At its core, Blaenau-Gwent Council remains committed to its vision of being 'a better place to live and work.' Collectively, we recognise that we have a commitment to ensuring the wellbeing of future generations; we want our children and their families to have opportunities to enjoy an exciting and aspirational future.
We are therefore seeking creative and motivated social workers to join our Children's Social Services' department.
We have permanent positions available in our Social Work Teams whose primary focus is responding to long-term care planning for children that meet the threshold for statutory intervention. This involves the undertaking of Integrated Assessments and Section 47 enquiries Care and Support Planning meetings, initial and review child protection conferences, threshold meetings or step-down process to preventative services. The teams work with children and their families from birth and our practice is driven by a focus on outcomes, strengths and confident risk management.
We welcome applications from student social workers (pending qualification), newly qualified social workers and experienced social workers. All successful appointees will benefit from a range of support; training and development opportunities; a competitive salary; a staff rewards scheme; 26 days' annual leave (rising to 31 after 5 years' continuous service) plus statutory holidays and the option to 'purchase' additional annual leave if required; flexible working arrangements and agile working, geared at the promotion of work-life balance.
Our staff benefit from the opportunity to attend weekly, bite-sized training sessions with internal and external facilitators. The range of topics is varied. Our workforce development team also co-ordinates a varied package of more intensive training, developed following regular consultation with staff. We run quarterly News and Networking workshops, bringing the division together as a whole to aid networking, shared understanding and service development.
Newly qualified social workers, embarking on their first year in practice, will have a protected caseload. They will also have the opportunity to engage in workshops, coaching, mentoring and peer support and supervision, facilitated by our workforce development team. The aim is to help them adapt to life as a qualified social worker as well as preparing them for the next stage in their professional development.
All staff have regular, formal supervision, at least once per month and more frequently if needed.
What does this mean for our staff team? In a staff feedback survey, 98% of respondents reported that they feel motivated to do their job; 94% feel that they have a say about how they perform their job role and 88% expressed job satisfaction. 89% of respondents felt that their line manager was supportive of their professional development. Finally, 97% of respondents feel that they are valued for the work that they do.
It's a challenging, but exciting time to be working in social care. We would love you to come and join us.
This post requires a registration with Social Care Wales under the category of Social Care Managers / Social Workers and registration will need to be in place prior to commencement in the role. Information on how to register with Social Care Wales can be found on the following website https://socialcare.wales
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. A comprehensive
pre-employment screening process will be undertaken which will include anEnhanced Disclosure
Access to a vehicle for work purposes is a requirement of the role.
For information on the re-employment and re-engagement of former employees please refer to the Council's Pay Policy.
About us
At Blaenau Gwent, we are passionate about the work we do and the impact we have. We empower our staff to make meaningful changes and take action to enhance our services.
Want to ask us a question?
For further information or if you would like to have an information discussion, please contact Michelle Griffiths at michelle.griffiths@blaenau -gwent.gov.uk
How to apply
View full job description and apply on the employers website
