Sessional (Supply) Senior Social Care Officers - REACH, Lewis Place, 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:

Sessional (Supply) Senior Social Care Officers - PKC13517
£19.72 per hour
REACH, Lewis Place, Perth

Within Perth and Kinross Council we have created an innovative and exciting team called 'REACH' to provide services for young people who are Looked After or at risk of becoming Looked After and therefore “on the edge of care”. 

This team promotes a multi-disciplinary approach to providing community-based support to young people and to their families and, will reduce reliance on traditional residential care options for vulnerable young people. 

Young people who enter care during their teenage years traditionally spend considerable periods of time in residential care, separated from their family and local community.  We know that this is detrimental to achieving their potential and in meeting key outcomes.  We recognise the need to support vulnerable young people and their families and REACH has been specifically designed to do so in a more integrated, co-ordinated way. 

We are looking to increase our pool of sessional Senior Social Care Officers (SSCO) to join REACH. We use sessional SSCOs to cover holiday and sickness on as and when basis.  This is a great opportunity to develop and experience work in this field alongside your current role. 

Our SSCOs provide support to young people and their families who are Looked After and on the edge of care.  In this role you will assess, plan, carry out and review plans to reduce risk in relation to young people and their families; contributing to statutory and/ specialist risk assessments as appropriate and providing practical support and supervision as necessary.  In addition to working directly with young people and their families, the post holder will work closely with other professionals and staff within the multi-disciplinary team. 

Working a shift pattern to support flexible service delivery and based within the REACH provision you will be part of a multi-agency team delivering a frontline service to some of the most vulnerable young people across Perth and Kinross.  This includes young people who are participating in high risk-taking behaviours; at risk of child sexual exploitation and/or are identified as being " on the edge of care".  These young people may be subject to compulsory measures of care through the Children’s Hearing, either living at home, Looked After away from home and/or are on the Child Protection Register.  

This post is a hybrid working model offering access to office working and home working.  Perth & Kinross Council are committed to being a more inclusive employer, please contact the recruiting manager to discuss any individual circumstances with the recruiting manager, discuss at interview or if you prefer, after any conditional offer is made to ensure we can consider any reasonable adjustments. 

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

Skills & Experience Required

The successful applicants will demonstrate practice experience of achieving positive outcomes for vulnerable young people and families.  Ideally, this may include work within a statutory social work setting and/ or supporting young people who present as highly complex/and/ or vulnerable.

You should be able to evidence an ability to relate to and communicate with children; young people and their families.

You will be able to evidence ability in the management of change and development, specifically in regard to developing and implementing new legislation, operational guidance, training and development in the field of Childcare / Child Protection.

You will demonstrate commitment to successful multi-agency working, strong communication skills and attention to detail.

We are looking for enthusiastic individuals who demonstrate ability to engage with challenging young people and their families; contribute to a positive team ethos and work confidently in partnership to achieve positive outcomes for young people and their families. 

You must have HNC in Social Care or an equivalent qualification.

A SVQ3 in Social Services (Children & Young People) is desirable.

You must have the ability to be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council within a specified timeframe. 

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

This post is considered Regulated Work with Children and/or Protected Adults, under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. The preferred candidate will be required to join the PVG Scheme, or undergo a PVG Scheme update check, prior to a formal offer of employment being made by Perth and Kinross Council. 

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 Lisa Armstrong on 01738 472257 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.