Salary

£37,533 - £44,569

Reference number

BUC12292

Contract type

Permanent

Working hours

Full Time

Level of DBS check required

Enhanced with Barred List

Date posted

28 Aug 2024, 11 p.m.

Application deadline

15 Sep 2024

Overview

Looking for a supportive and nurturing environment to start your career?

The Social Work Academy team prides itself in offering a structured, systematic and staggered learning opportunity for those who are the right candidates for Bucks. With continuous improvement to the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) programme we believe we now have something worth shouting about.

“We are increasingly being contacted by prospective NQSW’s who having learnt about our comprehensive package of support and rigorous assessment process, want to join Bucks. We are looking for the very best because we know what best looks like” -Team Manager

NQSW's will be eligible to a one of Golden Hello Payment after successful completion of twelve months’ service.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

As a NQSW in Bucks, you will start your ASYE in your substantive team (Locality Team) from day 1 to enable you to build a supportive network; and settle into your team from the very start of your social work career journey. We offer a comprehensive induction period which involves teaching style learning, exercises, reflections, shadowing of teams and joint visits with qualified social workers. There is a great deal of emphasis on well-being and building your resilience with dedicated Assessors and line-managers to offer guidance and direction. NQSW will be expected to case hold at the end of week 6 and progress is carefully reviewed to ensure tailored support and maximum opportunity for development. Case allocations are capped, and allocation is based on progress and previous placement experience. Every Tuesday you will have a protected day throughout the ASYE period, this will include bespoke training and support as well as group learning and portfolio related work.

You will have the opportunity to access our comprehensive Practice Methodology training which includes;

1 day Strengthening Families workshop
2 days Trauma Informed Training delivered by clinicians
2 days motivational interviewing delivered by clinicians
½ day Reflective session delivered by clinicians
½ day lived experience training

Our Social Work Academy will provide structure and support to ensure your individual needs are met. Working full time, you will have a carefully selected caseload overseen by an experienced Team Manager in your substantive team and an Advanced Practitioner who will support your development in the course of the ASYE period. This level of oversight and assistance will develop social workers for Buckinghamshire who can demonstrate excellence in practice. When you are in your substantive locality team you will be the allocated social worker for a range of cases including Assessment work as well as long-term work.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

To join us in improving lives of children and families in Buckinghamshire you’ll need to be social work degree qualified and:

Be passionate about social work and reaching good outcomes for children and young people
Be willing and ready to work outside of core-hours
Have experience working with children and families
Be able to demonstrate our core values of being proud, ambitious, collaborative and trustworthy and upholding the professional commitment to our code of conduct.
It is essential for this post that the successful candidates have a full UK driving licence and their own transport
Candidates must evidence good communication skills and have a good grasp of the English language
Be ready and willing to travel throughout the county

Please note to qualify for the ASYE programme you must have qualified as a Social Worker within the last 2 years, and you must either have your SWE registration, or it must be in progress.

Other information

All NQSW's will be offered Grade 6 Point 1 on successful appointment.

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Zacharias Mollallegn at Zacharias.Mollallegn@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Closing date: Midnight on 15th September 2024

Assessment Centres:

Thursday 26th and Monday 30th September - You will be required to attend face-to-face in Aylesbury.

Interviews:

Thursday 3rd and Tuesday 8th October (virtually MS Teams)

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

Our values

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

a fair and inclusive culture
the chance to really make a difference to those around you
health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Service Area

Buckinghamshire is a successful, growing place with fantastic natural assets, a highly productive economy and many resourceful and thriving communities. However, we are far from complacent and our new and ambitious unitary authority is well placed to tackle the challenges associated with growth, an aging population, climate change and inequalities in both opportunities and outcomes – particularly for our children and young people.

Children’s Services is on an improvement journey and as our very recent Ofsted report shows, we have continued to improve despite the pressures of the pandemic and have built solid foundations for future success. Relationships with partners are strong and our collective response to the pandemic has strengthened and deepened our work together.

We have a big, ambitious agenda for Buckinghamshire, and our teams work collaboratively and at pace to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people across the county.

We are looking for talented and driven individuals to help us achieve the best outcomes for our children, young people and families in Buckinghamshire. Our key priorities include continuing to protect vulnerable children and young people from harm, whilst sustaining an environment where social work practice can thrive. Through our vital work with our partners, including The Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Childrens Partnership, we continue to improve our collective response to children and young people who have been exposed to domestic abuse, exploitation, substance misuse and mental health issues.

No matter what role you take on in our Children’s services, you will be part of a team who is dedicated to supporting children and their families to achieve their full potential.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements.

We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme with an employer contribution of 24.6%.

We also offer a salary sacrifice personal car lease scheme and the opportunity to gain membership to Costco. We have discounted gym memberships - https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/

Social Workers are also entitled to a generous enhanced reward package, as follows:

Competitive salary with a market increment
A ‘Golden Hello’ lump sum payment upon successful completion of probation
New lease car scheme
Annual leave up to 30 days per year, as well as other types of leave and the opportunity to buy further leave
Up to 15 days per year training, learning and development offer
Free parking across all of our office sites

If you are interested in relocating to Buckinghamshire and working with us, relocation packages are also available.

Buckinghamshire Council jobs

Newly Qualified Social Worker - Children's Services