Welcome to the Croydon Council employer profile. We are delighted to showcase our children’s social care services, to give you more information on our practices and teams, and on why Croydon is the ideal place to continue your social work career!
Why choose Croydon?
Home to 94,000 children, Croydon is a truly unique place to practice social work. We are a borough with big ambition, grit, and determination. Children’s social care was judged ‘good’ in our last Ofsted inspection.
Children's Services
At Croydon Council, children’s services are committed to supporting the circa 94,000 children living in our borough.
Croydon is a truly unique place to practice social work. We are a borough with big ambition, grit, and determination. Children’s social care was judged ‘good’ in our last Ofsted inspection.
We are ambitious and passionately committed, with a real track record of success and strong aspirations for further excellence.
We were recognised by Ofsted in October 2024 for being Good across children’s services, with exceptional and outstanding practice in a number of areas.
We are most proud of our ways of working and the relationships we build with each other, partner agencies and, most importantly, children and their family networks, who we put at the heart of everything we do.
We have built a sustainable system placing practitioners and relationship-based practice at the heart of what we do.
Through Vital Signs we work as one system across a partnership and with whole family networks. It is a whole system and whole family practice approach which is relationship based, strengths orientated, and outcome focused.
We embrace the Flourish ambition, and we want Norfolk to be a county where all children and young people can thrive.
We are:
- Relationship based
- Strengths orientated- identifying and working on strengths in families and their networks
- Outcome focused
Our Specialist Teams
Choosing to practice social work in Croydon will give you opportunity to develop, grow, thrive, and strive; it is not just a job but a career. Here are some of the reasons our colleagues like working at Croydon:
- Our teams consist of both new and established practitioners, and together they have wide experience that serves the needs of the community and colleagues.
- Social worker caseloads are manageable, and access to supervision is a priority; experienced managers will be there to support you in navigating complex issues.
- Group supervision takes place in all teams, supported by our clinical service.
- Training and development opportunities are plentiful, including our Family Therapy Academy which teaches Year 1 and Year 2 of Systemic Therapy in-house. We offer externally commissioned training in Graded Care Profile 2, motivational interviewing, and extra-familial harm as specialisms.
- The opportunity to work from home and work flexibly allows for more work-life balance. Parking permits are provided for home visiting.
CADs is our ‘front door’ team of senior consultant social workers. Professionals can raise any concerns about a child and discuss which service would best meet the child’s needs.
FAST teams work with children at greatest need of care and protection. They provide statutory interventions to safeguard wellbeing and take cases from the point of assessment, working with them on child in need and child protection plans. They also work with courts where necessary for removal into care all the way to permanency.
Our dedicated and specialist Youth FAST social workers, through lower caseloads, work much more intensively with young people across the county deemed at high risk of exploitation and/or serious youth violence.
This service is made up of our In Care and Life Beyond Care teams which comprise social work and personal adviser teams. It is for children and young people in long-term care or who are care experienced.
The CWD service consists of specialist social workers and occupational therapists supporting children with additional complex needs and their families, assisting with short breaks, occupational therapy and transition services.
These teams of qualified and supervising social workers focus on recruiting, approving and supporting those providing short-term, long-term and permanent care for children. Our adoption and fostering service is rated outstanding by Ofsted.
This is a call-in service for case-holding practitioners, when the skills and specialism of youth work are needed to engage with young people.
This award-winning service works with more than 150 young people ensuring they are safe, supported and settled into local communities, and supports those leaving care.
The YJS is a multi-agency service, including social workers, which aims to prevent young people offending and supports those who have.
Our Location
Living in Croydon
Croydon has a vibrant, urban town centre at its heart and a network of district centres each with their own unique identity, stretching from Crystal Palace to Coulsdon.
Located on the southern edge of the capital, the borough benefits from excellent transport links to the coast, the city and Gatwick airport, making Croydon a place of opportunity for business, earning and learning.
Known for its iconic skyline and brutalist 1960s architecture, Croydon is also one of London’s greenest boroughs, with 127 stunning parks and open spaces.
It has a rich heritage and in Old Town a historic street market, Croydon Minster and medieval place nestle between the skyscrapers. The borough has a thriving arts and music scene; it is renowned as the birthplace of genres from punk to grime, and the home of headliners from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to Stormzy.
Map of Croydon
Employee Benefits
We offer a highly competitive compensation package.
We offer Continuing Professional Development opportunities and genuine prospects to grow, develop and specialise in your career.
There are also management development programmes available.
We offer a pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 20%.
We offer 29-31 days (grade equivalent) annual leave in addition to Bank Holidays and option to purchase more.
We promote flexible & hybrid working arrangements where possible to support a healthy work-life balance.
Access to Employee Discount scheme with a range of programmes (Cycle Benefit Scheme, GymFlex, Retail Discounts and more).
Social Work Career
Pursuing a social work career with Croydon Council children’s services or adults’ services gives you the opportunity to make a real difference to children, young people and vulnerable adults in the county.
There are several routes into the social work profession, for:
- those interested in qualifying, and
- those returning to practice after a career break.
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