Norfolk County Council

    Welcome to the Norfolk County Council employer profile. We are delighted to showcase our adults’ and children’s social care services, to give you more information on our practices and teams, and on why Norfolk is the perfect place to continue your social work career!

    Why choose Norfolk?

    Children's Services

    At Norfolk County Council, children’s services are committed to supporting the circa 57,000 children living in our wonderful county.

     

    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 January 2023 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

    Relationships are at the heart of our work with children and families. We’ve listened to what children and young people told us they wanted and have put plans in place to make sure our practitioners can spend less time with paperwork and more time with children and families.

    Our Specialist Teams

    In Norfolk we’ve invested millions to completely change our operating model in children’s social care and to get the best outcomes for children and families.

    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

    Norfolk Tulips, King's Lynn
    Markets
    North Sea

    Living in Norfolk

    Map of Norfolk

    Employee Benefits

    Health and wellbeing services including fast-track physiotherapy and a free counselling service

    Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution, life assurance, death in service payments and dependants’ pensions.

    Competitive salary with an excellent relocation package up to £10,000 (paid upfront where possible) as well as an interest free loan of up to £10,000 (subject to terms)

    Generous holiday entitlement with the ability to buy and sell leave

    Flexible working opportunities including flexitime, part-time, remote and hybrid working – dependent on your job role and business need.

    A payment if you refer someone you know to a hard-to-fill job (up to £3,000 for some jobs).

    Electric Car salary sacrifice scheme.

    An advance of your expenses if you travel for work

    ‘Norfolk Rewards’, our employee discount programme, which helps you save money on almost anything, from everyday groceries and clothes, to holidays, new technology, gym membership, trips to the cinema and days out.

    You are also given a Blue Light card to obtain discounts on a range of items.

    Social Work Career

    Pursuing a social work career with Norfolk County 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.

    Social Work Apprenticeship Programme

    Social Work Apprenticeship Programme

    This programme enables you to study for a fully funded BA (Hons) in social work with our partner education provider, while working full-time for Norfolk County Council and receiving a salary.

    The aocial work apprentices are employed on a three-year full time fixed term contract. Throughout the programme you will gain experience of working in a range of social work services including time in both adult social services and children’s services. The programme starts in January each year and posts are advertised annually in the spring/early summer for the following year.

    Step Up to Social Work programme

    Step Up to Social Work programme

    The programme is an intensive 14-month full-time programme funded by Department for Education. You will learn through a combination of academic study and hands-on experience.

    Graduate Trainee Scheme

    Graduate Trainee Scheme

    The scheme offers one year’s paid employment at Norfolk County Council before starting the MA in Social Work programme at the University of East Anglia.

    Children’s Services

    You will be a graduate trainee family practitioner in the Family Support Service, providing direct support to children, young people and families in their homes or in the community.

    Adult Social Services

    You will be a graduate trainee assistant practitioner in adult social services working with a front-line team with a range of service users.

    Return to Social Work

    Return to Social Work

    We can offer tailored support to help you re-register with Social Work England and get back into practice in both children’s services and adult social services.

    Ian's journey into social work:

    Podcast: the benefits of a relational approach to social work

    Podcast: the benefits of a relational approach to social work

    LISTEN

    How strengths-based family therapy is preventing children going into care

    How strengths-based family therapy is preventing children going into care

    READ

    ‘The most supportive service I have worked in’: how a transition team is transforming lives

    ‘The most supportive service I have worked in’: how a transition team is transforming lives

    READ

    Collaborative working: ‘my skillset is now 10 times greater’

    ‘My skillset is now 10 times greater’: how collaborative working is boosting social workers’ confidence

    READ

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