Kensington and Chelsea is an exciting and interesting place to live and work. We celebrate the rich diversity of our local population and strive to ensure everyone, regardless of their background, feels valued and included, with a diverse range of businesses and cultural backgrounds represented in our various districts.
We offer services across various districts in the borough including Ladbroke Grove, Notting Hill Gate, Knightsbridge, South Kensington, Earl’s Court, and Chelsea, with over 100 languages spoken in our schools. Kensington and Chelsea is the smallest geographical sized borough in London with 160,000 residents, but is the second most densely populated in England and Wales.
Kensington and Chelsea will always be inextricably linked with the Grenfell Tragedy, which has forever marked the borough, our communities, and the Council. One legacy set by bereaved families and survivors of the Grenfell Tragedy, is they want to see this Council become the best Council. We want to become the best Council for a borough that is greener, safer, fairer’
Our borough is renowned for its iconic landmarks such as Kensington Palace, and shopping districts such as Portobello Road and the Kings Road. Colourful streets and world class museums such as the Victoria and Albert, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum offer an array of educational and engaging exhibitions for all ages, making it a desirable destination for both residents and tourists.
Residents and visitors frequently enjoy the wealth of green spaces in the borough, from the sprawling Holland Park with it’s manicured Kyoto Gardens and nature trails, to smaller more local parks that act as tranquil escapes for their surrounding communities.
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 work with children and families experiencing a range of challenges. We are known for providing high-quality social care services, with a focus on early intervention and prevention. Our aspirations are high for all our children. The borough’s social care service is well resourced with a robust Early Help service and commissioned services, highlighting its commitment to ensuring that all residents receive the support they need to live independent and fulfilling lives.
Social workers in the borough benefit from a supportive working environment, with regular supervision and opportunities for professional development. The statutory social work service is provided via nine geographical teams, four in the north of the borough, one central and three in the south. These teams include three specialist teams to support disabled children, unaccompanied minors, and a hospital social work service. The teams are responsible for assessment and interventions throughout the child’s journey, which means there are no transfer points, enabling children to receive continuity of professional relationships and enhancing practitioner’s skills to work across the diversity of needs. Practitioners also enjoy and maintain strong and helpful relationships with a variety of professionals within our community services.
Systemic practice underpins our practice. Systemic principles and concepts inform our interventions and thinking at all levels within our organisation. Our ambition is to create a children’s social care workforce which has a theory of change informing work with our families, which drives purposeful interventions and a thoughtful approach to the work.
This includes using systemic techniques such as genograms, circular questions, writing therapeutic letters and use of reflective groups to understand how best to support families to make changes. Developing and sustaining relationship-based practice is at the centre of our social work interventions, which is underpinned by the principle that children should thrive within their own families and our work is to enable this to happen when this is in their best interests, and it is safe for them to do so.
The borough's commitment to social care, social workers in Kensington and Chelsea benefit from the borough's central location and excellent transport links. The borough is served by several underground stations and bus routes, making it easy to access for both residents and staff.
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.