We have a vacancy for an Advanced Social Worker within our Child Protection Service.

Are you an Advanced Social Worker looking to work for an employer who recognises and values your knowledge and experience? Then Knowsley Children’s Services is the place for you. 

'There are many opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge. Managers recognise your potential and support your progression. Positive outcomes and feedback is recognised and acknowledged by senior management…. Knowsley is a great place to work’ - (Experienced Social Worker). 

We have a vacancy for an Advanced Social Worker in our Child Protection Service.

At Knowsley, our Children and Families service want to invest in you. We want to support and develop you, preparing you for every stage of your career progression. We want you to be part of a workforce that is committed and motivated to making a difference. Our staff care about Knowsley’s children and families, and we care about them. They work hard in improving outcomes for our most vulnerable children and young people. Knowsley is a small local authority which enables us to be creative and responsive with high aspirations for our children and young people; we want them to feel listened to, happy, healthy, and given every opportunity to achieve. We want the same for you and all our staff because at Knowsley, we believe, ‘We Are Better Together.’   

Our teams are small and strengthened by a Supervision Policy which enables a supportive relationship with your manager. We remain committed to reducing our caseloads, enabling our social workers to spend time developing trusted relationships with children and their families. You will be guaranteed invaluable experience, a manageable caseload, interesting work and good quality management support. 

Upload your CV on to the Jobs Go Public site and make today the start of something new! 

Our Child Protection Service 

Social workers in our Child Protection Teams support children and their families via Child in Need Plans, Child Protection Plans and PLO Pre-Proceedings. Our small teams each have five social workers, an Advanced Social Worker and Team Manager. You will be supported to develop a relationship with your manager, have regular supervision, support from our Quality Assurance Team, excellent training opportunities and access to tools and resources to assist in your day-to-day practice. 

You will have the opportunity to develop trusting relationships with children and their families, using our strength-based model Signs of Safety. Knowsley Better Together approach compliments the practice model which runs through all service levels. Through this we support families to have great outcomes and prevent children’s needs from escalating.  

Closing date: Sunday, 07 April 2024   

How to Apply:  

Its quick & easy, simply upload your CV on to the Jobs Go Public site. 

Just create an account with Jobs Go Public if you have not already done so. 

You will be required to input your name and email address and will be invited to complete an equal opportunities questionnaire although this is not mandatory.

What you can expect from us:  

• We are a Disability Confident Employer, meaning we offer Inclusive & accessible recruitment, offering an interview to disabled people, providing reasonable adjustments, & supporting existing employees.
• Differentiated sickness absence for individuals living with a disability. 
• Menopause policy supporting women in the workplace.
• Generous Holiday Entitlement: starting at 28 days leave with an option to buy additional 10 days leave
• Flexible working, Hybrid working arrangements & family friendly initiatives; Our flexible working scheme allows you to manage your hours & plan your life more easily
• Local Government Pension Scheme 

• Newly Developed Bespoke Four-Week Induction Programme
• High Quality IT Kit supporting agile working arrangements
• Manageable Workloads - directors of our service work closely with the Heads of Service & Team Managers to ensure caseloads are manageable & you are supported.
• Learning & Career Development: We have a wide range of blended learning opportunities available to all employees, which will be relevant to your job & progression
• A range of Workers Groups, g., Black & Minority Workers' Group, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Forum, Neurodiverse Staff Support Group.
• Well-being Support: We want to improve the well-being of our employees both in & out of the workplace
• Apprenticeship Offer
• Secondment Opportunities
• MyTime – our monthly supervisions scheduled with you. This is your one-to-one time solely focused on your career development 
• Reflective Supervision - 4 weekly 
• Access to Signs of Safety Group Supervision 
• Newly Developed Progression Pathway 
• Learning at Work Week: A yearly celebration awards to recognise & celebrate individual practice across the council.
• Visible Leadership with Monthly Principle Social Worker (PSW) drop-in sessions
• Themed Practice Learning Week: Providing a range of bitesize learning opportunities.
• Currently Offering Free Parking
• Currently Offering Free Tea & Coffee
• Cycle to Work Scheme: We are committed to greener transport solutions. Our scheme entitles you to significant discounts on the price of a new bike & safety equipment.
• bank holidays.
• Eye Tests: We provide all display screen users with a free eye test on request. We have a corporate eye care scheme which includes a contribution to the cost of glasses 
• Childcare Vouchers
• Discounted Gym Membership
• Credit Union Membership
• VIVUP Discounts & Savings The program offers a staff discount scheme.

We promote applications from all sections of the community, regardless of background, belief, or identity, recognising the value that diversity brings to our organisation. We particularly welcome applications from individuals from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and candidates with disabilities as we acknowledge their underrepresentation in our workforce.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applicants.

At Knowsley Council we will consider requests for flexible working. For most roles, the following types of flexibility are usually possible: flexible hours, working from home, compressed hours, part-time.

For further details about the post, please contact Sarah Bird on 0151 443 5050 or via email at Sarah.Bird@knowsley.gov.uk