The Role

Do you see yourself as practitioner committed to relationship-based practice?

Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children?

Would you like to join a service committed to innovation and transformation of the way we work with children and families?

If yes, we have the perfect role for you!

Our Family Safeguarding Service is looking to recruit a Children’s Practitioner to work in our new Family safeguarding teams and help play a central role in achieving positive outcomes for children in Wandsworth!

About the role

We are looking for children’s practitioners to join our Family Safeguarding teams at a time of exciting and positive change in Wandsworth. You will work within our Family Safeguarding teams which see multi-disciplinary specialists co-located within our children’s social work teams. The teams work collaboratively and in partnership with families, taking a whole family approach to support children to remain safely at home wherever possible. Motivational Interviewing is a key feature of the approach, a method which involves enhancing people’s motivation to change, working with their strengths and developing a plan with them.

Our Family Safeguarding teams comprise of:

• Team manager
• Social Workers
• Children’s Practitioner
• Domestic Abuse Practitioner (working with victims)
• Domestic Abuse Officer (working with perpetrators)
• Recovery Worker (Drug and Alcohol)
• Mental Health Practitioner and Psychologist/Family Therapist
• Business Support Officer

We are on a journey to be an outstanding local authority and are looking for applicants who wish to join us on this exciting journey. Working within our new Family Safeguarding teams, you will be developing these new and exciting roles in Wandsworth that will support high quality outcomes for children.

About You

We are looking for children’s practitioners that are passionate about transforming the lives of vulnerable children and their families, who can work alongside families and understand what a good life looks like for them and how we can work together creatively to achieve it. You will be skilled in building trusting relationships, talking to families about what matters most to them, making sure children’s wishes and feelings are central to decision making, increasing people’s hope, self-esteem and potential and connecting families to networks of support. We want you to be able to stick by families when they are in crisis and be involved in their lives in a way that is respectful and ethical, privileging their rights to be make the best possible decisions for their children wherever possible.

Contact details

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Jo Ross at Jo.Ross@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

Agile working

At Richmond and Wandsworth Councils, we care more about how you work and what you achieve, rather than where you work on any given day. The difference you can make to our local communities is what really matters most to us, service delivery must always come first. We have carefully considered agile ways of working to provide the best experience for residents, stakeholders and our staff. Our agile working strategy actively supports and encourages a dynamic work environment and daily working experience. Agile working helps put the needs of our staff at the centre of everything we do, so if specific flexible working arrangements helps you with this, feel free to let us know.

Your wellbeing and the flexible way in which you can work is and will remain a key priority for Richmond and Wandsworth Councils. We want you to thrive and feel empowered in your work!

Benefits

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working including, working from home, compressed or part-time hours, term time only, job shares and other arrangements. Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore. We also offer a generous holiday allowance of 40 paid days (pro rata) including bank holidays and a wide range of learning and development opportunities.

In addition, we offer a comprehensive range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government pension scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts with many leisure activities, restaurants, shops and other establishments.

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

• Closing date: 11:59pm Monday 22nd May 2023
• Shortlisting date: Week commencing 22nd May 2023
• Interview date: Week commencing 29th May 2023

Useful Information: The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Equality Statement

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

At Wandsworth, we particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams, including black and ethnic minority communities. We understand the value of what a diverse workforce brings to our local authority and therefore, strongly encouraging candidates from these backgrounds to apply to this position.

Important Information

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

How to apply?

To be considered for interview your CV and supporting statement must highlight your knowledge, skills and experience listed in the Job Profile located at the bottom of the advert.

We are hosting a Virtual Recruitment Event on 9th May from 6:00 - 7:30pm.  Please see the link below to book your place:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wandsworth-childrens-services-family-safeguarding-recruitment-event-tickets-620603841797?keep_tld=1

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils