Job Description

The social workers in schools\' team is a exciting new project in Knowsley. It consists of 7 social workers, one being advanced and 3 EH school support workers. As a social worker you will be under the supervision of a specified Social Care Manager.

You will be required to be based in a school setting and office base. You will be required to work in partnership with schools predominately but also key partners in assessing the needs of children, young people and their families are identified, safeguarded while ensuring they effectively function in a school environment and home. Alongside monitoring in accordance with the requirements of the Children Act, Service Policy, procedures and other relevant requirements and legislation.

The project is designed to help reduce referrals, support schools, and reduce the need for children to enter care. Schools play a key part in keeping children safe and tend to be a source of many referrals to Children\'s Social Care. The thinking behind the project is that if we can improve the way schools and social workers work together, then there could be real benefits for children and families, schools, and the social care system.

This is not a comprehensive list of all the tasks, which may be required of the post holder. It is illustrative of the general nature and level of responsibility of the work to be undertaken:

1. Promote the welfare and safeguarding of children, young people and their families in Knowsley.

2. To carry out timely assessments on children, young people and families in accordance with the Framework for Assessment and working together guidance.

3. Ensure assessments and planning for children and young people actively promote the participation and engagement of all relevant agencies, the child/young person and their family.

4. To embed social workers in secondary schools to reduce referral rates to children\'s social care (CSC), and reduce the numbers of Section 17 or Section 47 investigations, along with the overarching aim of reducing the number of children in care, and improving educational attainment.

5. Promote better inter-agency working between schools and the children\'s social care system

6. To support children and young people, families and schools with safeguarding. Their aim is to reduce social care involvement and keep children living safely at home.

7. The social workers will complete a full range of statutory work, as well as offering support on safeguarding issues and concerns to teachers, parents and pupils and to work To work closely with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and pastoral staff.

8. The aim was to generate a theory about what the intervention looks like in practice, and inform policy decisions about whether it is worth testing further at scale

9. Develop relationship-based practice and evidence based work to demonstrate the impact of the schools team and ethos and assist with the development of the project within Knowsley. For example utilising systemic practice, SOS model and contextual safeguarding.

Work collaboratively with the team manager regarding establishing the social work in schools and identifying interventions required in the school setting and evaluating the interventions in report form to assist with evidenced base practice

Provide briefing sessions, bite size sessions for staff regarding threshold assessments of needs, resources processes etc

Prepare/formulate care plans for children and young people which take account of their views wishes in the implementation of those care plans.

To maintain case records to a high standard and produce reports in accordance with the Service guidance/policy and procedure which reflect national guidelines using the relevant information technology.

10. To ensure that the diverse needs of children, young people and their families are identified, met and regularly reviewed and plans updated to reflect any subsequent changes.

To participate in developmental activities as may be required, and to promote improvement of service or the use of resources.

Ensure the statutory duties of the Council are fulfilled and met in accordance with legal requirements and Service responsibilities in relation to statutory reviews or instruments in accordance with the particular responsibilities of the post taking into consideration the council\'s duty to promote and safeguard a child\'s welfare.

To pursue appropriate personal and professional training and development opportunities as and when they occur to ensure compliance with GSCC and Directorate standards/expectations.

To comply with all the Council\'s Standing orders and Financial regulations.

Any other duties (commensurate with the grade) which will assist the Service in meeting its objectives.

The successful applicants will be able to demonstrate their experience and abilities in respect of working in partnership with children, young people, families and partner agencies. They will need to evidence experience of working with vulnerable children and their families, and ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in written form. They would need to be able to work individually and as part of a team.

An enhanced DBS will be required for this post.

Knowsley is the smallest borough in Merseyside, covering only 33.40 sq miles, but it doesn\'t come without its challenges. With over 30% of children living in income-deprived families, an average of 350 children on child in need plans, 200 children on a child protection plan and 300 children being looked after there is always a lot of work to be done to support our children and families. In Knowsley we use the Signs of Safety model across all levels of service. If you are a qualified Social Worker who has a passion to see families & their support networks empowered to meet their own children\'s needs; can undertake good quality assessments; will support families to develop and review their plans; will measure & record the impact of the plans on their child\'s lives; and will consider children\'s permanence at every stage, you should apply to be a Social Worker in Knowsley.

Don\'t worry if you haven\'t used Signs of Safety before because as an employee of Knowsley you will become a member of the Knowsley Social Work Academy which will give you access to our Practice Standards, Practice Guidance and a comprehensive training package in respect of Signs of Safety as well as many other areas of practice and career development. The Academy has close links with The Workforce Development Service so training is often commission on a need-led basis ensuring that our workers have the most relevant and up to date training available to them.

As well as group supervision with colleagues and monthly supervision with your manager you will have regular My Time; a council wide initiative to supervision and career development, ensuring that you are in control of your career development. Being a small borough has the significant advantage that all services are centrally located and workers have good working relationships with partner agencies.

The Directors work closely with the Heads of Service and Team Managers to ensure caseloads are manageable and staff are well supported. As an employee of Knowsley you will be provided with the technology you need to enable you to do your job well; a smart phone, hybrid laptop and the ability to log-on whilst in the community ensure that you and your team are able to make the best use of your time and take advantage of the flexible working scheme. You will also be given a personal safety alarm that is linked to Knowsley\' s Security Hub to ensure you are safe when out and about.

Please read through the Conditions of Service, job description and person specification for more detailed information in respect of the role. For an informal discussion, please contact Sam Roper Team Manager on Tel: 0151 443 5043.

At Knowsley Council we will consider requests for flexible working. For most roles, the following types of flexibility are usually possible: flexible hours, working from home, compressed hours, part-time

Closing date: 24 September 2023

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