Senior Social Worker

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Senior Social Worker (2) (Permanent)
Dumfries and Galloway
£49,050 - £52,842

Post 1:    Based within the Kinship Team (16/1299)
Post 2:    Based within the Crisis Team (16/1300)

Dumfries & Galloway Children and Families Social Work Service has an opening for two senior social workers to join and lead two new services, one for a Kinship Team, and one for a Crisis Team.  Both positions are permanent and fulltime (36 hours per week), and the successful applicants will be responsible for a team of Senior Family Support Workers across Dumfries and Galloway.  The Kinship Senior Social Worker will also have responsibility for overseeing our Supported Lodgings Service.

The Kinship Team will provide a comprehensive service to kinship carers, delivering a high level of ongoing support and training, to ensure children and young people receive the best possible care, and the Crisis Team will help children identified to be on the edges of care, to stay at home with their families/carers. This team will also support our young people who have been placed out of region to return to their family/community.

This is an exciting opportunity to join Childre and Families Social Work and develop new services.  These teams will work collaboratively across children’s services to achieve positive outcomes and support children and young people to remain, or return, to live within their families, and community. 

The nature of these roles will require flexible working, which will include some mornings, evenings and weekends, however the persons appointed will be involved in the development of the service and planning any hours out-with core hours.  As a Senior Social Worker you will be expected to partake in the delivery of training, chair meetings, supervise staff, ongoing service development, share learning with peers, work with a range of partner agencies and be committed to quality assurance and improvement activity.

The ideal candidates will be proactive team players and have the ability to work flexibly, collaboratively and independently.  You must have a good working knowledge of child protection procedures, legislation and regulations in relation to looked after children, and young people.  You must also have a good working knowledge and understanding of the challenges facing looked after children, their birth parents and carers, as well as excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, the ability to analyse, identify, and interpret data, and lead a team through change, demonstrating excellent leadership skills.  

If you are enthusiastic, motivated, and committed to leading a team to support children and young people, their families and carers, and can manage the challenges this can pose, we would love to hear from you.  A minimum of 5 years practice experience within children and families social work is desirable, alongside a post qualifying award.

We can offer you a commitment to your own learning and professional development, and ensure regular reflective one-to-one supervision, group supervision, peer support and regular team meetings and development sessions.

This post is considered as Regulated Work with Vulnerable Children and Protected Adults, under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.  From 28 February 2011, preferred candidates will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG scheme update check prior to formal offer of employment being made by Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Advert cont...

Applicants who have been resident outside the UK within the last 5 years, if offered a position, in addition to a Disclosure Scotland Check, will be required to provide a completed police record check from the police authority in the country or countries in which they were resident.

A Social Work Degree/DipSW/CQSW/CSS qualification or equivalent is essential as is registration with the Scottish Social Services Council. 

A current driving licence is an essential requirement of this post. However, if you have a disability which precludes you from holding a driving licence consideration will be given if alternative transport can be arranged.

For further information please contact Leanne Young, Locality Manager on 07917070516 or email: Leanne.Young@dumgal.gov.uk or Kath Priest, Locality Manager on 07557190654 or email:  Kath.Priest@dumgal.gov.uk