Make a difference - Supervising Social Work in Cornwall ‘Cornwall’s ambitious, outward-facing senior leadership team promotes a strong culture of learning and development. It has made excellent use of learning from research, best practice and peer reviews.’ ‘Social workers have a very good understanding of the children they work with; they visit them regularly and ensure that their needs are holistically well considered’ ‘Staff development is delivered through an effective and well-targeted workforce development framework. Staff morale is high.’ The Service & Team: Social Workers make a real difference to the lives of children in Cornwall. We believe that the children of Cornwall deserve the very best. We put their needs at the heart of everything we do and we are looking for people who share our determination to improve their lives and make a brighter future. If you believe in humane, relationship-based social work with children in care and their foster carers we offer the opportunity to develop your Social Work career in an innovative and ambitious children’s service in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. The post holder will be located within the Fostering Service, serving the West of the County. This may also include some occasional out of County work. This role is based within the Fostering Team; responsible for assessing, supervising and supporting foster carers who are looking after children in care (including kinship/connected person carers). The Fostering Team carries out fostering and special guardianship assessments to help determine permanency for children. The strategic direction of the Service is set by the Children and Young People’s Plan and the Council Business Plan, with the primary aim of improving outcomes for all children and young people and closing the gap in outcomes for the most vulnerable of Cornwall. Children’s social care is one of the most highly regulated, performance managed and inspected of all the services provided by the Council. Social workers are increasingly based in multi-disciplinary teams on the basis of a strategic plan to integrate education, health and social care services in Cornwall. The Role: We have an opportunity for passionate, committed Social Workers across Cornwall in a part-time role within the Fostering Service in West Cornwall. With the advice, support and guidance of a Team Manager and/or Principal Social Worker registered Social Workers will provide a statutory social work service to help and protect children and young people and to support their families/carers to care for them safely. Social Workers should demonstrate expert and effective practice in complex situations, assessing and managing risk, striking a balance between support and control, liaising with a wide range of professionals. They develop an excellent understanding of the child’s lived experience and are able to convey their views and feelings through high quality practice skills in assessment, planning, intervention and review. They use evidence-based practice to improve the child’s welfare and safety, leading to improved outcomes. They manage a caseload of foster carers, chair a range of meetings, offer assessment, guidance and support to foster carers, and produce high quality assessments and reports for a range of functions. They inform, guide and model good practice, setting expectations for others and contribute to the public face of the organisation and / or profession. They take responsibility and be accountable for their own practice and that of others, including carers. They work collaboratively and positively with other professionals and partner agencies in order to provide a seamless and coherent service. They are committed to continuous professional development and learning through the core curriculum and undertaking accredited post-qualifying awards. They demonstrate learning in practice and consistently good performance. They engage positively in reflective supervision and the system for appraising performance. They engage positively in the framework for Quality Assurance and Performance Management. They act as representatives of the Service and the profession at all times, reflecting the requisite values and ethics in the way they work with service users and colleagues. Further information about our teams is available here: Work for children's services - Cornwall Council. This is a public/customer-facing role, where the statutory English language requirement for public sector workers applies. This position will be subject to an enhanced criminal record disclosure check. Working Pattern: You will be working 18.5 hours per week, within the hours of Monday to Thursday 8:45-17:15 and Friday 8:45-16:45 however there are occasional expectations to work outside of these hours to meet service needs. Cornwall Council promote hybrid working and facilitate where appropriate the need for compressed hours for 37 hours over a 4 day working week or 9 day fortnight. What you’ll need to succeed: You will be experienced in undertaking robust evidence-based assessments and have experience providing evidence in high pressured situations; being confident to present within the Fostering and Permanence Panel and in Court. You will be effective in multi agency working and in undertaking direct work with families; including leading groups and training when required. This role would suit an experienced Social Worker who has worked within Fostering, Child Protection or another frontline assessment team. You will be a Social Worker registered with Social Work England who will have: Previous experience working within a social care environment A proven track record of excellent practice that improves the lives of children High-level written and verbal communication skills to build effective professional relationships with families and other professionals Knowledge and understanding of the legislation, models and theories relevant to children’s social work, and the ability to evidence how you have applied your learning to your practice The skills to undertake assessments and to use evidence-based practice tools to support foster care and kinship care placements If your experience as a Social Worker is within another sector (such as Adult Social Care or the Voluntary sector), we provide additional support to transition into children and families social work through a supported induction period. Please note: If you have qualified within the last 2 years, but not completed your Assessed and Supported Year of Employment (ASYE) we would welcome your application as a Newly Qualified Social Worker (NQSW) in order to access Cornwall’s ASYE programme which runs twice yearly. Please read the role profile for the full details of this role attached below in this advert. What you’ll get in return: Cornwall Council’s ambition is to be an employer of choice, a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract, motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff. We actively encourage and enable our practitioners to progress and reward them for their commitment and expertise. If you are committed to continuing professional development, can demonstrate learning in your practice and in improved outcomes for the children you help and protect, we will provide you with the career options and remuneration that match your expertise. We support our Social Workers to stay in front line practice as Advanced Practitioners or move to front line management, both of which attract the same pay. As part of our commitment to outstanding practice, we have put in place a comprehensive core curriculum and career and qualification pathway for our Social Workers to develop their knowledge and skills to deliver the most effective social work intervention with children, families and foster carers. Cornwall is one of the best places in the country to live, work and bring up a family. It’s location and landscape offer unique opportunities for a healthier, happier way of life. We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our staff and we recognise that resilient Social Workers need a good work/life balance as well as supportive leadership and support in the workplace. In recognition of the vital contribution you make, we offer an attractive package of benefits including: Welcome bonus of £4000 for qualified Social Workers who are new to social work in Cornwall and have completed their ASYE £3000 Annual Market Supplement for Advanced Practitioners A generous relocation package An individualised induction to meet your specific needs and learning An excellent core curriculum to support your ongoing development with a high-quality programme of evidence-based learning and development to enhance skills and practice. An outstanding career and qualification pathway, recognised by Ofsted as a foundation of Cornwall’s good practice, which will support your progression. Support from our dedicated Practice Educators throughout your progression pathway Regular, high-quality case and reflective supervision Supportive management and leadership Support to access temporary accommodation if moving from outside of Cornwall Access to a Cornwall Council lease car 26 days paid annual leave per year (rising with length of service), plus bank holidays Flexible working opportunities, including part-time hours, condensed hours and hybrid/home working A license to access Community Care Inform and Research in Practice. Payment of your Social Work England registration fees. A competitive starting salary and the opportunity to increase your pay further as you progress Additional Information: Please note, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. A copy of the role profiles can be found below. We recommend saving a copy of this to refer to if you are invited to an interview. Social Worker (Grade 3) Experienced Social Worker (Grade 4) For more information or an informal chat about the role please contact Team Manager Ali Maden at ali.madencornwallcouncil.gov.uk or 0735 416 3694. Application Process Please attach a supporting statement to your application, you can add your Education & Qualifications details manually using the application form timeline or you can upload your CV. Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points marked as ‘Application’ on the Role Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had. Guidance on how to complete your application can be found here – The application process. Please note that applications cannot be edited after they have been submitted, so please contact careerscornwall.gov.uk if you have any queries or require assistance with your application.