The role
Southwark is committed to ensuring the lives and wellbeing of our children, young people and families is protected and improved by continued investment in high quality and innovative services, designed with our communities and delivering for them.
The Council’s vision of a fairer future for all in Southwark is at the heart of our Children & Families Services and our drive to ensure all children and young people in Southwark grow up in a safe, healthy and happy environment where they have the opportunity to reach their potential.
As part of our approach to continuous improvement we have set a priority to develop “an improved cross system approach to the challenges of helping vulnerable adolescents - Ensuring our young people are safely able to grow towards independence and are protected from all threats and risks to them both inside and outside the home.”
Central to delivering our improvement priority is the development of a new Adolescent Safeguarding Service within our Children’s Social Care Division. The Service will develop as a centre of excellence for social work and social care delivery for vulnerable adolescents, both working directly with those most in need of help, support and protection, and working across the multi-agency partnership to understand, develop and embed innovation and best practice in supporting vulnerable adolescents, and those at risk of exploitation and extra-familial harm.
At the heart of the new Service will be our Extra-Familial Harm and Missing Team. The Team will work with our statutory and non-statutory social care teams and the wider multi-agency partnership to lead and develop the whole Borough response to children at risk of exploitation and harm outside the home, contextual safeguarding, and those children and young people who go missing from home and care.
As one of two Family Support Workers on the Team you will need to be ambitious for yourself, our services and most importantly our children, young people and their families. You will have strong experience of direct work with children at risk of exploitation and extra-familial harm and who go missing from home and care, a positive track record of engagement and communicating with young people to effect positive change for them and a passion for helping and protecting some of the most vulnerable young people. As part of the Team you will have the opportunity to pilot, showcase and lead the development of innovative social care practice and partnership working across the Borough, and be a champion of ‘safeguarding first’ cultural change across services.
If you would like to know more information or a preliminary discussion please contact Michael Crowe on michael.crowe@southwark.gov.uk
Additional salary details
Please note: This role will require an Enhanced DBS.
(COVID-19) - information for job applicants: Southwark Council are following the most recent Government guidelines surrounding Corona virus.
During this period, we still look forward to receiving your application and if successful, we will be conducting interviews remotely via video link. Details will be confirmed via email, if successful.
Recruitment timetable
Closing date: Monday 12 April 2021
Interview date: Wednesday 21 April 2021
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