Job description

Job responsibilities

Specific duties and responsibilities include

• To manage and supervise a caseload of approved mainstream and family and friends foster carers across Wiltshire to ensure safe and high quality foster placements are offered and provided to Wiltshires looks after children.
• To operate within the council policy and keep up to date with social work methods, practice developments, new legislation and procedures, including the Childrens Act 2004, Every Child Matters and Care Matters agenda.
• To be responsible for the day to day interpretation of and implementation of statutory duties and departmental policy and procedures in the provision of services to children and young people.
• To be allocated work from the team manager or any person delegated to act on their behalf based on eligibility criteria and to hold case management responsibility for this work.
• To complete enquiries and assess, the needs of and risks to vulnerable children and young people in a timely manner giving due consideration to the wishes and views of the child and the childs family. This will include the completion of S47 enquiries, single assessments and engaging service users and other relevant persons in the work base, homes or any other appropriate venue e.g. hospital, school etc.
• To take appropriate action to assess and minimise any identified concern or risk to children/young people in accordance with the requirements and timescales of assessment frameworks, child protection procedures and looked after children legislation and procedures.
• To draw up and implement, with the child/young person and their family/carers, an appropriate plan to address identified issues and to maximise the participation of service users and carers in this process ensuring that social work intervention is ongoing only when necessary in peoples lives.
• To carry out regular reviews of individual plans, record outcomes and formulate revised plans which are outcome focused.
• To convene meetings e.g. core groups to assist in the implementation and review of plans for vulnerable children.
• To write reports for child protection conferences, planning meetings, looked after children reviews, legal meetings and court hearings and attend these as appropriate.
• To have a creative approach to meeting need and to ensure local provision, wherever possible, in order to meet identified need within available resources.
• To have a clear understanding of and ability to manage within financial constraints in service delivery.
• To work proactively and in partnership with other agencies to plan and deliver coordinated services to children, young people and their families/carers which promotes and focuses on positive outcomes.
• To maintain accurate and effective electronic recording of information and action taken in the course of casework.
• To understand the need for and contribute to the achievement of team and departmental performance targets in order to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people
• To maintain confidentiality of information acquired in the course of undertaking duties for the department whilst operating in the fullest cooperation with other agencies to ensure that children are appropriately safeguarded.
• To contribute to team processes in a positive and appropriate manner, by attending team meetings and undertaking any necessary and appropriate team duties.
• To make an active contribution to the development of service delivery through the sharing of knowledge, information and skills.
• To take responsibility for personal professional development through the utilisation of relevant practice research/developments, legislation, participative supervision and appraisal processes.
• To undertake further training which is consistent with the needs of the individual and the organisation, as agreed with the manager.
• To work within an equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory framework. Value diversity within the team and in contact with other professionals, children, young people and families

Job responsibilities

Specific duties and responsibilities include

• To manage and supervise a caseload of approved mainstream and family and friends foster carers across Wiltshire to ensure safe and high quality foster placements are offered and provided to Wiltshires looks after children.
• To operate within the council policy and keep up to date with social work methods, practice developments, new legislation and procedures, including the Childrens Act 2004, Every Child Matters and Care Matters agenda.
• To be responsible for the day to day interpretation of and implementation of statutory duties and departmental policy and procedures in the provision of services to children and young people.
• To be allocated work from the team manager or any person delegated to act on their behalf based on eligibility criteria and to hold case management responsibility for this work.
• To complete enquiries and assess, the needs of and risks to vulnerable children and young people in a timely manner giving due consideration to the wishes and views of the child and the childs family. This will include the completion of S47 enquiries, single assessments and engaging service users and other relevant persons in the work base, homes or any other appropriate venue e.g. hospital, school etc.
• To take appropriate action to assess and minimise any identified concern or risk to children/young people in accordance with the requirements and timescales of assessment frameworks, child protection procedures and looked after children legislation and procedures.
• To draw up and implement, with the child/young person and their family/carers, an appropriate plan to address identified issues and to maximise the participation of service users and carers in this process ensuring that social work intervention is ongoing only when necessary in peoples lives.
• To carry out regular reviews of individual plans, record outcomes and formulate revised plans which are outcome focused.
• To convene meetings e.g. core groups to assist in the implementation and review of plans for vulnerable children.
• To write reports for child protection conferences, planning meetings, looked after children reviews, legal meetings and court hearings and attend these as appropriate.
• To have a creative approach to meeting need and to ensure local provision, wherever possible, in order to meet identified need within available resources.
• To have a clear understanding of and ability to manage within financial constraints in service delivery.
• To work proactively and in partnership with other agencies to plan and deliver coordinated services to children, young people and their families/carers which promotes and focuses on positive outcomes.
• To maintain accurate and effective electronic recording of information and action taken in the course of casework.
• To understand the need for and contribute to the achievement of team and departmental performance targets in order to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people
• To maintain confidentiality of information acquired in the course of undertaking duties for the department whilst operating in the fullest cooperation with other agencies to ensure that children are appropriately safeguarded.
• To contribute to team processes in a positive and appropriate manner, by attending team meetings and undertaking any necessary and appropriate team duties.
• To make an active contribution to the development of service delivery through the sharing of knowledge, information and skills.
• To take responsibility for personal professional development through the utilisation of relevant practice research/developments, legislation, participative supervision and appraisal processes.
• To undertake further training which is consistent with the needs of the individual and the organisation, as agreed with the manager.
• To work within an equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory framework. Value diversity within the team and in contact with other professionals, children, young people and families

Person Specification

Qualifications

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Experience

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Qualifications

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Experience

Essential

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Desirable

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Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Wiltshire Council

Address

Wiltshire Council

Bourne Hill

Salisbury

SP1 3UZ

Employer's website

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)