Contract Type: Permanent

 

Salary: Grade H. Scale 29 - £37,336 to Scale 34 - £42,403 with a professional bar at SCP 31 £39,186**

 

Hours: 36 hours per week

 

Base Location: Ashton Old Library, Old Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne, OL6 7SG

 

Closing Date: Tuesday 30th April 2024

 

Interview Date: To be arranged

 

Tameside Children’s Services are looking for a committed and motivated social worker to join our fostering service. Specifically, there is one position available within our Assessing role for Kinship Carers. This is a stable team within the work force that prides itself of producing quality assessments for Kinship Carers and securing early permanence for children with their family and friend unit. 

 

As a fostering social worker you will be involved in securing these plans of permanency for Tameside children and contribute to the wider offer for our cared for children.  To achieve this you will be involved in multi-agency working and work closely with the cared for children’s team, legal team and will ensure you produce quality written assessments. 

 

As an assessing social worker you will have experience and extensive knowledge in the Fostering Minimum standards and The Fostering Regulation Services (England) 2011 specifically around regulation 24.

 

You will be a part of an exciting team and will play a wider part of offering support, supervision and training to the whole of the foster carers, alongside your own caseload. 

 

This rewarding role will be helping to make sure our children and young people experience foster carers who are best placed to meet their care needs and with carers who share Tameside’s commitment to securing warm, safe and nurturing foster placements.

 

We are looking for social workers with the right values, and enthusiasm for relationship strengths-based social work with children and families, and in return we will support you in gaining the skills to continue your professional development. 

 

You will be qualified social worker with previous work experience and sound interpersonal skills assessment skills. You will be highly motivated, committed and passionate about making a difference to the lives of children, young people and families. Amongst other things, you will be professionally curious with a determination to raise standards and achieve improved outcomes for children and their families.

 

You will have a robust knowledge and understanding of statutory requirements and Fostering National Minimum Standards. You will have a variety of skills including a keen eye for detail, professional curiosity, ability to analyse information, good written work; including assessments for court. 

 

You will be highly motivated, committed and passionate about making a difference to the lives of children, young people and families. Amongst other things, you will be professionally curious with a determination to raise standards and achieve improved outcomes for children and their families.

 

We are looking for candidates with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, the ability to develop positive relationships with children, young people, agencies and other relevant professionals. You will be working as part of a large team, enjoy a fast paced, varied role and to be supported to develop in their own practice.

 

Why work for us?

 

In Tameside, we like to look after our employees and offer a fantastic range of employee rewards and benefits, including: 

 

• Minimum of 28 days leave each year, with the option to buy additional leave

• 36 hours working week/ 18 hour part time post/flexible working arrangements

• Health and wellbeing support

• Salary sacrifice schemes 

• Family friendly policies, including maternity, paternity and adoption leave  

• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme

• Discounts at local shops, health & fitness clubs, restaurants and much more

 

Be that difference and find out more information why you should work for us here

 

At Tameside, we are committed to ensuring all our Citizens lead long, fulfilling and healthy lives. We are committed to supporting economic growth, providing high quality health and care services, protecting our most vulnerable and creating strong and supportive, self-sufficient communities.

 

We recognise that our people drive our success and enable the organisation to deliver on its vision, purpose and priorities, and that our people are our most important resource and asset.  Our values underpin our practice and behaviours, and are at the heart of everything that we do; and we understand that how we do things is just as important as what we do.  We pride ourselves on living by our STRIVE values of Support, Trust, Respect, Integrity, Value Diversity and Engage.  Our values underpin our practice and behaviours and are at the heart of everything that we do. How we do things are just as important as what we do. 

 

Our employees’ skills, experience and knowledge are essential to our success along with their happiness, wellbeing, commitment, enthusiasm and motivation to be the best they can be.

 

If you require further information about the role then please get in touch with 

Verity Mckay, Practice Manager on verity.mckay@tameside.gov.uk 

 

This position is subject to Enhanced with Barred List Disclosure Procedures. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.

 

This post is a designated customer facing role under the fluency duty and requires a specified level of spoken English in the person specification.

 

All appointments will be to the bottom salary point in the grade with annual incremental progression each April until the grade maximum is reached.  Where an individual can provide evidence that their existing salary in a relevant role surpasses the grade starting salary, a higher entry salary will be considered, subject to the professional grade development criteria also being met if that point is higher than the bar point.

 

** This post is classified as being in a professional job category.  As such the grade for the job has a professional grade development bar which employees can progress through subject to meeting the following criteria:

1. Relevant professional qualification for the job role at Level 6 or above, AND 

2. Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience in the role, AND 

3. Maintained membership of a regulated body where this is a requirement to practice in the role where applicable, AND 

4. Professional standards practised to the highest expected level. 

 

We are committed to developing a culture which respects individuals, appreciates difference and allows everyone regardless of background to reach their full potential. We are proud to be an accredited disability confident employer.  Reasonable Adjustments will be considered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 in relation to the Job Role Criteria.

 

Our rewards and benefits package can be viewed here

 

Click here to download the dscvr mobile app today to discover what Tameside has to offer. 

 

We have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers, carers, and ex-military personnel. Please click here for more information on our guaranteed assessment scheme.

 

Job Description and Person Specification.pdf