Our Vacancies

2 x Full time Social Worker post in the Recruitment and Assessment Team

1x Part time Social Worker post in the Recruitment and Assessment Team

1x Part time Social Worker post in the Supervision and Support Team

Grade 10 - salary subject to experience

At Dudley MBC we are recruiting for several posts across our Fostering Service, this is an exciting time for Dudley’s Fostering Service as we grow and expand our services provided to our Kinship and Mainstream Foster Carers.

Dudley Fostering Service is dedicated to recruiting and assessing the very best Carers to provide a warm and loving home for our children in care. We are based at Cable Plaza Waterfront in Brierley Hill, Dudley, where we are co-located with the rest of children’s services which supports great joint working opportunities. It is essential any applicants clearly specify in their application form which post they are applying for stipulating whether this is for the Assessment or the Supervision and Support Team.

The Role

We need you to be part of our journey in ensuring our children’s wellbeing is at the top priority. Our priority is for Dudley children to be kept safe, local, happy and fulfilling their potential. We are looking for 4 experienced Social Workers to assess Mainstream, Kinship foster carers and Special Guardians in our Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team and 1 social worker for our Supervision and Support Team. It is an exciting time to join Dudley; we believe in investing in you so you can provide the best services and support to our Fostering Households.

You will be fully qualified social worker, with a minimum of 12 months post qualification experience in statutory social care. With strong skills in assessment, and report writing, you will help train and assess new foster carers and ultimately be dedicated to improving the lives of children and families within Dudley. Your manager will offer hands on support, regular supervision, guidance, and the opportunity for professional development through training, various opportunities to retain and promote the voice of our foster carers and uphold the Fostering National Minimum Standards.

We offer a stable, permanent management team, competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme.

Come to Dudley and join the journey. Dudley Fostering Service has a really strong team ethos. Our teams within the Fostering Service are supportive, friendly, and experienced, and embrace the restorative approach in our practice. Successful applicants will be welcomed into the service by colleagues and managers and will receive a comprehensive induction programme. You will work in a service where the management team listens and values the contributions of social workers.

As a member of our team, you will benefit from comprehensive training and development opportunities. As a service we are strong believers that by investing in our social workers, they will then have the knowledge skills and experience to be able to provide our foster carers and children in care with the very best service. To this end we work with several leading training providers in the field of fostering including The Fostering Network, Coram BAAF, The Foster Care Training Hub, this is in addition to working internally with Dudley’s Centre for Professional Practice who support teams across the directorate to develop their practice, skills, and knowledge.

For further information about positions in the Recruitment and Assessment Team, email:- Jodie.baker@dudley.gov.uk who will be happy to arrange an informal discussion regarding the role.

For further information about positions in the Supervision and Support Team, email:- Phil.Obrien@dudley.gov.uk who will be happy to arrange an informal discussion regarding the role.

Please note:- Applicants that have not completed their ASYE will not be considered for this role, and we are looking for a minimum of 12 months post qualification time.

Hours: 37 hours per week

Salary: Grade 12

£51,356 to £54,495 per annum (salary subject to experience)

This is an exciting and rewarding time to join Child Friendly Dudley in new Advanced Social Work Practitioner roles which have been introduced across our social work teams.

We are building on our established restorative practice model by re-designing our directorate and implementing the Family Safeguarding model to ensure we focus on children first and place them at the heart of all we do.

Advanced Practitioners will be pivotal in establishing consistently excellent social work practice in our teams. You will hold a caseload of some of our children needing the most skilled help, and share your expertise with others through modelling, coaching, reflective supervision and other learning activities.

You will be a registered social worker with significant experience of working with children and families in a statutory social work setting including being able to evidence how you have intervened in areas of poor practice, demonstrated leading practice and developing the professional practice of team members. You will also have experience of formally supporting others in a social work or social care role, which may include practice education of students or ASYE social workers. You will be dynamic and driven to achieve strong outcomes for our children, skilled in providing support and challenge to colleagues and families and creating change.

We aim to create an inclusive working environment where everyone can achieve a healthy work/life balance. We are serious about our responsibility for personal and professional development and look to ensure that staff are equipped with the skills, knowledge and experience to succeed. The Councils Benefit Package is designed to boost and maintain the health, wellbeing and general quality of life of all our staff.

Security and support at work

We offer a wide range of benefits, to ensure that staff are paid fairly for the work they undertake and have the flexibility to enjoy a great work/life balance. We offer:

A competitive salary package, including a career progression scheme
A range of flexible working options, including flexitime and home-working, dependent on service requirements
A generous holiday allowance and special leave provisions
The Local Government Pension Scheme
A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme – we are committed to supporting you
Bullying and Harassment and Dignity at Work policies to protect your everyday working life
Your professional future

We invest in our staff, to enable them to develop personal and professional skills and progress in their Social Work Career.

All new employees receive a comprehensive induction, training and development programme, with regular opportunities to update their skills and achieve their full potential. We welcome fresh thinking, recognise real talent and encourage innovation and ingenuity.

We train staff at all levels. We have a huge range of training opportunities, through the Centre for Professional Practice Service. We encourage and support Continual Professional Development, with opportunities to attend external training, secondment opportunities, and earn extra qualifications through the Apprenticeship Levy.

A summary of all benefits for staff is attached.

We are recruiting Qualified Social Workers with a minimum of 12 Months post-qualifying experience.

Are you an exemplary practitioner with a commitment to improving social work practice to make a real difference in the lives of children, young people and families?

This is an exciting time to join Child Friendly Dudley. Our Children's Services puts children first and at the heart of all we do, bringing multi-disciplinary teams together in our Family Safeguarding model, and using restorative, strengths-based approaches to work with families and their networks to achieve better outcomes.

Join our dynamic team at the Centre for Professional Practice in Dudley Children's Services! We are looking to recruit four enthusiastic, committed and experienced Advanced Social Work Practitioners who have a passion to develop others, and experience as Practice Educators, to join the Centre for Professional Practice, on a 12 month fixed-term contract. This role will be specifically around supporting Newly Qualified Social Workers in their Assessed and Supported Year in Social Work through sitting alongside them in the social work teams to model good practice, as well as provide support through group supervision and one-to-one development meetings.

At Dudley Children’s Services, we aim to provide the best service we possibly can to make a real difference to the lives of our more vulnerable children and young people. This is our ethos – children first and at the heart of all we do. We also recognise our responsibility as a service to ensure practitioners have all the learning and development opportunities they need to build upon their skills, and deliver the most effective practice. And this is what Dudley’s Centre for Professional Practice is all about – creating good quality learning and development opportunities in a supportive environment, and striving to improve practice.

About the Centre for Professional Practice

The Team consists of a Service Manager, 2 Team Managers and 4 Advanced Social Work Practitioners who support the Principal Social Work function. The Centre for Professional Practice is supported by a Co-ordinator, business support, an Apprentice and 3 Participation Officers who work to the Directorate Wide participation strategy.

The Team are responsible for managing the audit and quality assurance processes and driving implementation of the Practice Framework within Children’s Services. The Service coordinates the training and development needs of practitioners within Children’s Services. The Team manage Student Social Work placements and the Assessed and Supported First Year in Social Work arrangements- this will be the main focus of this role, with there being more of an emphasis on sitting alongside Newly Qualified Soial Workers in their teams.

What Can we Offer You?

A collaborative and supportive work environment.
Opportunities for professional development and growth.
The chance to make a meaningful impact on the lives of children and young people.
All new employees receive a comprehensive induction.
Join us in our mission to ensure high-quality and consistent service delivery in Children's Social Care. Apply today and be a part of a team dedicated to achieving positive outcomes for children and young people!

For an informal discussion please contact Anisha Gill, Team Manager- Centre for Professional Practice at anisha.gill@dudley.gov.uk

Grade 9 and Grade 10

Salary:- £39,152 to £46,142 per annum plus £7,000 per annum Market Forces Supplement (grade and salary subject to experience)

Are you ….

Enthusiastic and passionate with a genuine care for helping and supporting children and families?
Keen to make a difference to our children and work creatively to help keep families together wherever safely possible?
A team player who wants to be part of our multi-agency team of driven practitioners who work hard to achieve best outcomes for our children?
Someone who can thrive under pressure as part of a fast-paced environment?
Someone who has ambition, creativity, and a desire to learn?
Do you want to be supported to excel in your career through our career progression programme?
Our Family Safeguarding Service is a friendly, supportive team made up of Social Workers, Advanced Practitioners, Child Practitioners, Drug and Alcohol Workers, Probation Officers, Domestic Abuse Workers, and Mental Health Practitioners, all striving to make a difference and achieve the best outcomes for our children.

We believe our children deserve the consistency and stability in the support provided. Our service works with families right from the Front Door as part of initial assessments, supporting children on child in need plans, child protection plans, pre-proceedings, and care proceedings. Our service will give you the opportunity to expand your skills, knowledge, and confidence within front line safeguarding practice, with the support of our committed and supportive management team.

Family Safeguarding is a whole family approach to working with children and families that supports parents to create sustained change for themselves and for their family. Together in Dudley we believe every family has a right to help and support for their children and our Family Safeguarding Programme supports Practitioners to creatively support families to recognise their strengths and be supported to overcome their difficulties.

If you are passionate about working with children, are motivated to make a difference, and have a desire to help and support others then we want to hear from you!

What can we offer you?

Dudley Family Safeguarding service is proud to have permanent Service Managers and Team Managers. Our managers will ensure you have regular supervisions to guide and develop your practice and help you achieve your career aspirations.

We are a service that embraces the skills and qualities that each of our social workers contribute to work together to drive best practice and keeping children at the heart of all we do.

Your development will be supported through our comprehensive training offer which includes support from our Centre for Professional Practice, career development, as well as internal and external training opportunities.

We offer a competitive salary, which includes the Market Forces Payment of £7000 per annum.

We offer a range of flexible working options, including flexitime and home-working, dependent on service requirements.

A generous holiday allowance and special leave provisions.

The Local Government Pension Scheme.

All new employees receive a comprehensive induction.

A summary of all benefits for staff is attached.

We are recruiting Qualified Social Workers with a minimum of 12 Months post-qualifying experience.

Grade 9 and Grade 10

Salary:- £39,152 to £46,142 per annum plus £7,000 per annum Market Forces Supplement (grade and salary and grade subject to experience)

For an informal discussion please contact Edward Wong, Head of Service – Adolescent Safeguarding @ Edward.wong@dudley.gov.uk

Dudley Children’s Social Care has implemented the Hertfordshire Family Safeguarding Model across social work teams. It is a strengths-based, whole-family approach to supporting children and their families, bringing together, and co-locate with, multi-disciplinary partners, working intensively with families to reduce the risks of children coming into care or becoming subject to child protection planning.

Dudley’s Children’s Social Care is Restorative in its practice approach, using Motivational Interviewing skills to bring about changes in children and their families, whilst acknowledging their strengths and that of their network.

The Adolescent Safeguarding Service works with children and young people from the age of 13 upwards and comprises of 6 social work teams and 1 Child Exploitation Team that sits within the Dudley Exploitation Hub which consists of the Missing Team, Police Officers and is supported by Health and Education Professionals.

The Service consists of Social Workers, Youth Workers, Substance Misuse Workers, IDVA and voluntary organisation partners such as Barnardo’s and Phase Trust, Citizens Advice Bureau and CAMHS. Integral to the Service is the support provided to children who go missing from home. In addition, the Service works closely with a range of external and internal partners such as the Youth Justice Service and Housing.

We are currently looking for Social Workers to join our dynamic and ambitious Service.

The successful candidate will display knowledge of Extra-Familial Harm and a high level of determination to ensure young people are able to remain living within their family networks in order to achieve positive outcomes.

We work with children and their families, co-producing the care plan that meets the needs of children who are at risk of child criminal and/or sexual exploitation. We always encourage and support innovative practice to ensure the most appropriate, robust and holistic support is offered to meet each child’s needs. A key part of this role will be your ability to positively impact the lives of children and young people.

We aim to create an inclusive working environment where everyone can achieve a healthy work/life balance. We are serious about our responsibility for personal and professional development and look to ensure that staff are equipped with the skills, knowledge and experience to succeed. The Councils Benefit Package is designed to boost and maintain the health, wellbeing and general quality of life of all our staff.

Security and support at work

We offer a wide range of benefits, to ensure that staff are paid fairly for the work they undertake and have the flexibility to enjoy a great work/life balance. We offer:

A competitive salary package, including a career progression scheme
A range of flexible working options, including flexitime and home-working, dependent on service requirements
A generous holiday allowance and special leave provisions
The Local Government Pension Scheme
A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme – we are committed to supporting you
Bullying and Harassment and Dignity at Work policies to protect your everyday working life
Your professional future

We invest in our staff, to enable them to develop personal and professional skills and progress in their Social Work Career.

All new employees receive a comprehensive induction, training and development programme, with regular opportunities to update their skills and achieve their full potential. We welcome fresh thinking, recognise real talent and encourage innovation and ingenuity.

We train staff at all levels. We have a huge range of training opportunities, through the Centre for Professional Practice Service. We encourage and support Continual Professional Development, with opportunities to attend external training, secondment opportunities, and earn extra qualifications through the Apprenticeship Levy.

We are recruiting Qualified Social Workers with a minimum of 12 Months post-qualifying experience.