Wokingham children’s social care – come and join us

Would you like to work for a small unitary authority often voted one of the best places to live in the UK?

Wokingham is an attractive market town in Berkshire with excellent road and rail links, good schools and low levels of crime making the town attractive to families and residents who enjoy a high quality of life

Wokingham Borough Council has had a major reorganisation to ensure we provide the best possible services to the people of Wokingham.

For children’s services this has resulted in appointing a dynamic new director of children’s services who is committed to high quality services for all children and their families and to further develop a ‘learning organisation’ where our staff develop and achieve their future ambition.

You would be joining a confident leadership team on a journey to offering a consistently good service; a service which works honestly and respectfully with families, offering high support and challenge to meet the needs of their children in a time frame which makes sense to children. As a learning organisation we do not shy away from difficult decisions we work creatively and assertively with families, extended family members, our staff and colleague professionals in other agencies.

You would receive a strong induction programme designed to ensure you receive the support and guidance you need in your first few weeks and months with us, so that you are equipped to do the best possible job for children, young people and their families in the borough.

We will provide the right start to your career in Wokingham children’s services and aim to ensure that you remain a valued member of our team. Our learning and development team and training programme will provide you with a strong foundation on which to build and progress your career with us.

Managers are invited to join a leadership programme and shape the service and social work practice together.  We want you to have maximum opportunities for success in your everyday work and celebrate with you your achievements and the real difference you have made to children’s lives.

We offer:

• A manageable case load
• Regular, reflective supervision
• A training map set against the required national performance capability framework
• Membership with Community Care Inform
• A high trust, high support/challenge model of working
• Support from the principal social worker
• A learning culture that you will be part of
• A culture of SMART working
• Generous annual leave
• Childcare vouchers
• Working to a tried and respective risk assessment model ‘Signs of Safety’
• Working with a chief executive who understands our business and a committed
• Lead Member
• Relocation packages are available

Training includes :

Post Graduate Certificate (PGCPP), practice educator, leadership programme for managers and assistant team managers and a full training programme mapped for individual needs to include learning from audit and complaints together with in house and multi-agency training to support you in your career development and practice.

You will be invited to quarterly social work development workshops where the whole service come together  to be  listened to, consulted with and work as a team to develop new ways of practice and working – we have had Eileen Munro and Professor Burfod facilitate these sessions.

What our staff say about us:

“I am writing to express my appreciation with regards to the introduction to managers and services within children’s social care of WBC.  I am a locum social worker and have therefore practised in various Local Authorities. WBC is the first authority where I have encountered this practice.

The benefits were threefold:

• It enhanced my ( still growing ) understanding  of the services and priorities in CSC in WBC
• It provided a sense of the operational activities and the links thereof to the strategic objectives in CSC
• It provided invitations to attend meetings that would strengthen and broaden the outcomes for children

Thank you – it is an outstanding practice”

“I was impressed by the people I met at interview they seemed very genuine and caring, now I am working with them they have fulfilled my expectation, this is an environment where I am supported to develop professionally”

“I think Wokingham children’s social care is a good place to work because of the high quality training courses that are on offer. I have been really impressed with all of the training courses I have attended and have got so much out of them that I can put into my practice. I also think that it is great that Wokingham’s Safeguarding Children Board are now running multi-agency workshops so that everyone can learn from research and serious case reviews. Wokingham is committed to being a learning organisation”

“I have been encouraged, supported and trained to move from a management role to become an independent reviewing officer/child protection chair – which I love”

“Wokingham have recognised and valued my previous experience and transferable skills and supported me with a wide variety of excellent training courses during my first year”

Positions Available

Do you share our passion for social work and protecting and making a positive and lasting difference to our most vulnerable children? Are you ambitious and effective and want to be part of an organisation committed to your learning? We will invest in you and support your commitment in continuing your professional development; so you can be the best professional you can be. Come and meet us, join us!

Service Managers (full time and part time)

A qualified social worker with a minimum 5 years post qualifying experience and a minimum 2 years’ experience as a team manager

Team Managers

A qualified social worker with experience managing a team at assistant team manager level and an experienced supervisor of staff

Assistant Team Managers Locality Teams

Qualified social worker minimum 4 years PQE

Independent Reviewing Officer/Child Protection Chair

A qualified social worker with a minimum 4 years PQE and an experienced team manager

Consultant Social Workers (part time/job share considered)

Qualified social worker minimum 5 years PQE

Social Workers

A qualified social worker

Come and meet Wokingham’s childrens social care at our open event on 9th April 2014 at 10.00

More information about jobs with Wokingham children’s social care