Job title: Social Worker (Children in Care), at Wigan Council
Company: Wigan Council
Job description: Priority Candidates will be considered in the first instance
Wigan Life Centre South
College Avenue
Wigan
WN1 1NJ
Salary: Grade 9, £37,336 – £42,403 per annum.
37 hours per week
Temporary 2 year Fixed Term Contract
Your role:
We are seeking a Social Worker to primarily support separated young people (Wigan’s language to describe unaccompanied asylum seeking young people).
The post holder must be age assessed trained and have some experience of working with separated young people.
Applicants will need to have good knowledge of the needs of separated young people and preferably experience of working with and supporting separated young people. We expect the post holder to act as an advocate for young people who are survivors of modern slavery, trafficking and trauma, supporting them to address and overcome any social, personal, physical or mental health issues they may experience and empowering them with daily routines and activities.
This may include assisting young people with gaining access to benefit entitlements, working with care leavers without recourse to public funds, supporting young people to access health care provision, move on accommodation, educational services and any other identified areas of need or personal goals and aspirations. The support we provide our young people will help them to successfully integrate into the community they live in and reduce social isolation.
Applicants will need to demonstrate a keen interest in working with and supporting young people who have experienced trauma and where English is not their first language is key. Applicants will have the opportunity to put previous experience to good use whilst managing a diverse caseload.
We are looking for enthusiastic and committed people who can act as strong advocates for this group of people and help to drive practice improvement. You would be part of an established dynamic and supportive Children in Care Service striving to offer an outstanding service to children we look after.
About you:
We are looking for a social worker who is committed to prioritising the needs of children in our care, who are skilled at making relationships with children, carers and families.
You will need to be resilient and have a good sense of humour to work within our amazing family of social workers.
You will need:
- You will be caring and friendly and put children and families at the heart of your work
- You will have a knowledge of relevant legislation and procedures
- You will be committed to providing the best service to children
- You will enjoy working as part of a team and supporting your colleagues
- You will have good time management skills and the ability to prioritise competing demands
- You will value supervision and reflection
About us:
Wigan Council has been voted ‘Overall Council of the Year’ at the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) Awards and has recently published , our ambitious plan for our borough. We are signed up to the ensuring that your service will be continuous or ‘unbroken’ between the supporting organisations.
We have 4 dedicated Children in Care Teams who work with children who are looked after up to the age of 18. Each Team has a Team Manager, an Advanced Practitioner, a Senior Social Worker, along with 7 social workers.
We have a service of established and experienced permanent staff who are able to build good relationships with children and carers to maximise good outcomes and effective care planning.
A strong focus on care planning and promoting placement stability is key to our practice.
We are a highly motivated and professional team who are committed to ensuring our children who are looked after receive a holistic and therapeutic service to ensure they can remain living with foster families wherever possible.
Here at Wigan, we are proud to support flexible working patterns, when the service can accommodate this. We also take a blended approach to where we work, depending on the work we do. This may include working from home (My Place), the office (Our Place) or the community (Your Place). We like to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits to find out more about working for #TeamWigan.
Wigan Council prides itself on equality, inclusion and promoting diversity within the borough and aims to recruit a workforce that reflects our diverse communities. We invest in training and developing our staff, in a positive learning environment, and aim to be a consciously inclusive employer. We welcome applications from everybody in the community and would particularly encourage applicants from our underrepresented groups to apply. At Wigan, it is really important to us that applicants demonstrate our Team Wigan behaviours, and we do all we can to make sure that everyone feels like they belong. We have guidance in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.
To be appointable in this role you must be able to prove you have the right to work in the UK. If you are unsure, please visit the below link to check you qualify to apply. Please note, at present we are not a licenced sponsor.
If you would like to discuss this further, please contact Tracey Turner at or Chris Pearson at
To view the details relating to this position, please click the links below:
Interview date: Wednesday 3rd January 2024
This position is subject to Enhanced Disclosure Procedures plus child barred list check
The employer is committed to safeguarding
salary from
£37,336
contract
temporary
working hours
full time
application deadline
11 59 pm
31st Dec 2023
Expected salary: £37336 – 42403 per year
Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester
Job date: Sat, 16 Dec 2023 01:47:08 GMT
