Do you have a passion for social work? Are you an experienced and inspiring social work practitioner with Child Protection experience? Are you committed to providing excellent services to vulnerable children and families? Do you want an employer who will support you to have the career that is right for you?

If this is you - then West Berkshire Council is the place for you!

We are looking for a number of experienced and dynamic children’s social work practitioners to join our Contact Advice and Assessment Service (CAAS) as a Social Worker in the Assessment Team as the team is expanding. In this role you will champion the rights of our children and young people whilst ensuring our children and young people are supported and safeguarded.

You will be a vital enabler of improving outcomes for children, young people and their families. Working directly with our partner agencies and combining expertise to support our Family Safeguarding Model within our ‘front door’ of West Berkshire Children’s Services.

We are a bustling town within a rural community and our children and families reflect the diversity and vitality of our town. We are a town that embraces innovation and change, and we can offer you exciting and rewarding practice opportunities.

We want Social Workers that bring a comprehensive knowledge and skill-base to their work with children, young people and families. You must be driven and ambitious, both for yourself and for children, young people and families. You must also be an enthusiastic team player who understands the vital role of supportive teams.

As a Social Worker you will help us ensure that children and their families receive the right level of support when it’s needed and you will have the opportunity to contribute to the wider work of this innovative service in improving outcomes for children and young people. You will be responsible for progressing statutory assessments across the threshold of need and you will be supported by a highly experienced and established management team.

In return we offer a learning environment that will support you to advance your career. As an organisation we are committed to providing our staff with the opportunities they need to develop and progress at all stages of their career. At West Berkshire we offer a comprehensive range of training opportunities and professional development through professional supervision and mentoring with access to a training programme to grow and enhance your skills.

In addition, you will receive:

• A golden hello payment of £3k after one year in post
• A retention payment of £2k after two years of service
• A further retention payment of £3k, plus a four week paid sabbatical after three years’ service
• Flexible Working: West Berkshire has adopted a Hybrid Working Policy, which allows employees to split their time between attending the workplace and working remotely
• Free Parking
• Social Work England registration fees reimbursed
• Dedicated employee wellbeing service
• Regular and high quality reflective supervision.
• Approachable and visible senior leadership
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Generous annual leave allowance, plus an additional 5 days leave after 5 years continuous local authority service
• Staff benefits and discount scheme
• Relocation package of up to £8000 for individuals moving from outside a 30 mile radius (subject to eligibility)
• Blue Light card fees reimbursed

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Clare Fox, Team Manager CAAS (Assessment) or Karen Atalla, Service Manager (CAAS) on 01635 503190

You can hear more about how we work at West Berkshire at https://info.westberks.gov.uk/cfsrecruitment

We are committed to protecting and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all staff to share this commitment. This post is working in regulated activity. If you are successful we will undertake additional recruitment checks which will include a check to see if you have had any criminal convictions, a check of police information and we will check the barred list(s). It is a criminal offence for a barred individual to apply for a job in regulated activity.

As this post involves working with children, vulnerable adults or dealing with sensitive information, written references will be taken up and made available to interviewers before the final selection stage; even if you indicate otherwise.

Do you think you have what it takes to join our team and contribute to improving outcomes for children? Apply today.