In Lambeth we put children and their families at the heart of our practice, and practice at the heart of all that we do. Our new Borough Plan has social justice at the centre and a clear vision for improving outcomes for our children, young people and young adults who may be at Risk Outside The Home (ROTH).
This is an exciting role where you will lead on developing existing relationships with partners and communities with a view to working together collectively to manage and reduce the risk to children and young adults from outside of the home. We are keen to embed current research and build on best practice to create safety for our children and young adults. You will be confident in using your initiative, turning research into practice and bringing partners on board.
You will be joining an ambitious and passionate team who are committed to improving the lives of those children and young adults who face risk from outside of the home. We are working at pace to create the conditions for effective social work to flourish and for all our children and young adults to receive a good service. We are clear on the challenges we face and have the courage and vision to deliver improvements. Following our inspection in 2022 Ofsted recognised the momentum and investment in Children’s Services.
About the Role:
Lambeth is looking for an experienced and creative initiative-taking Advanced Social Worker Practitioner whose skills and experience lie in building effective relationships with our partners and the community to reduce the risks facing children and young adults.
This is a forward-facing, first line management role, and you will be responsible for the development and delivery of a multi partnership contextual safeguarding approach for children and young adults within the Lambeth community. You will work closely with communities, businesses, statutory and voluntary organizations to create safety for Lambeth children and young adults in the community when the risk is from outside of the home.
You will be committed to help us achieve our vision of making Lambeth one of the best places in the world for children, young people and young adults to grow up in. In this post. You will play a key role in driving forward this approach, engaging with our partners, and using research and good practice to embed the contextual safeguarding approach within Lambeth.
As the lead practitioner in this area, you will work with the Service Manager to champion a multi partnership Contextual Safeguarding approach, ensuring our policies and procedures reflect the most up to date research and deliver training and guidance to partners and staff within Lambeth.
About You:
You will be an experienced Advanced Social Worker Practitioner / Assistant Team Manager who has extensive experience of delivering front-line practice and a knowledge of the legislation, policies and procedures underpinning Children’s Social Work.
You will have experience of working within the Contextual Safeguarding framework, and a passion for working with children and young adults and having an understanding of the issues facing them. You will be confident in engaging those children and young adults who have been exploited or face risk outside of the home and understand the push and pull factors which lead to these vulnerabilities.
You will have experience of chairing multi-agency meetings and producing and reviewing plans which are SMART and effective.
Your strengths will lie in bringing together partners and communities to collectively hold risk and develop plans which reduce the risk to children and young adults in the community.
You will have experience of working with partners, parents and communities to help to create safety in those areas that children exist (neighbourhoods, communities, online, school, transport hubs). You will be proactive, responding quickly to the needs of our children and young adults young and will be responsible for bringing together and chairing Team around the Community meetings.
You will be confident in understanding data and using this to inform where to target support. You need to be an excellent communicator and be confident in providing written reports and presenting verbally.
Lambeth promotes a Signs of Safety approaches in working with children, families, young adults and communities. By embedding this framework Lambeth is inspiring, resourcing and enabling social workers to undertake impactful relationship-based practice. Experience in the delivery of this framework would be desirable, however full training will be available.
Located in the heart of South London, Lambeth Borough is a vibrant community. Stretching from the dynamic neighbourhood of Streatham in the South to the iconic landmarks of Waterloo in the North, we are proud to be the 9th largest borough in London. Our diversity is our strength, with more than 130 languages spoken, making Lambeth the home of the Windrush generation, London's largest LGBTQ+ community, and a thriving Portuguese-speaking community.
With exceptional schools, lush green spaces including Brockwell Park, cultural gems like the Black Cultural Archives, and world-renowned institutions such as St Thomas's Hospital, Lambeth offers an enriching and dynamic environment. The Civic Centre is just a short walk from the main underground and train station.
“Lambeth – a borough with social and climate justice at its heart. By harnessing the power and pride of our people and partnerships, we will proactively tackle inequalities so that children and young people can have the best start in life and so everyone can feel safe and thrive in a place of opportunity.”
In Lambeth, we offer our social workers: