Social Worker Sunflower House

Buckinghamshire Council; Aylesbury; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Social Worker at Sunflower House, Buckinghamshire’s Parent and Child Residential Assessment centre.

In addition to the salary advertised, you will receive a market premium of £2,750 per annum.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

Your role as a Social Worker within the team will be to undertake and support with the completion of comprehensive parenting assessments, with a maximum caseload of 5 families at any one time.

In addition, you will support with the day to day running of Sunflower House, to include offering parenting support, implementing appropriate learning opportunities and ensuring safeguarding is a priority for children living within the centre.

You will be required to prepare comprehensive reports and attend court to give evidence. You will be supported in this challenging role with regular supervision from the Registered Manager or Assistant Team Manager. You will work alongside partnership organisations such as: Health Services, CAMHS, IRO’s and Frontline teams.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

We would like to hear from Social Workers who:

• Have a social work qualification
• Have an active SWE registration
• Have completed their ASYE and have at least 2 years post-ASYE experience within a Local Authority.
• Have an extensive knowledge and ability to complete thorough and analytical parenting assessments.
• Have the ability to guide and teach others to undertake analytical parenting assessments.
• It is desirable, but not essential that the successful application is trained within Parent Assess or PAMS.
• Successful candidates will have the ability to demonstrate commitment and dedication. Most importantly you will share our dedication and passion to improve the lives of children and their families.

Please see the job description for full person specification.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements.

We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme with an employer contribution of 24.6%.

Social Workers are also entitled to a generous enhanced reward package, as follows:

• Competitive salary with a market increment
• A ‘Golden Hello’ lump sum payment upon successful completion of probation
• Annual leave up to 30 days per year, as well as other types of leave and the opportunity to buy further leave
• Up to 15 days per year training, learning and development offer
• Free parking across all of our office sites

If you are interested in relocating to Buckinghamshire and working with us, relocation packages are also available.