Advanced Practitioner and Experienced Social Worker

TN United Kingdom; Oldham; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 50,000

Job description

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Advanced Practitioner and Experienced Social Worker, Oldham

Client:

Oldham Council

Location:

Job Category:

Other

EU work permit required:

Yes

Job Reference:

2dd01f2c4fc1

Job Views:

5

Posted:

30.03.2025

Expiry Date:

14.05.2025

Job Description:

People and Place

Assessment and Intervention Services

Ref: 000458

Contract: Permanent

Closing Date: Sunday 20th April 2025

Interview: TBC

Informal Enquiries: Head of Service Danielle Wilton and Ben Lawton

Officially rated as a ‘Good’ by Ofsted, we are proud of our relentless approach in seeking the very best outcomes for our children and families, and there’s never been a better time to join the team and be part of our success story.

Oldham is a wonderful place of diversity, where people of all cultures come together. This is one of our greatest strengths and our social workers enjoy using a breadth of skills and gaining a variety of experiences whilst supporting children and families from diverse backgrounds.

We use systemic practice as our chosen practice model, focusing on building relationships with children and families, understanding the context and family dynamics, and reflectively learning together. 2024 has seen the launch of our new systemic reflective hubs, as our Social Work Academy continues to offer reflective supervisions and tailored support through an innovative 2-year ASYE programme.

We have a strong ethos of ‘Growing our own’, providing a great environment to excel in your social work career.

Our Promises to you:

• A manageable and diverse caseload aligned with your experience and skills.
• A commitment to your continuing professional development through a bespoke learning and development programme.
• A variety of career opportunities to progress and develop with us in Social Work.
• Regular, quality, and reflective supervision and learning from practice audits with fortnightly training days in each of our services.
• Monthly Group Supervision with your team.
• Weekly Learning Spaces to focus on a specific area of learning.
• A permanent and supportive Senior Leadership team.
• Full corporate and service Induction.
• Direct link to a Team Manager, Advanced Practitioner and Social Work Consultants from our Social Work Academy.
• The opportunity to become a Practice Educator and to develop students within our organisation.
• Dedicated support to develop you in your role and opportunities to meet your career aspirations.

During the SSYE (second supported year in employment) you will have a consultant social worker in the CSWA who will offer reflective supervision every three months as well as meetings with your manager at 6 and 12 months to ensure that your professional development plan is being supported.

Focus on child and family-centred outcomes across all sectors by ensuring the right intervention is identified at the right time, thereby building a safe, happy, healthy, and successful future for children and young people.

You will be rewarded with great benefits:

• Competitive pay with a £2,000 retention payment (After 2 years this includes Social Worker G7 and G8 and Advanced Practitioner G9).
• Hybrid working giving flexibility for you to manage your diary and offer a better work/life balance.
• Free town centre parking.
• Essential car user allowance of £500* and mileage expenses at 45p per mile.
• Reimbursement of Social Work England professional registration fees (currently £90 per year).

Other generous benefits including:

• 25 days annual leave with the option to purchase additional days, which increases after 5- and 10-years’ service.
• Attractive defined benefit pension scheme with a market leading AVC option for additional retirement savings.
• Discounted gym membership.
• Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
• Salary sacrifice scheme, including Cycle to Work.
• Wellbeing support, including an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
• Staff recognition and celebration events.

“One of the reasons I’ve worked here for so long is because it’s like a family and a listening organisation, where people are encouraged to participate and get involved.”

“Our Social Worker teams are friendly, approachable and professional.”

“We all want to make a difference to the families and children that we work with.”

“Oldham values the person, the families, and the inclusive culture.”

Hear more from our employees and explore our Social Work Academy offer here.

Ofsted says

“Children are well supported by social workers, who ensure that their health, education and emotional needs are met.”

“Staff are tenacious.”

“Children and families in Oldham benefit from a comprehensive range of early help services.”

“There is strong partnership working.”

“Senior leaders promote the participation of cared for children and actively seek their voice in developing and shaping service delivery.”

“Relentless focus on improvement by a strong and stable leadership team, with progress made across many areas of practice.”

Read the full Ofsted report here.

About the Role:

Are you ready to be at the forefront of making a difference for children and families in Oldham? Do you thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment where your skills and expertise are vital in safeguarding children and supporting families? Join our Assessment and Intervention Team, part of Oldham Council’s Front Door services, and help shape the future of children in need (CIN).

As part of our Front Door and Assessment and Intervention Team, you will be the first point of contact for children and families requiring statutory support. Your role will involve undertaking comprehensive assessments, ensuring immediate risks are addressed, and creating Child in Need (CIN) plans that prioritise safety, stability, and positive outcomes for children.

This is a critical role where you will work directly with families during times of crisis, providing timely intervention and support. You’ll make a real difference by identifying needs, managing risks, and enabling families to build a safer and more stable environment for their children.

Key Responsibilities:

• Undertake high-quality assessments, including Section 17 (Child in Need) and Section 47 (Child Protection) investigations.
• Develop and implement robust Child in Need plans to address identified risks and needs.
• Work collaboratively with partner agencies to provide a coordinated and effective response.
• Use a strength-based approach to build trusting relationships with children and families.
• Manage a diverse caseload, ensuring all work complies with statutory requirements and safeguarding protocols.
• Provide timely and evidence-based reports for planning and review meetings.

What we need from you:

All applicants must meet the relevant criteria, including the right to work in the UK. We do not accept applications from candidates who require sponsorship.

Oldham Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All roles require strong commitment to securing good outcomes for children, operating in a supportive environment focused on effective delivery, including identifying and responding appropriately to any safeguarding concerns, ensuring the immediate decision making reflects an analysis of risk and protective factors.

Oldham Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The successful applicant will be required to register to the DBS Update Service to enable the Council to undertake rechecks throughout your employment. The cost to register is £13 and can be claimed back upon commencement to the role but will not be refunded if you do not accept the offer of employment.

If you would like support with this application, an interview or interested in looking at any courses that could help with this position please get in touch with Get Oldham Working.

NB. - Any candidate that meets the criteria of our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme and meets the essential criteria of the role will be guaranteed the first stage of assessment (whether that is an interview or another assessment, as appropriate).

Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme supports candidates with disabilities, those who have previously been in or currently in care, those that are carers, and those who have served in the Armed Forces as a regular, reserve or cadet.

Diversity and Inclusion:

At Oldham Council, we are committed to creating a fair and inclusive workplace that is as diverse as the communities we serve. We aim to develop a culture of respect, where differences are recognised regardless of background. We aim to be an employer of choice by engaging in fair and open recruitment processes. Applications are encouraged from all communities across the borough to create a workforce that represents the diversity of our population.

About Us:

Oldham is committed to developing a Co-operative future; one where citizens, partners and staff work together to improve the borough. Anyone joining the council is coming into an ambitious organisation with big plans. We are working hard to build a brighter future for our borough and we need people from a wide range of backgrounds to continue delivering the best for our communities.

The Council has a clear set of Behaviours, which outline how we do business and we share these borough wide with our residents, partners and businesses. Internally we have translated these into five cooperative behaviours which outline the priority areas of focus for all staff at all levels. You can view these Behaviours, along with staff benefits on our Greater.Jobs pages Working for Oldham.

For details of how we use your data please see our Privacy Notice.

Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for an at risk employee, it can be pulled back at any point up to the post being formally offered to an external candidate or an internal candidate that is not at risk of redundancy.