Leaving Care Worker (3 Posts)

These are full-time posts based in the Unaccompanied ASYLUM Seeking Children's team within Derbyshire's Leaving Care Service. Posts are based at The pod, Chesterfield, and one in Ilkeston. Both bases benefit from nationally renowned care leavers hubs and office spaces.
You will be committed to corporate parenting, relationships based practice as the driver of positive outcomes and transitions. Social Pedagogy and trauma informed approaches will be at the heart of your practice. We will also expect you to model best practice and mentor workers. You will be joining an established, high performing service with excellent strategic agreements including a comprehensive Local Offer for Care Leavers (soon to be refreshed), excellent EET opportunities, discounted water bills for care leavers, council tax reductions, thriving support groups. We are aspirational to build an even better service following on from our 2201 Ofsted Leaving Care Visit. Inspectors were humbled by the amazing strength' of the council's care leavers and found:
+ A passionate and skilled workforce which is enabling care leavers to progress well and benefit from positive experiences
+ The aspirations, wishes and concerns for young people leaving the council's care are apparent and plans are 'ambitious' reflecting a 'determination for care leavers to succeed in what they want to do.'
+ A focus on effective transition for young people between the ages of 16 and 18 with support to develop confidence and life skills to negotiate the opportunities and challenges of adulthood.
+ Young people leaving the council's care value the service and said workers are caring and supportive and they felt they could contact their worker when necessary
+ Accommodation needs are carefully considered so young people feel secure and their wishes around location are respected so they can maintain relationships with people who are important to them
+ There is a clear focus on education, employment and training designed to help young people of all abilities choose the appropriate route to make the most of their opportunities when they leave care
+ The council's culture is 'not giving up on a young person' and this is embedded across the service
What will you be doing?
+ Provide a quality leaving care service that supports children to achieve their potential and achieve positive transitions to adulthood
+ Effectively manage a number of young people to achieve the best outcomes for them.
+ Model best practice and mentor others
+ Evidencing a determined commitment to corporate parenting
+ Working in partnership with children and young people build and sustain relationships, identify needs, and develop plans and responses that meet those needs.

+ See job specification but experience working with children in care and care experienced young people
+ Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a person-centred approach to building a rapport and relationships with children and families.
+ Ability to reflect on own practice and development enabling flexible and thoughtful social work practice and positive change.

+ Experience of relationship focused social work.
We believe that hard work and commitment to your role should be rewarded, so we offer a package to our social workers that will ensure you always feel supported and valued:
+ manageable case loads
+ two thriving office and young person hubs
+ Visible, supportive and determined manager's.
+ diverse range of cases providing an exciting, challenging and rewarding career
+ effective leadership and management which helps to reduce risk for our social workers and the children and families they support
+ excellent supervision and a supportive peer network
+ access to an excellent range of training and development opportunities, worth over £5000, including leadership and management development
+ Corporate membership with Research in Practice - allowing access to reputable, evidence-based research, training, and resources
+ fantastic opportunities to undertake further formal qualifications and career progression through our career pathways
+ DBS check undertaken and paid for by us
+ Social Work England registration fee reimbursed
If you would like to talk to someone informally about this post, please contact one of
Natalie.sempers@derbyshire.gov.uk
What benefits do we offer you?
+ Local Government Pension Scheme
+ generous annual leave and flexi-time scheme
+ travel expenses
+ discount on leisure centre memberships
+ free car parking at most sites
+ an in-house counselling service
+ occupational health service
+ access to sessions with a trained physiotherapist
+ cycle to work scheme