Senior Social Care Officer - First Steps, Almondbank House, Perth

Main Purpose of the Role

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job, it's about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch.

We currently have the following opportunity:

Senior Social Care Officer - PKC13608
£23,411 - £25,820 (22 Hours per week)
First Steps, Almondbank House, Perth

First Steps is a multi-disciplinary, early years team based at Almondbank House in Perth.

The team undertake pre birth and post birth risk assessments of babies deemed to be at risk of harm.

The team offers assessment and intensive family support for infants and their families, some of whom are affected by parental substance misuse, parental mental health issues and domestic abuse within the family.  

Senior Social Care Officers within the team are expected to work closely with social workers, and other partner agencies and contribute to effective decision making in child protection, parenting capacity assessments and permanence planning.

As well as delivering bespoke parenting support, Senior Social Care Officers also assess family time between infants and their families and offer support to families with practical day to day living tasks.  

Please note, we are currently unable to offer sponsorship for this post.

Skills & Experience Required

You must have an SVQ Level 3 in Social Services (Children & Young People) or equivalent.

You must have the ability to be flexible and have a good understanding of child development, attachment theory and have knowledge of relevant legislation, processes and procedures relating to children and families.

You must be able to communicate effectively with families in a warm, patient and empathetic manner, recognising that all families experience difficulties at times. Being approachable, reliable and trustworthy in your work with families is essential to supporting them to make positive change.

You must be consistent and persistent in your work with families, recognising that it takes time to build relationships with babies and their parents and that it may take several attempts to engage with families.

You must be non-judgmental and open-minded in your approach to working with families. You should be willing to learn more about substance use, mental health and domestic abuse and its impact on babies and families.

You should be an organised person who can manage their workload around fixed commitments such as family time arrangements and prioritise competing demands.

You should be IT literate and be able to undertake tasks such as completing entries into our web based recording system, managing an electronic diary system and typing up assessments, forms and short reports.

Candidates will need to promote positive values and anti-discriminatory, non-judgmental practice and treat colleagues and customers with dignity and respect in line with the Employee Code of Conduct and SSSC Codes of Conduct.

You must have a valid UK driving licence as this post requires you to travel to a variety of locations across Perth and Kinross.

Working at Perth & Kinross Council

Our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of our key priorities. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours. Find out more about Perth & Kinross Council and you could soon be joining our team!

Here's what we can offer you:

• A generous annual leave package
• 6 days public holiday and an additional discretionary day
• Eligibility to join our pension scheme
• Family friendly and positive work/life balance policies such as Flexible Working, Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave, time off for volunteering and our Wellbeing Framework
• Access to a range of benefits
• Paid SSSC annual membership for relevant positions

We recognise there can be benefits to flexible working and where individual jobs allow, we seek to support this. You are encouraged to discuss potential options with the recruiting manager, if this is of interest to you. A healthy work life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and, where possible, flexible working arrangements to help you achieve that balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

This role requires you to be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), if you are not yet registered, you can still apply, as long as you are willing to apply for registration within 3 months of starting with us and be registered within 6 months.

Next Steps

We would love to hear from you and would encourage you to get in touch with Ann-Marie Kennedy on 01738 472296 to find out more.

Click “APPLY NOW”

External candidates are required to provide contact details for 2 referees, including email addresses. One of these must be your current or most recent employer.

We welcome applications from everyone and as a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to interview applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential requirements of the post. Please contact the hiring manager above or the Recruitment Team on (01738) 475555 or recruitment@pkc.gov.uk to discuss any reasonable adjustments. Appointments are based on evidence supplied during the selection process.

Diversity is important to us and although some of our jobs may be perceived to be traditionally gender specific, we welcome applications from everyone and would encourage you to apply if you meet the job requirements. That includes welcoming applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.

Working with children and/or protected adults is regarded as a regulated role and under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 you will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check.

If you have lived overseas for a period of 12 months or more (continuous or total) within the last 10 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check.

A confirmed offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of the above mentioned mandatory pre-employment checks (including references) and will also include eligibility to work in the UK, qualifications and fitness to undertake the post.