Social Work Assistant (Children)

Service: Health and Social Care Partnership

Closing Date:  Wednesday 28th January 2026

 

 

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join a dedicated and motivated rural Social Work Children & Families Team.

The successful candidate would be trained to SCQ3 or hold an equivalent qualification and would preferably have experience of working with vulnerable young people.

Argyll and Bute is one of Scotland’s most stunning areas. As its award-winning council, we play a vital part in the day-to-day life and long-term future of our beautiful and diverse communities. Our unwavering purpose is to make Argyll and Bute the place to be, the place where people want to live, to work and do business. And we are committed to making the council the place to have a great career, by providing excellent benefits and a friendly, dynamic working culture so that each of our 5000 colleagues can deliver services that help our corner of Scotland thrive. Join us to make a difference.

Assist the Social Work Team Manager and registered Social Workers in providing a high quality best value service to vulnerable children, young people and their families:

• To undertake duties and appropriate planning activities as allocated by the Practice Lead and manage workload commensurate with postholders qualification, skill and experience which will require accurate recording and accountability. Duties will consist of:
  1. Participate in a range of assessments and planning processes – including but not exclusively relating to the Child’s Plan, risk assessment and child protection processes.
  2. Undertake direct work with children and families including the co-ordination, facilitation and supervision of ‘contact’ and the provision of group work. ,
  3. Case recording

• To assist in the preparation of reports and correspondence in line with service requirements
• To attend and contribute to, where appropriate, meetings and reviews. .
• To offer support, advice and guidance to individuals, families and carers, and groups. 
• To record needs not met consistent with the Child’s Plan.
• To ensure effective communication with colleagues and other agencies and to contribute to inter-agency work to meet individual’s needs.
• Liaise with internal resources teams and external providers
• Participate in any required duty rota.
• Support registered Social Workers in Child Protection work and attend case conferences and associated meetings where appropriate
• To provide support to persons, families, individual or in groups, who require practical aid, assistance and guidance.
• To undertake any other duties of an equivalent nature as required.
• Postholder will be confident, articulate and have an enthusiastic and positive outlook
• They will be well motivated with a commitment to Social Work values and the expectations of the SSSC codes of conduct
• Committed to working as part of a team and with other teams, disciplines or services
• Committed to personal learning and development
• Have a flexible and thoughtful approach to work
• Have the ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with children and their families
• Promote anti-discriminatory practice and Social Work values in all activities
• Have the ability to use own initiative appropriately and demonstrate innovative thinking
• Resilience and ability to manage competing demands.

Our employees make good things happen in the day-to-day life and for the longer term future of Argyll and Bute. We want you to feel valued working for us. We offer various benefits to support you, such as a competitive salary, pension scheme, generous leave entitlement, cycle to work scheme, discounts on gym memberships and leisure centres, wellbeing initiatives, and opportunities for learning and career growth. We also embrace a modern approach to work, offering a flexible first approach where possible to requests from our employees to how they work.

We care about our people and the world around us and always aim to do the right thing. From employee recognition schemes to environmental policies we have many initiatives in place to help us look after the things we all care about.

Learn more here Argyll and Bute Employee Recognition Programme, Disability Confident, Armed Forces, Fair Work First Statement, Equality and Fairness, Climate Change, Hybrid and Flexible Working Policy

Argyll and Bute Council recognises the numerous benefits of a positive work-life balance to the wellbeing and productivity of our employees. We will take a flexible first approach to requests from our employees to change the way that they work. While we must balance such requests with the need to ensure the quality of the important services we deliver is not compromised, we will ensure that each request is given careful consideration with a view to achieving a positive outcome wherever possible.

Applicants should note that:-

• Happy to talk about flexible working arrangements. 
• This post is not suitable for job share. 
• The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exclusions and Exceptions) (Scotland) Order 2013, as amended, applies to this post.  
• This post requires Protection of Vulnerable Group (PVG) Membership in relation to working with children and adults.  

To apply for this vacancy, please click on the Apply Now button at the top of this page.

If you would like clarification on any information contained within the vacancy advert and/or the job description please contact the recruiting manager, who is

Alison Platkiw - Social Work Team Manager – MAKI

Telephone Number: 01546 604661

Email: alison.platkiw@argyll-bute.gov.uk

Please note that you cannot apply for this vacancy by contacting the recruiting manager, applications must be made by clicking on the Apply Now button at the top of this page.

Please also note that we do not accept CVs, only applications completed and submitted via the Apply Now button on this page.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about our commitment to this please visit Equality & Diversity Policy