Make a difference – Children’s Social Work in Cornwall

‘Cornwall’s ambitious, outward-facing senior leadership team promotes a strong culture of learning and development. It has made excellent use of learning from research, best practice and peer reviews.’

‘Social workers have a very good understanding of the children they work with; they visit them regularly and ensure that their needs are holistically well considered’

‘Staff development is delivered through an effective and well-targeted workforce development framework. Staff morale is high.’

                               OFSTED 2019 – OUTSTANDING GRADING

The Service & Team:

Social workers make a real difference to the lives of children in Cornwall. We believe that the children of Cornwall deserve the very best. We put their needs at the heart of everything we do and we are looking for people who share our determination to improve their lives and make a brighter future. If you believe in humane, relationship-based social work with children and families we offer the opportunity to develop your social work career in an innovative and ambitious children’s service in one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

The Role:

We have opportunities for passionate, committed Social Workers across Cornwall in full time roles. We have opportunities available within:

Kinship Team Countywide  
Please let us know in your application which team you are most interested in.

This is a public/customer-facing role, where the statutory English language requirement for public sector workers applies.     

This position will be subject to an enhanced criminal record disclosure check.

Social Worker – Kinship Team

The post holder will be located within the Fostering and Kinship Service, serving the whole County. This may also include some out of County work.

This role is based within the Kinship Team; responsible for assessing, supervising and supporting kinship carers who are looking after children in care (connected person carers) and privately fostered children. 

The Kinship Team carries out kinship fostering and special guardianship assessments to help determine permanency for children. A kinship social worker will also be case-responsible for privately fostered children. 

The social worker will be experienced in undertaking robust evidence-based assessments and have experience providing evidence in high pressured situations; being confident to present within the Fostering and Permanence Panel and in Court. They will be effective in multi agency working and in undertaking direct work with families; including leading groups and training when required.

This role would suit a social worker already working within Child Protection or another frontline assessment team.

For more information or an informal chat about the role please contact Team Manager Lowenna Blee on 07968892684 for the or Principal Social Worker Nicole Curnow on 07483167944 (Monday-Friday) 

 What you’ll need to succeed:

You will be a social worker registered with Social Work England who will have:

Previous experience working within a social care environment
A proven track record of excellent practice that improves the lives of children
High-level written and verbal communication skills to build effective professional relationships with families and other professionals
Knowledge and understanding of the legislation, models and theories relevant to children’s social work, and the ability to evidence how you have applied your learning to your practice
The skills to undertake assessments and to use evidence-based practice tools to support foster care and kinship care placements
If your experience as a social worker is within another sector (such as Adult Social Care or the Voluntary sector), we provide additional support to transition into children and families social work through a supported induction period.

Please note:  If you have qualified within the last 2 years, but not completed your Assessed and Supported Year of Employment (ASYE) we would welcome your application as a Newly Qualified Social Worker (NQSW) in order to access Cornwall’s ASYE programme which runs twice yearly.  

What you’ll get in return:

Cornwall Council’s ambition is to be an employer of choice, a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract, motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff.

We actively encourage and enable our practitioners to progress and reward them for their commitment and expertise. If you are committed to continuing professional development, can demonstrate learning in your practice and in improved outcomes for the children you help and protect, we will provide you with the career options and remuneration that match your expertise.  We support our social workers to stay in front line practice as advanced practitioners or move to front line management, both of which attract the same pay.

As part of our commitment to outstanding practice, we have put in place a comprehensive core curriculum and career and qualification pathway for our social workers to develop their knowledge and skills to deliver the most effective social work intervention with children and families.

Cornwall is one of the best places in the country to live, work and bring up a family. It’s location and landscape offer unique opportunities for a healthier, happier way of life.  We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our staff and we recognise that resilient Social Workers need a good work/life balance as well as supportive leadership and support in the workplace.

In recognition of the vital contribution you make, we offer an attractive package of benefits including:

Welcome bonus of £4000 for qualified Social Workers who are new to social work in Cornwall and have completed their ASYE
£3000 Annual Market Supplement for Advanced Practitioners
A generous relocation package
An individualised induction to meet your specific needs and learning
An excellent core curriculum to support your ongoing development with a high-quality programme of evidence-based learning and development to enhance skills and practice.
An outstanding career and qualification pathway, recognised by Ofsted as a foundation of Cornwall’s good practice, which will support your progression.
Support from our dedicated Practice Educators throughout your progression pathway
Regular, high-quality case and reflective supervision
Supportive management and leadership
Support to access temporary accommodation if moving from outside of Cornwall
Access to a Cornwall Council lease car
26 days paid annual leave per year (rising with length of service), plus bank holidays
Flexible working opportunities, including part-time hours and homeworking
A license to access Community Care Inform and Research in Practice.
Payment of your Social Work England registration fees.
A competitive starting salary and the opportunity to increase your pay further as you progress