Childrens services roles
We try to keep things really simple and this is reflected in the way we organise our roles. Everyone has their part to play and is equally important in making our services the best they can be.
Team Manager
There is a range of specialist roles that you can progress into as a qualified social worker. One of these many roles is a Team Manager.
As a Team Manager your role would include:
- Line management of a team of qualified social workers
- Providing regular supervision that offers challenge and critical reflection and supports practitioners learning
- Allocation of work within your team
- Oversight of assessments to ensure that all relevant information is gathered and that the information is critically analysed and used to inform plans supporting the needs of children and their families
- Management of risk where children and young people have experienced or likely to experience significant harm
- Researching and sharing up to date social work evidence-based practice with colleagues to support the evaluation and improvement of services
- Mentoring, developing and supporting staff
- Chairing / contributing to multi-agency and service meetings
- Contributing to the performance and quality assurance framework.
- Supporting staff recruitment
Experience and qualifications
To practise as a team manager you will need a degree in social work that’s been approved by Social Work England and be registered with Social Work England. In addition, you will need significant senior level frontline experience and evidence of CPD, along with a commitment to ongoing professional development.
Skills
Everyone working in social care needs literacy, numeracy, digital and employability skills including teamwork and problem solving skills.
There are also some specific skills needed to work in this role, these include:
- problem solving skills to advise people on the best support for them
- digital skills to keep records and find information online
- ability to stay calm under pressure and a confident manner when dealing with emergency situations
- excellent assessment and care management skills
- team working skills and ability to build and develop positive working relationships with partner agencies
Deputy Team Manager
There is a range of specialist roles that you can progress into as a qualified social worker. One of these many roles is a Deputy Team Manager.
As a Deputy Team Manager, your role would include:
- Working alongside the Team manager to support the management of a team of qualified social workers
- Providing regular supervision that offers challenge and critical reflection and supports practitioners learning
- Oversight of assessments to ensure that all relevant information is gathered and that the information is critically analysed and used to inform plans supporting the needs of children and their families
- Management of risk where children and young people have experienced or likely to experience significant harm
- Researching and sharing up to date social work evidence-based practice with colleagues to support the evaluation and improvement of services
- Mentoring, developing and supporting staff
- Chairing / contributing to multi-agency and service meetings
- Contributing to the performance and quality assurance framework
Experience and qualifications
To practise as a Deputy Team Manager you will need a degree in social work that has been approved by Social Work England and be registered with Social Work England. In addition, you will need senior level frontline experience and evidence of CPD, along with a commitment to ongoing professional development.
Skills
Everyone working in social care needs literacy, numeracy, digital and employability skills including teamwork and problem solving skills.
There are also some specific skills needed to work in this role, these include:
- problem solving skills to advise people on the best support for them
- digital skills to keep records and find information online
- ability to stay calm under pressure and a confident manner when dealing with emergency situations
- excellent assessment and care management skills
- team working skills and ability to build and develop positive working relationships with partner agencies
Advanced Practitioner
There is a range of specialist roles that you can progress into as a qualified social worker. One of these many roles is an Advanced Social Work Practitioner.
As an Advanced Social Work Practitioner your role would include:
- Using highly developed specialist knowledge of social work practice to take the lead on complex cases.
- Mentoring, developing and supporting less experienced staff particularly with regard to complex safeguarding and child protection cases.
- Researching and sharing up to date social work evidence-based practice with colleagues to support the evaluation and improvement of services.
Experience and qualifications
To practise as an Advanced Practitioner you will need a degree in social work that has been approved by Social Work England and be registered with Social Work England. In addition, you will need significant frontline experience and evidence of CPD, along with a commitment to ongoing professional development.
Skills
Everyone working in social care needs literacy, numeracy, digital and employability skills including teamwork and problem solving skills.
There are also some specific skills needed to work in this role, these include:
- problem solving skills to advise people on the best support for them
- digital skills to keep records and find information online
- ability to stay calm under pressure and a confident manner when dealing with emergency situations
- excellent assessment and care management skills
- team working skills and ability to build and develop positive working relationships with partner agencies
Social Worker
As a Social Worker you will support children, young people and their families when they are going through difficult times.
Your role as a Social Worker might include:
- Undertaking assessments in partnership with the children and their parents /carers ensuring that the voice of the child in central to the assessment, with appropriate consideration and analysis of strengths and risks
- Develop plans to support children and their families that will meet the needs of the child, safeguard the child and promote their permanence
- Identifying when children need support or safeguarding
- Working as part of a multi-agency team to deliver appropriate plans
- Keeping records and writing reports
- Chairing multi-agency meetings
Experience and qualifications
To practise as an Advanced Practitioner you will need a degree in social work that has been approved by Social Work England and be registered with Social Work England. In addition, you will need significant frontline experience and evidence of CPD, along with a commitment to ongoing professional development.
Skills
Everyone working in social care needs literacy, numeracy, digital and employability skills including teamwork and problem solving skills.
There are also some specific skills needed to work in this role, these include:
- problem solving skills to advise people on the best support for them
- digital skills to keep records and find information online
- ability to stay calm under pressure and a confident manner when dealing with emergency situations
- excellent assessment and care management skills
- team working skills and ability to build and develop positive working relationships with partner agencies
Child Support / Family Support Officer
As a Child / Family Support Officer, you will help individuals and their families when they are going through difficult times. You could support children, older people, those with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health conditions.
Your role will include:
- Carrying a caseload of children/families in need of statutory social care
- To ensure that individual care plans are monitored and subject of review in line with changes in assessed need
- To work collaboratively with partner agencies
- To undertake direct work with children and family members in respect of,e.g. positive parenting, alcohol and/or substance misuse, domestic abuse, and safe care
- doing assessments to make sure people continue to get the right care
- Keeping records and writing reports
You will usually work as part of a team and will also need to work closely with other partner organisations such as the police, health services, schools and probation services
Experience and qualifications
You will need a Level 3 qualification in a relevant area such as childcare, social work, social care, counselling, youth work or education together with some practical experience.
Skills
Everyone working in social care needs literacy, numeracy, digital and employability skills including teamwork and problem solving skills.
There are also some specific skills needed to work in this role, these include:
- the ability to communicate sensitively and effectively with children and adults
- the ability to build good relationships with families that may be unfriendly at first
- the ability to help parents develop the skills they need
- problem solving skills to advise people on the best support for them
- Digital skills to keep records and find information online
- The ability to stay calm under pressure
- Team working skills to work with other social care and health professionals such as social workers