About the job

Key information

• Based in Yeovil, however due to the nature of Children Looked After (CLA) work there is a good level of flexibility for hybrid working
• 30 days’ annual leave
• Great opportunities for career progression within Somerset

What will I be doing?

We are seeking an enthusiastic, dynamic experienced social worker to become an integral part of our Children Looked After Team. We are dedicated to improving the lives of our most vulnerable families throughout Somerset’s services to deliver and achieve the best possible outcomes for all.

You will be working as part of a small team in South Somerset combined of two permanent team managers and up to ten social workers. As an experienced social worker, your role will consist of skilfully managing the more complex work with the most vulnerable looked after children, whilst supporting and mentoring the team members who have less experience. You will also work closely with the Team Manager to ensure support, advice and experience is provided to enable career development within Somerset. We work with children from 0-18, therefore have exceptionally close working relationships with our Leaving Care Service as well as our Safeguarding and Assessment teams.

You will be working closely with colleagues from other agencies to promote and implement creative and specialist care planning, ensuring the voice of the child is heard throughout and needs are being met holistically. We strive for permanence; this will be fundamental to any social workers practice and attitudes when working within the CLA team, promoting stability in all areas of life, resulting in better outcomes for our young people.

We offer extensive training, having had a new programme launched for 2024 that will support workers CPD as well as the Social Work England registration.

A student who has now progressed to Team Manager says;

When I started my student placement in Somerset in 2017 I instantly felt at home. The support and guidance I was given by my practice educator throughout my placement, as well as the extensive support throughout my ASYE and the dedication from my long term manager, allowed me to get to the Team Manager role I am in today.

The training, appraisals and supervisions have consistently been to a high standard, supporting reflection and engagement in development without any hesitation to encourage my career progression. The support from the Senior Management Team has always been incredible, promoting the ‘family feel’ that has always been prominent in Somerset.

We warmly invite all qualified and experienced social workers with a Social Work England registration to apply for this role. We welcome new ideas and knowledge to expand our practices and invite you on Somerset’s progressive journey with us.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

You will be an advocate for our children, young people and families, ensuring each individual’s voice is heard throughout their time with Somerset.

You will:

• Hold a social work qualification and be registered with Social Work England
• Have access to a vehicle due to the rural location of Somerset
• Have experience of working within social care, including working with multi-agencies, as well as the legal systems
• Have a strong desire to build strong, professional relationships with families ensuring they are central to all decision making
• Be able to evidence exceptional and creating care planning through recordings and assessments
• We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What is in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more.

DBS check

This post requires a criminal background check via the Disclosure procedure.

Supporting documents and information

The salary range for this role is £40,476 to £44,711 per annum

For further information or an informal discussion about this exciting opportunity, please contact:

Victoria Rymell – victoria.rymell@somerset.gov.uk

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button – we can’t wait to hear from you.

Apply on the Somerset Council website

Apply now