Enhanced Social Work Practitioner - Children with Disabilities Team

We are looking for an Enhanced Social Work Practitioner to join the Children with Disability Team. You will play a key role in supporting our Newly Qualified Social Workers, modelling exceptional practice that will inspire and develop their skills at this important stage of their careers. Hugely rewarding and full of variety and challenge - this is a fantastic opportunity to progress your career! WHAT IS INVOLVED? The Children with Disabilities team work with some of our most vulnerable children, young people, and families in County Durham. As part of this dedicated team, you will hold a protected caseload and use your expertise to support families, help keep children safe, and enable them both to thrive. In addition to holding a reduced caseload, you will use your experience and knowledge to play a key role as Mentor to our Newly Qualified Social Workers in their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE). As a Mentor you will:

• Provide advice and guidance to our Newly Qualified Social Workers to help them build their confidence, resilience, knowledge, and skills in line with the post qualifying standards.
• Plan and facilitate sessions that encourage our Newly Qualified Social Workers to reflect, develop multiple hypotheses and enable peer challenge and critical reflection in decision-making. Sessions will incorporate the Signs of Safety practice model and trauma informed relational practice.
• Provide advice and guidance to Newly Qualified Social Workers on their cases and co-working more complex cases ensuring this reflection is evident on the child's record and improves outcomes for the child.
• Work closely with the Practice Leads in the Social Work Academy and the Team Manager to ensure that the Newly Qualified Social Workers have appropriate caseloads in terms of number and complexity, and that their ASYE progresses well., Durham County Council currently operates a hybrid working policy where a model of 2 days in the workplace and 3 days at home/remote will apply. This model is pro-rated for part time roles and arrangements are at managers discretion, alternatively you can work all of your contracted hours within the workplace if you prefer.
EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION We are a proud equal opportunities employer and recognise that a diverse, talented workforce brings new ideas and new perspectives, which will facilitate growth and improvements to services. We are committed to ensuring that our employment policies and processes are fair and equitable to all. We welcome job applications from everyone, and successful candidates are considered only on their skills and ability to do the job. As a Disability Confident Leader, we encourage applications from disabled people and provide support throughout the recruitment process. Take a closer look: https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/26899/Equality-diversity-and-inclusion-in-our-workforce

You will need a degree in social work, or equivalent social work qualification, a current Social Work England Registration, and a commitment to work towards Practice assessor qualification PA1 and 2 in line with skills for care good practice. You will also need:
• Significant experience of social work with children, young people and their families
• Significant experience of working with disabled children and a good knowledge around how they can best be supported.
• Experience of using evidence-based practice to devise effective interventions
• Knowledge and experience of implementing legislation and national standards relevant to the role
• Ability to implement a range of social work theories relevant to the role
• Commitment to improving outcomes for children, young people, and families
Please refer to the attached person specification for the full criteria. If successful, you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service Enhanced Disclosure.

We are passionate about social work in County Durham. We are committed to providing a culture where good practice can flourish. We ensure our social workers are highly supported and encourage flexible working to achieve a good work-life balance. You will benefit from a range of training opportunities and professional development through personalised induction, professional supervision, and mentoring. Take a closer look: https://www.durham.gov.uk/childrenssocialwork, We offer generous rewards and benefits that are designed to help you perform at your best:
• Competitive salaries and 27 days holiday per year rising to 32 days after five years continuous local government service.
• Option to purchase up to 10 additional days annual leave per year.
• Excellent work/life balance through schemes including job sharing, compressed hours and flexi-time (allowing up to 13 flexi days per year).
• Hybrid working (home and office working).
• Excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Plus, top up options - Salary Sacrifice Shared Cost AVC scheme and standard AVC scheme for members of the LGPS.
• Wellbeing Portal and access to an Employee Assist Scheme.
• Wide range of learning and development opportunities including professional qualifications, coaching and mentoring.
• Employee Benefits Portal and Lifestyle Savings Scheme (discounts across a host of major retailers).
• Discounted DCC gym membership.
• Staff networks run by staff for our staff, including Race Equality and Diversity, Disability, LGBT+, Armed Forces, Carers, Menopause.
• Trade Union membership.
• A range of other salary sacrifice schemes such as car leasing.
Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions. Take a closer look: https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/26895/Rewards-and-benefits