We are seeking a dedicated Social Worker who will play a vital role in helping both adults and children gain a deeper understanding of their life stories through systemic social work interventions. This role offers the opportunity to make a significant impact on individuals' lives by guiding them through the process of accessing their personal records, supporting them in understanding the contents, and providing face-to-face sessions rooted in trauma-informed practices.

As the Social Worker, you will be responsible for managing access to Children’s Social Care records, including the right to access, rectification, and erasure (the right to be forgotten). Additionally, you will handle Freedom of Information requests submitted to Children’s Social Care.

Once a request is approved, you will provide systemic sessions to service users to help them understand and explore the narrative behind their request. Following this, you will retrieve the relevant files and engage in life story work to support their journey, as needed.

Providing compassionate support to help care-experienced individuals understand the reasons they were placed in care, you will establish a clear pathway that ensures all care leavers can access their records promptly, accompanied by personalised, trauma-informed support tailored to meet their unique needs.

This position is embedded within Children’s Social Care and involves close collaboration with the Information Governance Team and the Data Protection Officer (ICT Services) to ensure that:

*    Information released to requestors, particularly concerning children, is carefully risk-assessed and reviewed to protect the Council from potential data breaches.
*    Service users are provided with the necessary support when accessing their records and are directed to additional resources if needed.
*    Halton Borough Council remains fully compliant with all relevant legislation.
*    Any risks to a child or adult are thoroughly considered before any data is released.

This role is essential in helping individuals make sense of their past, contributing to their emotional well-being and empowerment through a supportive, systemic approach. This approach is a groundbreaking initiative, unique to our local authority, as no other council currently offers such a comprehensive and supportive service. We are committed to ensuring that service users are not retraumatised during the process of accessing their records. 

By providing dedicated social work support, we go beyond merely granting access to files; we help individuals truly understand their contents. Our commitment to relationship-based social work, rooted in prevention, ensures that this role empowers service users to engage in corrective scripts, fostering healing and a deeper understanding of their life stories.

For an informal discussion about this post, please contact Ssanne Leece (Head of Safeguarding), 0151 511 7269

Interviews to be held 8th October 2024

At Halton Borough Council we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce and a vital part of this is to encourage diversity in all respects. We are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and tailored to best suit the needs and strength of the individual. This includes making adjustments for people with a disability, neurodiversity or with long-term health conditions. If you require accommodations, please reach out during the recruitment process so that we can make this the best possible experience for you – resourcing@halton.gov.uk