Social Worker – MASH/SPA

Job Description

Job title: Social Worker – MASH/SPA

Company: Achieving for Children

Job description: Job Information

Achieving for Children is a Community Interest Company that has a public sector ethos, combined with the freedom to innovate enabling us to do things differently. As a not-for-profit social enterprise owned by three local authorities (Windsor & Maidenhead, Kingston and Richmond), we offer the freedoms of a social enterprise with the employment benefits of local government. To find out more about us

Social Worker – MASH/SPA

There’s never been a better time to join Achieving for Children (AfC), we are Ofsted Rated GOOD and are passionate about getting it right for children and their families. We are looking for staff who have the skills, passion and commitment that will enable us to continue to develop our practice and improve outcomes for children.

The Social worker will work as a key member of a MASH with the primary function of screening and responding to all new referrals into children’s social care. The Single Point of Access (SPA) Social Worker will be responsible for supporting management of SPA in screening and gathering further information on all referrals that come into the SPA as needed.

The salary displayed will be pro rata as it is showing the full time equivalent.

Operational area

Windsor and Maidenhead

Primary place of work

Maidenhead Town Hall, SL6 1LF

Appointment type

Permanent

Business area

Children’s Social Care

Full time/Part time

Part-time

Salary from

£38,355 (CP05)

Salary to

£46,406 (CP08)

Hours

30

Estimated Interview date/s

TBC

Closing Date

04/02/2024

Job Reference

1205

Documents

(PDF, 315.54kb)

About the role

The Single Point of Access (SPA) is the gateway for all incoming contacts into children’s services. The SPA ensures that consistent and timely responses are provided to all enquiries so that children, their families and professionals working with them receive high quality information and, where necessary, support and protection from children’s services and other agencies or professionals.

The Multi- Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is the first point of contact for children, young people and families in need or in need of safeguarding within RBWM/AfC. The team assesses and responds in the short term to children in needs undertaking safeguarding assessments where required. Through the MASH, the SPA works in partnership with the police, health and mental health, probation, and adult services to share information so that we can together provide the most appropriate response to concerns about children. With access to the electronic recording and case management systems used by Achieving for Children (AfC) social workers, early help services and youth offending services, the SPA collaborates with partners in the MASH to gather relevant locally held information.

For further information about this role, please contact Taz Makoni by email for an informal discussion.

About you

To be a Social Worker for AfC, you will be passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of children and young people. We are looking for someone who can work flexibly, has excellent communication skills and can work collaboratively to achieve shared outcomes. It’s a genuine team effort in AfC. To be successful in the role you will need to demonstrate:

• You are able to use evidence and professional judgement to make decisions and determine the risk of future harm.
• Your experience of assessing the needs of children and their families in accordance with the Framework for the Assessment
• Your excellent written skills and experience writing comprehensive reports for the Courts.

In addition we expect all of our social workers to have:

• A full and valid driving licence and access to own transport
• A professional social work qualification, CQSW or Diploma in Social Work (DipSW), or other relevant qualification recognised by Social Work England.
• An active Social Work England registration.

About Our Benefits

We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to work remotely. Working in AfC you will also have access to:

• 29 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after four years of Continuous Service
• Managers who recognise complexity of cases and load, value hard work, provide reassurance, build confidence and facilitate career development and progression opportunities
• Free parking at your main place of work
• Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
• Travel assistance package for business use, including car mileage reimbursement, an annual season ticket loan or access to the cycle to work scheme
• Laptop, phone and systems so you can work remotely – enabling hybrid working
• Flexible working options – helping to keep a good work life balance
• A minimum of 12 protected Development Days each year for all staff
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• A range of staff discounts with national retailers and well known brands
• A huge range of additional professional development opportunities as part of our regional Social Work Teaching Partnership.

To find out about all of the breadth of benefits of working for Achieving for Children . For our social work offer .

Important Information

Start dates: Achieving for Children have meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.

Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance.

Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

For more information about AfC: Drop in and meet Regina on the first Wednesday of every month at Civic Centre, Twickenham or Ash on the first Tuesday of every month at Maidenhead Town Hall.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Expected salary: £38355 per year

Location: Maidenhead, Berkshire

Job date: Sat, 13 Jan 2024 07:21:26 GMT

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