As a Senior Social Worker, you will play a pivotal role in delivering a comprehensive and effective integrated social work service. Your primary focus will be responding at a higher level to complex situations, addressing the needs of children and their families within statutory guidelines and council obligations. This role demands substantial post-qualification experience in a statutory Children Social Care setting, and an ability to operate autonomously with expert judgment.
Key Responsibilities:
- Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate safeguarding and permanence measures at a high level of complexity within individual cases.
- Mentor less experienced social workers, ensuring their professional development and supporting them in managing higher levels of risk.
- Lead in a specialised area of work as directed by departmental policies and procedures.
- Provide focused and purposeful social work interventions within a Resilience framework, aligning with desired outcomes while managing risks to children.
- Demonstrate a high level of understanding of complexity and respond in a timely manner meeting the Nolan Standards.
- Work directly with children, conducting accurate assessments of their needs, and gathering information from various sources.
- Manage caseloads, prioritising tasks, and responsibilities, while overseeing the work of less experienced colleagues.
- Ensure statutory responsibilities for children are met, including visits, reviews, court reporting, and meeting performance targets.
- Provide highly skilled written and verbal reports based on complex evidence, presenting information to various stakeholders.
- Maintain case records, collaborate with other agencies, apply research knowledge to inform practice, and support Barnet Family Services' vision as a learning organisation.
- Actively participate in the Workforce Development Programme, serving as a Practice Educator and assessor for trainees.
- Manage time effectively to meet regulatory deadlines for reports, assessments, and plans.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Extensive post-qualification experience in a statutory Children Social Care setting.
- Expertise in assessing and managing complex situations and risks.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills for mentoring and supporting less experienced colleagues.
- Demonstrated ability to work within statutory guidelines and council obligations.
This role offers an opportunity to make a tangible difference in the lives of children and families, requiring both expertise in social work practice and a commitment to ongoing professional development. The successful candidate will join a dynamic team dedicated to providing the highest level of care and support to vulnerable individuals within the community.