Childrens Social Worker FAST- Norwich

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Job description

Childrens Social Worker FAST- Norwich

Job Description

Childrens Social Worker Family Assessment and Safeguarding Team- Norwich

Full and part time

Salary up to £45,442 (pro rata for part time) plus financial rewards of:

• £2k welcome payment
• Up to £12,000 for continued service
• Up to £10K relocation package

Who cares that the job of a child protection social worker can be tough? We do. WHO CARES? WE DO. Join us. We're recruiting social workers now at Norfolk County Council. TV AD - YouTube

There couldn't be a better time to join Childrens Services at Norfolk County Council. Ofsted inspected our children services in November 2022 and published their report in January 2023. We are rated Good in all areas, following significant improvements, and the report recognised that we have transformed our children's services.

Read Ofsted's Inspection of Norfolk Children's Services November 2022 report

Key highlights from the latest report:

• Personal advisers and social workers have caseloads which 'enable them to build enduring and effective relationships with their young people and support them into adulthood'.
• Working in Norfolk you will be empowered to be tenacious and creative in using a range of tools and theoretical frameworks to help children through significant and traumatic experiences.
• Relationship-based partnership working is one of our strengths in Norfolk with an innovative system-wide approach to the delivery of services and a diverse range of multi-agency support services focused on building resilience and ensuring that needs are met quickly and at the lowest level.
• Our executive director of children's services (DCS) Sara Tough is an exemplary leader who champions the needs of children and young people with a strong senior management team who together provide continuity of management and strategic direction.

In Norfolk we've invested millions to completely change our operating model and create the professional and emotional support around you that you need to do the job you trained for, to get the best outcomes for children and families, and to achieve a work-life balance that suits you. We're realistic about the challenges, but we're passionate about how we can support you to meet them, so you can enjoy the rewards social work has to offer.

Our new operating model supports practitioners, with:

• Streamlined paperwork - so you can spend less time filling in forms and writing reports
• Two members of support staff for every social work team to reduce your admin
• Dedicated court work facilitators to support you
• Continuous development of the professionals that you as a case-holding social worker can call in to help you, including domestic abuse specialists, homebased support workers, substance misuse workers
• A Children's Advice and Duty Service (CADS) team to triage cases to the right teams, so you can focus on where you can make the biggest difference
• We're working towards aligning mental health practitioners more closely to our teams. We have already seen reduced contacts, referrals, and a big reduction in the number of assessments which do not lead to ongoing work.

"The breadth and depth of circumstances you experience being a fast social worker means there is scope to either develop a specialism and pursue something you are interested in, or alternatively have a varied caseload. The FAST model means that you are able to work with children from the point of referral onward meaning you have the opportunity to work long term with families and form strong and consistent relationships with the children you work with. There is a good variety of work between assessment, long-term work and court work and as such you have the opportunity to develop your skills in a range of areas." Robyn, FAST Social Worker

In addition to being a social worker registered with Social Work England, you will:

• Previous experience working within a children's social care environment (we have a supported programme if you have had a career break or have worked in a different sector).
• Completion of your AYSE
• A proven track record of excellent practice and a passion for improving the lives of children
• The ability to build effective professional relationships with families and other professionals

In return we will offer you:

• A supportive team who cares about your wellbeing and professional development
• We offer flexible working arrangements including condensed four-day week working, nine-day fortnights and other options
• We offer a generous annual leave entitlement - plus the opportunity to purchase up to two weeks of additional annual leave through our salary sacrifice scheme
• We offer maternity, paternity and adoption pay and time off to support you as your family grows. There is an independently run nursery within the Norfolk County Council grounds which offers priority spaces to our employees
• We offer support if you care for relatives or friends who are older, disabled or seriously ill
• We are committed to promoting the health, safety and wellbeing of our social workers. We provide access to services that support your health and wellbeing, such as confidential counselling and advice, fast-track physiotherapy and NHS Health Checks for employees over 40
• We have a great offer waiting for you, not to mention a great lifestyle in Norfolk to help you with your work life balance.
• All our office-based roles are currently working in a hybrid way between home and office as part of our Smarter Working plans and to support the health and safety of all our colleagues. We anticipate that working remotely will be a key feature of this role and your office base will be in Sprowston, Norwich. Our technology platform and equipment are first class, enabling you to connect and collaborate remotely. We ask that you have in place good Broadband connectivity.

We are recruiting experienced social workers to our teams countywide. We'd love to tell you more about being a Social Worker in Norfolk! Please call Deborah our Recruitment Business Partner on or email

Applications will be reviewed once submitted so please apply NOW!

Job Description and Personal Specification

Norfolk is a wonderful place to live and work. With our 90 miles of stunning coastline, seaside towns, our famous broads and not forgetting Norwich, a fine city rich with culture, history and diversity, our fabulous county has something to offer everyone, and it is a great place to bring your family! Living and working in Norfolk - Norfolk County Council

We are committed to equality and inclusion and welcome applications irrespective of gender identity, disability, marital status, ethnic origin, age, pregnancy status, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We are proud to have achieved Carer Friendly Employer Status, Disability Confident Leader Status, the Employer Recognition Scheme award for the Armed Forces Covenant and to be one of the authorities piloting the workforce race equality standard (WRES).

For qualified and experienced Social Workers (Grade J and above with 2 years' post qualified experience) new to Norfolk County Council in FAST

For eligible service in FAST teams as a Level 2 or Senior Social Worker paid £3,000 after year one, £4,000 after year three and £5,000 after year five. (Pro rata basis for part time employees. Payments subject to tax, national insurance and pensionable)

Applications will be reviewed as soon as they are submitted so don't delay - apply ASAP!

About Us

We have miles of beautiful coastline and our unique Broads, thriving market towns and a city with a proud cultural heritage. Our economy is growing and driven by innovation in a number of sectors, including energy and food. We also have ambitious plans for new housing and a building programme for schools across Norfolk. Our county a great place to live, work and visit, and is an excellent environment for businesses to start, grow and innovate.

We are the main local authority for Norfolk providing services countywide to more than 850,000 Norfolk residents. We take the lead in critical policy areas, working with 84 elected Members responsible for the strategic local government services in the county.

We provide a high quality service through involving people who use our services to shape and comment on them and by promoting efficiency and innovation.

We work in partnership with local businesses, voluntary organisations and other local authorities such as District and Parish Councils to provide the people of Norfolk with excellent services.