As an Emergency Duty Social Worker, you will respond to crises relating to children and families that emerge beyond regular office hours, ensuring the relevant measures have been put in place to contain problems and ensure everyone involved is safe. As such, we will expect you to collaborate with the Police in which you will go to meet parents, carers and young people (up to the age of 25) and children, where you will identify the information you need in order to make an effective assessment on the pressures immediately faced by these individuals, and determine what needs to happen next. Providing in-depth reports on the decisions and safety plans you have made, you will see to it that our day-service colleagues have all the insight they need to take over by 9am the next working day, including details of emergency protection orders, child protection investigations, acting as an “appropriate adult” for vulnerable children being interviewed by the Police and so forth. With asylum seekers, looked after children and youth offenders all falling into your remit, this is a great chance to help some of the most troubled young people, ensuring their voices are always heard.
To make the most of this great role, you will need to be very friendly and outgoing in order to quickly build relationships with families and young people in times of stress. With great communication skills, you will use your powers of persuasion to take the heat out of a situation, and help youths find more peaceful paths. From a practical point of view, you will be a qualified Social Worker with an active registration, and an exceptional knowledge of the relevant legislation. Highly organised with the ability to prioritise your own workload, you will have plenty of autonomy in deciding how to go about your duties, though you will always find a great deal of support from our knowledgeable colleagues. We work as a team to ensure everyone has a good work-life balance, so it would be ideal if you also have the flexibility to occasionally swap shifts with colleagues.
This is a great opportunity to take on deeply satisfying work that is also conducive to a good work-life balance. With a competitive benefits package that includes a generous salary and access to hybrid working (though the nature of your work will mean you are often working in the community or in the office), you will find this is a Social Work role unlike any other. Join us in this fulfilling work, and we are confident that you won’t want to leave – the volume of long-term team members in our midst are certainly testament to just how much we all enjoy being part of our department!
As a social worker, Kensington and Chelsea presents a unique and rewarding work environment. The borough is home to a diverse community and the demographic make up of our staff reflects this.
We are committed to promoting equality and celebrating the benefits of diversity. We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.
The borough’s commitment to social care is reflected in its innovative approach to service delivery. For example, the Council has established a Bi-Borough partnership with neighbouring borough Westminster, which allows for the sharing of resources and expertise. The partnership has resulted in improved service delivery and better outcomes for vulnerable residents, which was recognised in our last ILACS inspection which found Kensington and Chelsea to be Outstanding in all judgement areas.
“Children in care and care leavers receive an outstanding service from workers who know them exceptionally well and are caring and ambitious for them. There is strong corporate support from the wider council to provide high-quality social work services for children, including significant financial investment so that the conditions are in place for excellent social work practice to flourish.”Ofsted
“Children in care and care leavers receive an outstanding service from workers who know them exceptionally well and are caring and ambitious for them. There is strong corporate support from the wider council to provide high-quality social work services for children, including significant financial investment so that the conditions are in place for excellent social work practice to flourish.”
Ofsted
Social workers in Kensington and Chelsea can look forward to a package that includes a competitive salary and child protection payment of £2,500 for social worker positions, membership of the Local Government pension scheme, Travel allowance scheme for zones 1 and 2, cycle scheme, reimbursement of Social Work England fees, generous annual leave plus bank holidays and discounts for many leisure activities, restaurants, shops and other establishments. Employees also benefit from an extensive training package, with access to the West London Alliance essential training and to years 1 and 2 of Systemic Practice.
In addition, we offer an annual leave purchase scheme where you can purchase up to 5 days annual leave per annum at 90 per cent of the actual cost. The Council has a staff contributory private healthcare scheme, open to all staff and offers a Dental Insurance Plan.