West Sussex - QSW - CWCF/CIC (Chichester) upto £42 p/h umb

Social Worker - Children We Care For (CIC) Team
West Sussex County Council
Location: Chichester (PO19)
Pay Rate: 38 per hour Umbrella (Negotiable up to 42 per hour for experienced Social Workers)

Eden Brown Synergy is currently recruiting for an experienced Social Worker to join the Children We Care For (CIC) Team at West Sussex County Council.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Children's Social Worker to join a supportive service with manageable caseloads, strong management support, and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference to children and young people in care.

About the Role

As a Social Worker within the Children We Care For service, you will be responsible for supporting children and young people who are looked after by the local authority. The role focuses on building positive relationships, completing meaningful direct work, understanding children's experiences, and helping them achieve positive outcomes for their future.

The team has an emphasis on relationship-based practice, ensuring children and young people receive consistent support to help them settle, recover from previous experiences, and thrive.

Role Details

Location: Chichester, West Sussex
Team: Children We Care For (CIC)
Pay Rate: 38 per hour Umbrella (negotiable up to 42 per hour for candidates operating at Advanced Social Worker level)
Working Pattern: Full time
Caseload: Approximately 18 children

Working Arrangements

The role offers flexible hybrid working, with no expectation to be office based every day. However, Social Workers will be required to:

1. Travel to visit children wherever they are placed, which may include locations nationwide.
2. Attend some in-person meetings, events, and team activities.
3. Complete after-school and early evening visits when required.
4. Attend office-based duty days twice per month.

Due to the rural nature of the area and travel requirements, a full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential.

Key Responsibilities

1. Manage a caseload of children looked after by the local authority.
2. Complete high-quality assessments and identify risk effectively.
3. Undertake direct work with children and young people to understand their needs.
4. Develop strong relationships with children, families, carers, and professionals.
5. Work collaboratively with multi-agency partners.
6. Prepare reports and occasionally undertake court work where required.
7. Support children to achieve permanence and positive outcomes.

Candidate Requirements

To be considered for this role, candidates must have:

1. A minimum of 3 years post-qualified experience working in direct permanent employment within an England Local Authority Children's Social Care service to meet agency assignment requirements.
2. Recent frontline Children's Social Work experience.
3. Experience working within Children in Care / Children We Care For teams or a related service.
4. Strong assessment and analytical skills.
5. Experience completing direct work with children and young people.
6. Excellent multi-agency working experience.
7. Social Work England registration.
8. Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.

Compliance Requirements

1. A minimum of two detailed practice-based references are required using the DfE reference template.
2. Candidates must meet the required Local Authority experience criteria for agency engagement.
3. West Sussex County Council will not engage agency workers within the same region for a minimum of three months after leaving a substantive role within that region.

Why West Sussex County Council?

West Sussex Children's Services has made significant improvements in recent years, with Ofsted recognising the strong leadership, commitment to improvement, and positive developments across the service.

Agency Social Workers are welcomed as part of the wider service and are encouraged to participate in team events, leadership sessions, and improvement initiatives.

Social Workers benefit from:

1. Regular supervision every four weeks.
2. Access to managers for daily advice and support.
3. Manageable caseloads.
4. A supportive and improving service environment.
5. The opportunity to build long-term relationships with children and young people.

Eden Brown Synergy is an equal opportunities employer.

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