About Us

Transitions Social Worker
Up to £49,503 per annum
Permanent, Full Time (36 hours)
Ofsted Rating: ‘Good’

Are you a passionate and dedicated Social Worker helping Care Experienced young people or adults? Future First, the Leaving Care Service for Wandsworth Children’s Services is a large, multi-disciplinary service for Care Experienced young people aged 16-25. Supporting an allocated group of maximum 25 young people, you will be part of a team that holds a position nationally recognised as an example of outstanding practice. Can you support these young people into brighter futures and ensure they benefit from their positive relationship with you?

About The Role:

Experience: Do you have proven experience of improving outcomes by working with Care Experienced young people in challenging circumstances, supporting them through positive transitions?

Regulatory Compliance: You will undertake Care Act Assessments of the needs of young people under the Care Act 2014, ensuring that you are skilfully and accurately assessing the Care and Support they will need to maximise their independence. You will follow their journey through from the assessment process, the procurement and establishment of Adult Social Care, Care Packages and the first review of those services. 

Multi-disciplinary Service: You will be part of a Team of Personal Advisors, embedded within the Leaving Care Service, delivering creative and dynamic support packages. You will act as the lead officer for any Adults Safeguarding work around young people. 

Performance Management: Reporting to the Service Managers for both Leaving Care and Preparing for Adulthood, you will be responsible for ensuring weekly performance targets are met and that you are making a positive impact on young people’s lives.

Hybrid Working: You will work in a flexible and young person focussed way. You will be based at the office (close to Clapham Junction station) a minimum of 1 week per month as part of a duty rota, however we encourage you to visit the Hub weekly. 

Qualification and Skills:

•    Qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.

•    Understanding of Trauma Informed, Systematic Practice and the key issues for Care Experienced young people.

•    An awareness of processes and procedures regarding learning difficulties and adult mental health systems and networks.

•    A commitment to supporting care experienced young people.

•    Great communication skills with an anti-discriminatory focussed approach.

•    Experience producing high quality assessments and reports.

If you are committed to achieving positive outcomes for Care Experienced young people in this unique and trailblazing role, possess the required qualifications, and thrive in a challenging yet highly rewarding environment, we invite you to apply for this opportunity.

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!

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working including 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 on Sunday 25th February 2024

Shortlisting Date: Monday 26th February 2024

Interview Date: Monday 4th March 2024

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. Please note that the advertised dates for interviews may change. If they do, we will let you know as soon as possible.

We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams, including males.       

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.

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).

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils