Salary: £52,572 to £55,984 per annum (market supplements included)
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full time - 37 hours per week
Location: Based at County Hall North, Horsham but travel round the county and from other Council bases required - Hybrid working available.
Interviews: Taking place on 14/04/2025
We are looking for an Advanced Social Worker for our Children's Mental and Emotional Health Team based in Horsham. You will be at the forefront of
assessing need and risk in respect of the mental health needs of young people, working collaboratively with the Provider Collaborative, CAMHs, Sussex ICB and acute and inpatient hospital teams.
In this role, you would support the team that provides this vital support to children facing difficult times.
As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do. Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:
For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.
The Opportunity
You will be responsible for applying the highest level of expertise in holding
complex case work, improving the practice of other Social Workers and Support
staff, and developing, leading and championing best practice and standards.
You will apply deep expert knowledge and experience to provide constructive
and reflective challenge, influencing others to enhance social work practice,
procedures and policies, promote innovation, and introduce new ways of working
from recognised sites of excellence.
About You
Just some of the key skills and experience required to be successful in this role include:
* Ability to listen to and respond to the voice of children. Able to recognise and respond sensitively to the vulnerability, equality and diversity needs of all, whether stakeholders, colleagues, adults, or children.
* Evidence of continual professional development in children's mental and emotional health, relevant to the delivery of safeguarding children and child protection services.
* Registration with Social Work England.
* Strong Problem-solving skills to enable strong leadership for the team and deliver pragmatic solutions and enable planning for solutions.
* Good understanding of the Mental Health Act 1983 and S117 Aftercare.
* Good working knowledge of child and adolescent mental health.
* Able to role model, promote exemplary practice and provide expertise in
specialist assessment and intervention, and act as a subject matter expert,
coach and supervisor to others within the organisation, enabling social
workers to develop.
* Able to influence, negotiate and persuade in a multi-disciplinary setting and
communicate clearly and effectively to explain complicated information to a wide range of people, understanding others priorities in order to deal with
conflict and resolve difficulties.
For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.
About Us
Here at West Sussex County Council, we are ambitious for our children and our workforce. We are committed to improving our services for the children and families in West Sussex we support. You will join us as at a key time on our improvement journey. The work we have started includes establishing a new and experienced senior leadership team, driving forward our 'Children First' improvement plan and implementing the Family Safeguarding Practice Model.
For further information about us and about working in Children's Social Care at West Sussex County Council, please visit Careers in children's social work in West Sussex
Further Information
The reference number for this role is CAFHE05616 .
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Cara Davis (Service Manager) at .
For issues or queries regarding your application please contact .
To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.
Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.
We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.
EC