Social work jobs Newly Qualified Social Worker/ Social Worker

Fantastic opportunities have arisen for Social Work Practitioners in Wakefield Council.

While 2020 has been real challenge for all of us, together with the permanent senior management team and ever increasing permanent workforce - social work in Wakefield continues to thrive.

Here at Wakefield we are looking for dynamic, enthusiastic and committed Newly Qualified Social Workers to work with our children and their families in our Locality Teams and Children in Care Teams.

At Wakefield we have adopted a restorative model in every aspect of our practice with children and families. This is to ensure that we work collaboratively to promote resilience and positive change for the children in our district.

We are dedicated to providing our Social Workers with a positive working environment, where they feel safe and supported. We are committed to staff development and progression.

Our Achievements for 2020

Our most vulnerable children were kept visible and safe during the pandemic by working closely with our partners in other agencies and finding creative ways to ensure they were seen regularly.

Our caseloads have continued at manageable levels during the year either remaining the same or reducing.

New services have been launched to support children on the ‘edge of care’ and family time between looked after children and their families.

The outcome of audits and sampling of practice alongside Social Workers has begun to demonstrate significantly higher “good” outturns.

Implementation of quality training and studies, to support our workers to put into place interventions which make a difference.

Our Children in Care are now finding permanent homes more quickly and more regularly.

In our most recent social work health check (June 2020) 80% of our social workers find their job more rewarding than 12 months ago and 86% would recommend you coming to work in Wakefield.

The DFE have given us excellent feedback around strong partnership working, significant change in culture and leadership and a culture of learning.

The published Ofsted focus visit letter from November identified significant improvements, including a stabilised workforce and improved quality of practice in all areas.

What do some of our ASYE’s say about working for Wakefield?

‘My time at the learning academy was protected and I completed a wealth of training which developed my knowledge and understanding of my role and responsibilities’.

 

‘Everyone at the academy are so supportive, no question is a stupid one, which has been a really supportive tool’

 

‘I’ve made some really good friends and sharing our experiences has also been a great way of learning!!’

 

‘I have never once felt unsupported… I feel grateful that I work in an authority that cares about newly qualified roles and makes you feel an equal part of it’.

 

‘The benefits of the Wakefield ASYE programme offers a protected case load which is really helpful and important to ensure that ASYEs are not overloaded and allowed the opportunity to learn the systems and process and requirements of the role and building/ developing confidence within my practice’.

 

‘The cases allocated to me have been allocated with consideration of my skills and to support my development and confidence as a social worker’.

 

‘ASYEs are regarded highly within the team and management. I have seen and experienced that ASYEs are an important aspect of team learning and development’.

 

‘I am grateful for all the support and guidance I have received since beginning my career with Wakefield’.

So why choose Wakefield?

Here at Wakefield we know we are improving and are now some way into our improvement journey. We know this because:

• We have strong and supportive teams with effective leadership. We have permanent managers who are committed to promoting your development.
• We provide regular and reflective supervision to enable you to manage your caseload effectively and develop in your practice.
• We will give you a reduced caseload of 15 in your first year. After this we aim to keep caseloads within 20 cases maximum.
• We offer competitive pay rates with market supplements for every case holding social worker
• We have an innovative in-house Learning Academy, which will provide you with high quality and relevant training and development opportunities.
• We promote career progression to enable you to grow with us.
• We care about our workers and staff morale is good.
• Benefits include essential car user payments, a minimum of 28 days paid annual leave (rising according to your grade and length of service), plus 8 days paid bank holidays.
• Wakefield is a fantastic place to live and work and all of our office basis are in locations with good transport links and parking.

 

This gives us scope to be creative about how we want to shape our service. We have clear direction of where we want to be and we want you to be a part of this journey.

 

Who are we looking for?

Here we’re looking for only the best social workers – those with the skills, motivation, and passion to help us move forwards. You must also have the following:

• You must have obtained (or be working towards) a Social Work qualification.
• You must be committed and motivated to safeguarding our most vulnerable children.
• You must be willing to develop new skills and learn in a positive environment.
• You must be able to communicate well with others, including children and their families.
• You should have good IT skills and written communication.
• You must have an ability to creatively problem solve and a willingness to promote the best outcomes for children and their families.

If you think this is you, apply to join our team. Choose Wakefield.

If you want to find out more about the benefits to choosing Wakefield, visit our dedicated careers page here.

For an informal discussion please contact Jane Wood on 07920331837

Closing date: 31^st January 2021

Interview Date: w/c 15^th February 2021

Wakefield Council is wholly committed to ensuring children and young people are fully supported and safe. We are dedicated to the safeguarding of all children and young people whilst promoting their welfare, and expect staff and volunteers to share this responsibility.

The successful applicant will be required to complete a Disclosure Application Form and to provide criminal conviction information.

To view the details relating to this position click the links below: