Senior Supervising Social Worker - Fostering

Person Specification

Job Title: Senior Social Worker
Department: Children’s and Young People’s Division
Grade: SSWQ

Equal Opportunities

• Commitment to implementing the Council’s Dignity at Work policies.
• Awareness of Equal Opportunities issues.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of the Children Act 1989 and relevant legislation.
• Knowledge of child protection policy, procedures, and practice.
• Understanding of best practice in child and family assessment and planning, referencing research and theory.
• Awareness of issues faced by children and families from ethnic minority and other minority groups.

Aptitude

• Ability to analyse data and formulate intervention plans.
• Ability to work in partnership with parents, carers, and agencies.
• Ability to undertake direct work with children, young people, parents, and carers.
• Ability to produce clear, literate records and reports electronically.
• Ability to organise own work and recognize limits of accountability.
• Ability to provide supervision and consultation to social workers, students, or assistants.
• Ability to use IT for case recording and reporting.
• Ability to lead on complex cases independently.

Skills

• Effective communication with public, agencies, children, and parents/carers.
• Relationship-building with children, young people, and families.
• Assessment and planning in diverse child care situations.
• Representing the Authority in court independently.
• Giving advice and making decisions on cases allocated to SWAs and SWs.

Experience

• Experience in assessment and planning for children and young people.
• Demonstrable post-qualifying experience of at least two years working with children and families or expertise at a senior level.

Professional Qualifications

• Good general education with literacy and numeracy.
• Social Worker Degree or equivalent (original certificates required).
• Evidence of continuous professional development and evidence-based practice.
• Registration with Social Work England.

Personal Qualities

• Self-motivated.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Flexible.

Special Requirements

• Ability to work some evenings and weekends.
• Ability to work alone.
• Subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Welcome to Lewisham – a vibrant and culturally diverse borough that is bursting with fantastic things to see and do. As a truly international borough with over 170 languages spoken in our homes and businesses, a thriving cultural scene, and a treasure trove of indie shops, bustling markets and more, it’s a great place to start and build a career.

Social work in Lewisham is changing and we have set out our vision and values for how we practice.  In Lewisham Children’s Social Care (CSC), we know what good social work looks like and we are passionate about creating the right conditions and culture for good practice to thrive.

Our social workers benefit from working in small, supportive teams with caseloads on average between 15-20 children. Our ‘Signs of Safety’ practice framework means we are committed to working in a relationship-based way with children and families, focussing on strengths in the family network to effect change. A positive learning culture which promotes opportunities for reflection and relationship-based practice is important to us. We are committed to developing our practice using reflective practice spaces such as case mapping, thinking spaces and group supervision. 

Our permanent and stable senior management team are visible and approachable.  Our dedicated PSW and workforce team supports professional development across the service so that you will;

• be supported through our comprehensive learning and development offer, which includes subscriptions to ‘Research in Practice’ and ‘Making Research Count’.

• receive regular supervision and appraisal.

• have 1-1 practice development coaching as a case holding practitioner, and professional development coaching as a manager.

• have access to regular ‘Signs of Safety’ training and the opportunity to become a practice leader through attending our bespoke practice leader course.  

• have access to external leadership development opportunities such as Pathways and the Black and Asian Leadership Initiative (BALI).

• have a clearly defined career progression pathway with opportunities for professional development at all levels.

We have a strong working relationship with Goldsmiths, University of London as part of the South East London Teaching Partnership so our practitioners have the opportunity to teach on social work courses as teaching consultants. We host ‘Step Up’, ‘Frontline’ and traditional route students and social workers have the opportunity to become practice educators.

Core CSC Staff Benefits include:

• We have been awarded the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard – a benchmark for high employment standards. We are also one of the first London Councils to be accredited a London Living Wage employer and are a Disability Confident employer as well as a Timewise accredited Flex positive employer. We offer a 35-hour working week, and:

• The opportunity to work in a thriving, diverse and developing inner London borough with a stable management team, manageable caseloads and a workforce group committed to promoting your development and emotional wellbeing

• Generous salary for social workers at all levels

• Generous holiday entitlement​ - starting at 27 days a year (plus public holidays) rising to 32 and 35 days after 5- and 10-years’ continued service. 

• Oyster card access for travelling in and around London for work and we are exploring initiatives, including Zip cars

• Flexible working policies​ and a variety of hybrid, and flexible working options – we know how important this is to you

• Smarter Working with new modern technology and training to support this

• Career average pension scheme

• Family friendly policies including maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental, and special leave for emergencies.  ​

• Variety of support schemes including key worker housing, tax-free childcare scheme, access to Civil Service Sports Club which offers financial discounts and savings on days out and entertainment. KAARP activities and entertainment discounts.  We offer a shop local discount scheme, volunteering leave, long service awards, membership of the Crownsavers Credit Union and access to Payroll Giving.

• Health and Wellbeing support includes a staff support hub and 24/7 employee assistance programme which incorporates mental health support, counselling services and access to the PAM Assist health and wellbeing app.

• We have signed the Menopause Pledge and offer gender specific and gender-neutral health and wellbeing support with access to financial advice. We offer discounted gym and leisure centre membership including free lunch time swimming; interest free loans for season tickets, nursery childcare, and bikes, a “try before you buy” bike scheme and cycle training, smoking cessation, free eye tests and money towards glasses.

• Active Employee Groups including the Black and Multicultural Forum, Anti-racist Network Group, LGBTQ+ Forum, Disabled Staff Forum, Climate Emergency Staff Forum, Trade Union Memberships, and a staff-led Change Network​

Staff tell us they feel valued and enjoy working in Lewisham and are well supported by their managers with regular reflective supervision and good access to training.

“Lewisham has so much to offer any social worker. I feel supported, respected and valued every step of the way”

Lewisham Social Worker

If you have any questions about applying for this role, or if you are interested in having an informal discussion about working with us, please contact our Recruitment and Retention Manager, Angela Main at angela.main@lewisham.gov.uk or Sara Taylor, our Principal Social Worker: sara.taylor@lewisham.gov.uk