Children with Disabilities Social Worker

We have opportunities to join our Children with Disabilities Teams based in Guildford and across our County Wide Team.

We welcome applications from those without specific experience in working with disabled children who can demonstrate an interest in this area of work.

When not working with our residents in the community, we are keen to support agile working with a combination of home and office working. We are keen to get the balance right of providing flexibility but ensuring you feel connected to your team and the service.

The salary range for Social Workers is £40,929 - £43,735 per annum. We also offer a financial package of up to £6,000 which is payable in 3 instalments across your first 18 months in post.

Rewards and Benefits

• We pay your Social Worker England Registration fee
• 28 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years' service (plus bank holidays)
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependants leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

Our Journey

Following our latest Ofsted visit in April, we are pleased to report positive feedback on our service quality for children in need or under child protection plans in Surrey. Ofsted recognized the improved impact of our 'comprehensive improvement programme'. You can read the full report here. We are committed to continuing our progress and are seeking motivated individuals to help us ensure children in Surrey are effectively safeguarded and receive timely support.

About working in Children with Disability

Ambitious about Ability - Our Children with Disabilities (CWD) service embodies our Council vision of no one being left behind. Our child-centred approach sees us working closely with the children and their families to ensure the whole family is supported. We are committed to working in partnership with families to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people. Our goal is to maximise life chances and opportunities for disabled children and we work closely with our colleagues in adult services to achieve this. We believe strongly in the importance of building positive and consistent relationships between the families we work with, social workers, and other professionals within the multidisciplinary team

One Voice

In Surrey, you will have a sense of belonging within your individual team but also the wider service areas and directorate. You will receive high quality supervision, that is reflective and focuses on the work you do with children and families. We encourage you to work creatively and holistically to providing support and protection to children. You'll also be supported with your wellbeing and career development, to ensure you have a clear sense of purpose and fulfilment with a defined pathway to achieve your future aspirations.

Our Inclusive Approach

To apply you will need to upload your CV and answer the following questions:

• Please tell us what has motivated you to apply for this role?
• Please tell us about the key skills and experience you will be able to bring to this role.
• A social worker in the Children With Disabilities Team may work with children for a Child and Family Assessment, Children In Need, Child Protection, Looked After Children and Proceedings. Given the array of skills needed, please tell us about your experience in these areas and how you would manage with this range of processes?

If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to a short first round virtual interview to explore your answers to the above questions (lasting approx. 15- 20 min). If successful following this, you will be invited for an in person interview, allowing you to meet the team, check out your potential office and get a feel for what your journey might look like.

We are committed to inclusive recruitment. That's why, if you're invited to a face-to-face interview, we'll share the themes of the questions with you in advance. This way, you can prepare and feel comfortable, allowing you to confidently discuss your skills and experiences.

Fancy a chat?

We'd love to hear from you and find out more about what you're looking for so if you'd like to talk to us please just drop a quick message and we'll get a call arranged.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on the 4th November 2024.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

You will need to be registered with Social Work England.

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and locality based social workers will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK, access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area. Reasonable adjustments where needed will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long term health condition to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the job.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form
Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.