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Social Worker - Family Court Adviser

Employer
CAFCASS
Location
Birmingham, West Midlands
Salary
£37,645 - £41,977
Closing date
1 Mar 2019

Job Details

Locations: Birmingham - Citadel

Salary: £37,645 - £41,977

Closing Date: Friday 01 March 2019

As a Social Worker you know your work changes lives. But it’s not an easy job and so you want to work somewhere where you can work flexibly and safely to deliver the best outcomes.

At Cafcass we share your ambition. Maybe that’s why when OFSTED recently inspected us they rated us as "outstanding" and we have why we are a recent winner of the Social Work Employer of the Year award and multiple other accolades around flexible working and healthy and wellbeing too. 

All our Family Court Advisers – this is what we call our Social Workers - are provided with laptops and smartphones so you can work in our offices, at court, at home and, of course, with children and families. Our systems, in addition to regular supervision from experienced managers, ensures you can deliver your best and develop professionally.

In this role you will be part of our Early Interventions Team (EIT) Team that is based in Birmingham although the technology we provide combined with the trust we place in you as a professional allows you to work flexibly in court, at home and, of course, with children and families.

The EIT is the front door to our services ensuring Cafcass only intervenes in the lives of those children who needs a service. The service is fast paced, energetic, drawing on Child Protection expertise, analytical risk assessment, identifying key issues for the court and making safe recommendations in the best interests of the child. 

As a Family Court Adviser within the EIT, you will predominantly achieve this by conducting effective telephone interviews with applicants and respondents and assessing information received from other agencies. You will then collate this to allow you to succinctly and expertly communicate advice in the court through clear, evidence-based reports and representations, which will occasionally mean attending initial Court Hearings to ensure that children remain central to all decision making.

As you would expect there are a few key things we need you to be:

  • Qualified Social Worker with 3+ years experience.
  • HCPC registered.
  • Experienced at working with highly vulnerable children and families.
  • Expert in safeguarding, child engagement, inter-agency working, case analysis, planning and recording.

Our work is demanding so for you to succeed and truly make a difference you should be someone who;

  • Is resilient and organised
  • Can work proportionately
  • Has strong, intuitive IT skills
  • Is an effective verbal and written communicator

Now we've told you about the role we hope you're ready to complete our short application process, including providing us with your current CV. Before you do, let us outline some of the benefits you'll be eligible for should you join us;

  • Competitive salary
  • Generous holiday entitlement
  • Membership of a Local Government Pension Scheme
  • Potential to bring your continuous service with you providing enhanced benefits
  • Health & Wellbeing support including Healthcare Scheme Membership
  • Payment of HCPC fees
  • Cycle to Work Scheme

We hope you’ve decided this is a role you would like, if so click please complete our short application process to let us know of your interest in this role.

We’d also like to let you know of the timescales we aiming to work to for this recruitment campaign. This will also help you know when you can expect to hear from us by.

Last date for applications:

Friday 01 March 2019

Telephone interviews:

13/03/2019

Final interview / assessment:

20/03/2019

These dates are potentially subject to change but rest assured we will be in touch as quickly as we can.

To apply for this role online please click the 'apply' button.

If you want to find out a bit more about us why should consider joining us visit www.cafcass.gov.uk/cafcass-careers or to view all of our current vacancies, go to Current Cafcass Vacancies.

We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships. We are also a Disability Confident Employer which further underlines our commitment to employ, train, retain and develop the careers of colleagues with disabilities.
 
Please be advised successful applicants will be subject to a range of pre-employment checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). In accordance with the DBS code of practice and our own policy, should an individual have a declared criminal offence an individual assessment will be completed. Further information on what the assessment covers can be found by viewing the Cafcass DBS policy.

Company

We are Cafcass – the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service – and we represent children in family court cases in England.

Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests, we speak up for over 140,0000 children every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures, ensuring their needs, wishes and feelings are heard. In short, our role is to…

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If our purpose resonates with you, then if you join us you will work alongside like-minded people in a diverse, inclusive and supportive organisation. You will also have opportunities to develop, whatever team you join, wherever you are in the country and at whatever stage you are at in your career.

We represent children and families from diverse backgrounds and our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is integral to our work. It’s central to the values of our organisation; not only do we understand the needs of the children and families we work with, but we’re open to all who wish to grow a career with us.

Whether you join us in one of our social work roles that work directly with children and families or our corporate and business services teams who provide technology, support and expertise, you will have the chance to make a difference for children and families.

Family Court Advisers

Our Family Court Advisers (FCAs) – which is what we call our Social Workers - may be asked by the court to work with families and then advise the court on what we consider to be the best interests of the children involved in three main areas:

•    divorce and separation, sometimes called ‘private law’, where parents or carers cannot agree on arrangements for their children;
•    care proceedings, sometimes called ‘public law’, where social services have serious concerns about the safety or welfare of a child; and
•    adoption, which can be either public or private law.

 

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How we support and reward

In addition to one-to-one and group supervision, you will have access to a range of practice resources, including the Cafcass Library, National Psychology Service, Practice Experts and our Emerging Talent Programme.

We also ensure you have outstanding technology, including modern touchscreen laptops, an iPhone and our excellent case management system, ChildFirst, along with first class support teams, including in-house IT Trainers.

We also know you want to be rewarded appropriately. You want time away from work to manage your wellbeing, spend time with those important to you, help to secure your financial present and future and be trusted to work creatively, using your professional judgement.  You also want opportunities for professional development, alongside the support and supervision you need to practice safely.

Some of the benefits we offer include:

•    28 days holiday (including three for Christmas) rising to 33 days with five years continuous service, which could include your current employment. You can also buy more holiday or sell any you do not need.
•    Flexible working, including nine-day fortnights.
•    19.4% employer contribution to Local Government Pension scheme, potentially building on your current pension.
•    Health and Wellbeing cash plan with your basic premium paid for, which can be upgraded to include family members.
•    Social Work England membership fees reimbursed.
•    Car leasing schemes


Wellbeing

Everyone at Cafcass has four dedicated, additional days per year where they are encouraged to spend time focusing on their health and wellbeing. This is part of a holistic approach with the goal of supporting everyone who works at Cafcass to maximise their capabilities to make lasting and positive differences to the lives of the children and families with whom they work.

Led by our in-house Health and Wellbeing team, we also offer support that benefits physical, mental and financial health. Our team can also offer support and guidance when it comes to specific health conditions, such as neuro-diverse conditions, cancer and the menopause.

Our team is strengthened by the availability of an external Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) which provides a free confidential support service 24 hours a day. This means access to clinical and professional expertise which gives you a chance to talk about all kinds of work and personal issues.

We are especially proud that over 125 colleagues across the organisation have completed training and receive ongoing support to act as Health and Wellbeing Champions for their teams. Furthermore, we have nearly 100 people that have been trained to act as Mental Health Allies.

This video also gives you a bit more insight into our Health and Wellbeing offer.

Read our Employer Zone Article here.

https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2023/07/05/podcast-putting-children-and-young-people-at-the-forefront-of-practice-ezc-p/

https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2023/03/07/neurodivergence-as-a-social-worker-its-not-just-supported-and-accepted-its-celebrated-ezc/

 

 

 

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