Job info	Job info details
Job title	Social Worker
Strategic team/Directorate	Children's Services
Service	Safeguarding and Family Help
Business unit	Family Help or Decisive Multi Agency Child Protection Systems
Responsible to (day to day issues)	Team Manager
Accountable to (line manager)	Team Manager
Salary grade	I
JE ref	SS10

1. Key purpose of job

• To provide a high quality and effective social work service to respond to the needs of children, young people and families in a timely manner and within statutory guidelines, policies and standards.
• To assess need, plan and deliver focused intervention and family support to safeguard and protect children and young people and promote positive outcomes.
• Working to models of best practice and actively promoting and adopting integrated approaches for the benefit of children and young people and their families.
• To understand and promote the core business of the Torbay Safeguarding Children Partnership and deliver its priorities.

2. Anticipated outcomes of post

• Children and young people have their needs identified and met through timely, proportionate and evidence-informed assessments.
• Children and young people are safeguarded through effective risk assessment, purposeful planning and timely intervention.
• Preventative and early intervention activity reduces the need for statutory intervention wherever this is safe and appropriate.
• Children, young people and families receive appropriate support and provision that meets assessed need and demonstrates best value.
• The wishes and feelings of children and young people are sought, understood, recorded and reflected in assessment and planning.

3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post

• As an Employee of Torbay Council all roles are expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. The Designated Senior Lead for Safeguarding is the Chief Executive and Director of Children’s Services.
• Initiate appropriate safeguarding action to protect children and young people who are at risk of significant harm.
• Undertake interviews and observations, and gather information from children, young people, families and partner agencies, to analyse and evaluate need, risk and protective factors and complete holistic assessments.
• Produce focused and purposeful plans for intervention, with clear aims, measurable outcomes and proportionate arrangements for managing risk.
• Undertake regular and statutory reviews in accordance with legislation and policy to ensure that plans and support continue to meet assessed need and demonstrate best value.
• Promote and use preventative and early intervention services by working collaboratively with children, young people, families and partner agencies, including schools.
• Apply partnership threshold criteria effectively to determine need and ensure that vulnerable children and young people receive an appropriate and proportionate service.
• Contribute actively to shared team responsibilities and support effective multi-agency working.
• Complete section 47 child protection enquiries and risk assessments in accordance with current statutory guidance and relevant regional child protection procedures.
• Apply the relevant assessment framework to complete statutory assessments within required timescales.
• Maintain accurate, timely and analytical case records and use the Council’s electronic children’s social care system for communication, recording, information gathering and assessment.
• Comply with the Council’s financial regulations and relevant business support policies and procedures.

4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post

• None. 

5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post

• None. 

6. Working environment and conditions of the post

• Regular lone working with children, young people and families in office, community and home settings. This may include visits where there is a foreseeable level of risk, conflict or challenge, requiring adherence to lone-working and risk-management procedures. 

7. Physical demands of the post

• Normal physical demands associated with office, community and home-based social work activity. 

8. Specific resources used by the post

• Normal agile-working resources, the Council’s electronic children’s social care system and age-appropriate direct-work tools. 

9. Key contacts and relationships

External: 

• Children, young people and their parents or carers; health, police, education providers and other partner agencies; voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations; Social Work England, Ofsted, court staff and Cafcass. 

Internal: 

• Colleagues across Children’s Services, other Council services and elected members. 

10. Other duties

• To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job.

Other Information

• All staff must commit to the Workplace Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Policy.
• Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
• The post holder is expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures, and be aware that the Chief Executive and the Director of Children’s Services are the Safeguarding Leads for the Council.
• This post is office based at Electric House, Torquay, but the post holder may be required to move their base to any other location within the Council at a future date.
• As this post meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment will be subject to a criminal record check (Disclosure) from the Disclosure & Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of all cautions, reprimands or final warnings, as well as convictions, whether “spent” or “unspent”. Criminal convictions will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post.
• The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council’s buildings, enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time. Employees must follow applicable flexi-time and local arrangements for agreeing and recording breaks.
• The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
• The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the policy appropriate to the role.
• The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees: “Torbay Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable - always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
• This customer-facing post requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
• If required to access a government system such as HMRC, DWP or the Public Services Network as part of the role, the post-holder will be required to complete the relevant basic disclosure and identity verification process with their line manager before access is granted.
• If required to use a personal vehicle on Council business or drive a Council vehicle, the post-holder will be asked to provide driving licence information, including any endorsements, to their line manager through the applicable government checking service.

Person Specification

Note for Candidate

All Candidates

The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement. In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.

Candidates who consider that they have a disability

Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.

If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.

Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.

If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.

Job info	Job info details
Job Title	Social Worker
Strategic team/Directorate	Children's Services
Service	Safeguarding and Family Help
Business unit	Family Help or Decisive Multi Agency Child Protection Systems

Skills and effectiveness

Essential skills and effectiveness

• Proven ability to communicate effectively and build respectful, purposeful working relationships with children, young people, families, colleagues and professionals.
• Proven ability to mediate, negotiate and solve problems in complex circumstances.
• Ability to assess situations with clarity and sensitivity and act professionally in crisis situations.
• Ability to work openly and constructively with families, including where conversations are challenging.
• Effective organisation and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritise competing statutory responsibilities.
• Proven ability to apply anti-discriminatory, anti-racist and inclusive practice in all areas of work.
• Ability to prepare and present clear, analytical reports for a range of professional and legal settings.
• Proven ability to work towards focused and measurable outcomes for children and young people.
• Ability to exercise professional judgement, use initiative and consult or escalate appropriately.
• Effective assessment and risk-analysis skills, including balancing risk and protective factors.
• Accurate, timely and analytical case-recording skills.
• Ability to use Microsoft 365 applications and electronic social care case-management systems effectively.
• This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.

Desirable skills and effectiveness

N/A

Knowledge

Essential knowledge

• Significant working knowledge of the range of services and interventions available to children, young people and their families.
• Significant working knowledge of relevant children’s social care legislation, statutory guidance and the impact of these on children, young people and families.
• Significant working knowledge of child protection practice, statutory assessment and planning frameworks, and practice relating to children in care.
• Understanding of current issues affecting children, young people and families.
• Understanding of how to identify, evaluate and apply evidence-informed practice. 

Desirable knowledge

• Knowledge of local services, communities and multi-agency arrangements in Torbay.

Experience and achievements

Essential experience and achievements

• Experience of direct work with children, young people and families, and of working effectively with other professionals.
• Experience of working independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Experience of completing assessments, analysing risk and producing outcome-focused plans and records. 

Desirable experience and achievements

• Experience of participating in multi-agency and statutory meetings, including child protection meetings.
• Experience of working or completing a placement in a children and families service.
• Experience of working in a multi-agency environment. 

Qualifications/professional memberships

Essential qualifications/professional memberships

• A recognised social work qualification, such as a Degree in Social Work, Diploma in Social Work, Certificate of Qualification in Social Work, or equivalent.
• Current registration with Social Work England.
• Commitment to continuing professional development and maintenance of professional registration. 

Desirable qualifications/professional memberships

N/A

Other requirements

Other requirements of the job role

• Demonstrates a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
• Ability to travel efficiently around the Bay, South West and wider United Kingdom as required to carry out the duties of the role.
• Ability to accommodate unsociable hours when required by the needs of the service.
• Ability to accommodate occasional home working in accordance with service requirements and Council arrangements.