Advanced Social Worker – MASH – Children – Croydon Council

London Borough of Croydon; Croydon; Hybrid; GBP 51,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job description

Advanced Social Worker – MASH – Children – Croydon Council

Salary: Grade 14 £51,522 - £53,607

Permanent – 36 hours per week
Retention Payment – £2,500

Hybrid working

Job Purpose

We are seeking a social work qualified and experienced social worker to join Croydon’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH). Croydon’s MASH is the ‘front door’ for all new referrals for children who may need early help support or children’s social care intervention, making important decisions about which services children need. We are committed to delivering excellent social work practice and services to our children and families. Our goal is to make the right decisions, at the right time and so help set a positive journey for all children. As a MASH Social Worker, you will work within a structure of 3 MASH teams, aligned to 3 Team Managers. You will also work alongside a newly formed Early Help Triage Team, comprising Senior Early Help Navigators, a Substance Misuse Worker, and a domestic abuse IIDVA. As a MASH social worker, you will be responsible for a daily allocation of MASH referrals, where you will speak to parents, carers, and young people and gather information from partner agencies towards analysing risk and need and helping identify the right service the child needs. You will have opportunities to provide consultation advice to professional referrers, as well as participating in multi-agency risk management forums. Candidates will need to have significant post-qualifying experience, including in a statutory childcare setting. Prior MASH experience is useful but not essential. Candidates will need to demonstrate good experience, knowledge, and skills of ability to work in a front-line setting; being able to work with a complex and diverse range of needs and risks; and making effective and timely decisions involving child protection, child in need, and Early Help interventions. Candidates will need to have had working positively with partner agencies and the ability to develop collaborative working relationships with children and their families. Candidates will need to have good knowledge and understanding of the legislative framework, relevant research, and national developments, and policies relating to children’s social care.

Essential Requirements

1. Qualified Social Worker, Social Work England registered.
2. Working knowledge of national policy, strategy and developments regarding children’s social care, and areas that impact on children’s social care.
3. Managing a daily allocation of MASH referrals within required time frames.
4. Ability to manage competing priorities.
5. Ability to engage positively and collaboratively with parents/carers towards discussing referrals, understanding the needs/risks to the child and identifying the right services to meet the child’s needs.
6. Engage effectively with multi-agency partners and being able to gather good quality information to assist with decision making.
7. Good analytical skills.
8. Demonstrate good written skills, so MASH activity is clearly recorded, up to date, and analysis of risk and need and recommendations are clear.
9. Good threshold decision making.
10. Ability to work as part of a team and contribute to team and service development.

The role will involve you using a range of systemic ideas in your work, including promoting a practice philosophy which seeks to empower service users, build on individual strengths, and develop strategies which support them to understand, manage and respond to risk.

You will be required to be office-based a minimum of 3 days per week and at other times according to service needs.

Why Join Us

In Croydon, our Children's Services has an established Systemic Practice model, experienced leaders, and high support for practitioners. Croydon people and staff are diverse, and we celebrate difference through focus on anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practice. We are committed to delivering excellent social work practice and services to our children and families. As well as this we also offer the following: Our teams consist of experienced Social Workers at various levels. Join a highly diverse workforce. Reflective supervision is actively promoted and supported. The ethos at Croydon is very much about working together to make positive change. Caseloads of Social Workers are very manageable enabling managers to know children well and ensure high standards of practice. You will join an established team who can help you settle in and offer their expertise.

Benefits

You will be valued for your skills and expertise, supported by the team of experienced professionals, as well as the management at Croydon Council, one of the largest employers in the borough. We also offer:

• Highly competitive compensation package
• Accredited Systemic Practice training
• A range of CPD opportunities
• 29-31 days (grade equivalent) annual leave in addition to Bank Holidays and option to purchase more
• A pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 20%
• Continuing Professional Development – genuine opportunities to grow, develop and specialise in your career
• Management development programmes
• Investment into your wellbeing
• Access to Employee Discount scheme with a range of programmes (Cycle Benefit Scheme, GymFlex, Retail Discounts and more)
• We promote flexible & hybrid working arrangements where possible to support a healthy work-life balance.

Full time 36 Hours
To view the Advanced Social Worker - MASH role profile please click here

Closing date 30 April 2025 at 23:59

Equal Opportunities and Safeguarding Statement

Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Subject to business needs, we will be pleased to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements and support hybrid working, whereby staff attend the workplace for part of their working week and work from home, or elsewhere, remotely for the rest of the time.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role.

Croydon council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. The Successful candidate will be subject to a DBS check.