Social Worker - Children & Young People

Coyle Personnel

Job Description

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Service Delivery, Practice and Standards

1. To provide an efficient and cost effective social work service to children, young people and their families, in accordance with agreed threshold criteria and using appropriate resources of the Social Services Department, the council, the community and other non-statutory organisations.

2. To ensure that the needs of such children and their parents/carers are professionally assessed and to promote the practice of partnership with parents, young people and other appropriate parties.

3. To provide professional and comprehensive casework, and if appropriate group work or other social work services to children, young people and their families/carers.

4. To develop practice which takes a holistic view of the young person, locating them in both their immediate and extended social circles, and having full regard to their education, social, recreational and health needs.

5. To gather, investigate, evaluate and analyse all necessary information on assigned cases, demonstrating clarity of assessment, reliability of information, evidenced conclusions and realistic action plans.

6. To discharge all professional social work functions and duties laid upon the local authority, in particular those contained in the Children Act 1989 (or successor legislation) and associated regulations and guidance.

7. To assume responsibility, in relation to all allocated cases and other assigned work, for (a) appropriate assessments, (b) determining the young person’s wishes, (c) clear care plans, (d) accurate recording, (e) working in partnership with parents and other parties (f) following all relevant law, regulations, policies and procedures.

8. To maintain awareness of developments in professional practice and to take the initiative in assessing and defining one's own continuing professional development and training needs.

9. To be familiar with the divisional, departmental and corporate plans and objectives, and to work towards the achievement of these within the post holder’s sphere of work.

Service Development

10. To positively contribute to the identification of service development needs and the development of new forms of work or service, and to feed proposals and ideas into appropriate forums.

11. To positively contribute to the work of the team through participation in team events and meetings.

Student Supervision

12. To undertake the supervision of students for pre-professional and professional training courses and other trainees as agreed with the post holder’s supervisor.

Training & Development

13. To participate in staff training and development, both as trainer and as student.

Information Systems, Communications and User Records

14. To enter full and accurate information in to computer based information systems; to ensure the security of such systems and the confidentiality of user information.

15. To ensure that all records and case files of users, groups and others for which the post holder is responsible are properly maintained, with full regard to the need to record the views of users and third parties.

16. To prepare and submit reports on time and to conduct correspondence and other communications in accordance with departmental and corporate standards.

17. To comply with the department’s administrative practices and procedures.

Finance

18. To recommend expenditure within agreed criteria and policy.

Other Duties

19. To represent the team, group or division on working parties and at other meetings as required.

20. To provide such statistics relating to own workload as required.

21. Ensure that the Team Manager is kept fully informed of problems arising from workload and seek advice on these as necessary.

22. To convey information to senior officers as required under the Need To Know guidelines.

23. Other duties as may be required.

Context of Post

24. Southend Social Services Department is committed to providing services which are user friendly and sensitive to individual needs. The Department is particularly seeking to promote the concept of integrated services and there is an expectation that staff will demonstrate their commitment to close co-operation with colleagues (in the Department as well as in other agencies) and partnership with service users.

25. This job description may be reviewed from time to time and amended after discussion with the post holder(s). It does not form part of the written particulars of employment of the post holder.