North Somerset Council is on an exciting journey of further transformation and improvement in its Children’s Services. We are looking for passionate, creative, child centred Social Workers to join us.

About the team

We are looking for a qualified and experienced Senior Social Worker to join our Children with Disabilities Team, a dedicated service supporting the most vulnerable children and young people in North Somerset. 

Our dedicated social workers are trained to consider the specific vulnerabilities faced by children with disabilities so that support can be tailored to meet their highly complex needs.  We’re ambitious to improve outcomes for all our children and young people and our approach is all about building relationships with children, young people and their families and making time to take a creative approach to individual needs.  

About the role

You will operate as the senior lead social work professional within Children’s Services, providing professional support and advice, continuous professional development to other team members, as well as handling a reduced caseload to allow for mentoring and professional support.

You will be involved in direct service delivery and provide technical support to develop and support colleagues as well as providing professional consultation for the most vulnerable families. You will provide direction and support to team members and be a role model for best practice.

This is a permanent position with full time or part time hours available.

Duties and responsibilities will include:

• Providing technical advice and guidance to others within the team,
• Deputising for the team manager as required,
• Leading on specific areas of work while working to support families with multiple needs,
• Undertake professional supervision of others and support their professional development.

This position is exempt under the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions) Order 1975 and is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Valid driving licence and own transport, or be able to provide alternative, suitable method of travel is an essential condition for this role.

About you

For this role you must:

• Be a qualified Social Worker(with a Social Work England Registration) with a passion for working with children and their families to help improve their outcomes and to keep them safe from harm using a strengths-based approach.
• Have sound knowledge of relevant childcare legislation, including a clear understanding of ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ and fostering regulations and legislation.
• Have an ability to build effective relationships with children, young people and families.
• Develop purposeful and productive outcome focused relationships with children, young people, and their parents/carers based upon partnership and mutual respect.

Please be advised, we are currently only accepting applications from candidates who have full permission to work in the UK.

Why North Somerset?

We understand working for a local authority is more than just a job. We want to ensure our employees remain passionate about what they do and enjoys their time at North Somerset. Whether that means you want training and development opportunities or a flexible working arrangement to fit around family commitments, we will work with you to ensure you are getting the best out of your employment.

Our vision

Our council vision is ‘an open, fairer, greener North Somerset’ and we have three key priorities:

• A thriving and sustainable place
• A council which empowers and cares about people
• An open and enabling organisation.

Our values

Our organisational values are important. They help guide us in how we work and provide services for our residents. Our people produced our values in collaboration with elected members. They provide a strong ethos and help us to deliver our ambitious agenda, working in partnership across the council and beyond:

• We act with integrity
• We respect each other
• We innovate
• We care
• We collaborate.

We offer

Join us and you’ll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance with the option to purchase up to an additional 10 days per year.

Further details can be found in our Benefits booklet.

Want to know more and apply?

For an informal discussion, please contact Bally Nagra, Interim Service Improvement Lead, on 01934 427579.

Anticipated interview date: To be confirmed.

At North Somerset Council we want all our employees to feel valued and appreciated.  We aim to ensure equality of opportunity and prevent discrimination irrespective of your sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or belief, race, age, disability, including neurodiversity, if you are married or in a civil partnership or are pregnant.  We strive to create a workplace that reflects the communities we serve and where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work. 

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

North Somerset Council – Open, Fairer, Greener.