparsely populated counties in England with a wealth of unspoilt countryside, distinctive heritage, and lively and attractive market towns.
Our priority in Herefordshire is to keep children safe and give them a great start in life. It’s the priority for the council, our partners and for all of us who work with Children & Young People.
How do we do this? By having dynamic, dedicated, passionate and professional staff who work in a culture that focuses on what we can achieve with children, what they can achieve themselves, and the relationship we build with families and partners to enable this. We have invested heavily in training and developing staff in our relational practice approach with our improvement partner Leeds City Council, so it's an exciting time to join Herefordshire – we believe in investing in you so you can be the best you can be!
Herefordshire has a really strong team ethos. Our teams are passionate about the work they do and the positive difference they and the teams they are in make to people’s lives. This is all underpinned by the focus and support from their managers and the council as a whole.
We will deliver better support to our most vulnerable children and their families, develop stronger relationships with partners across the region, and beyond.
Therefore, we take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.
Come to Herefordshire and join the journey.
Herefordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check and further pre-employment checks.
We welcome applicants whatever their personal characteristics or social identity. All requests for flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments will be considered.
The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:
- Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme;
- Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant; and
- Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.
Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for more details of this role.
To apply, please submit your CV and complete the supporting statement within the application form, referring to the job description & person specification, detailing how you meet the specific requirements of the role.
If you would like an informal conversation to discuss the role, please contact Sarah Gray (Kinship Team Manager) on [email protected] and we can then arrange to time to speak.