In WSCC Children’s Social Care we are committed to making real changes to the way we work to continue on our journey to provide ‘Good’ and ‘Outstanding’ services to children and young people. We now have a new evidence based practice framework for ‘how we do Social Work in West Sussex’ including a whole service implementation of Signs of Safety, underpinned by a comprehensive understanding of child development, attachment and the impact of trauma. We are committed to increasing the amount of time social workers spend in direct work with children and families and we are already seeing this leading to improved outcomes for children and young people.

We see our staff as our greatest asset and on-going investment in staff training and development is a priority. Over the last year, we have trained all our staff in Signs of Safety. This year we will also train all our staff in attachment and developmental trauma and there will be regular development opportunities to enable them to develop and embed their knowledge and skills into practice.

All Social Workers joining WSCC will receive this training as part of their induction and CPD.

Our aim is to continue to improve our responsiveness to children and families, maintaining manageable caseloads, and ensuring strong leadership, support and enhanced supervision. It’s good news for children and their families and good news for you.

You would be joining a skilled and motivated staff group and an experienced management team that effectively manage the work within the service and ensure that staff have manageable caseloads and receive the support they require.

We have opportunities in the following teams:
Family Placement Social Workers (temporary contract) based at County Hall North Horsham and Centenary House Durrington

An exciting opportunity has arisen to cover maternity leave for up to 12 months in the Fostering North and Coastal teams. As part of a supportive team, you will assess, supervise and train foster carers in order to support foster carers achieve best outcomes for children looked after. You will have opportunities to get involved in developing the service as our aim is to work towards becoming a centre of excellence for Fostering and Adoption.
Knowledge of family placement practice and regulations are essential.

You will be creative, flexible, have excellent communication skills, and enjoy working at a fast pace. You will be able to use IT, and will be organised and able to manage your workload and competing demands. With a child centred focus you will be competent in maintaining accurate records of all work undertaken, taking part in professional meetings and able to produce well evidenced, outcome focused assessments, plans and reports.

Salary £27,123 - £32,778 per annum
Temporary/Secondment opportunity until March 2016, Full time
Based in various locations
37 hours per week
Interview date; TBC

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

If you are a WSCC employee pplying for a secondment please seek approval from your line manager before applying. 

Social Workers span over 2 grades, Grade 9 and Grade 10, please ensure you use the correct role profile when completing your application.

**When applying please state your preference of service and location**