Job pack I am a Slough Borough Council consultant practitioner. Join me.
Transcription
Job pack I am a Slough Borough Council consultant practitioner. Join me.
Job pack I am a Slough Borough Council consultant practitioner. Join me. Department: Children, Young People and Families, Wellbeing Contact Officer: Karl Davis Telephone: 01753 477321 3 November 2014 Dear Applicant Consultant Practitioner Job Pack (Ref: 01-2899) Thank you for the interest you have shown in this opportunity to work at Slough Borough Council as a Consultant Practitioner. This information job pack contains: • • • • Messages from the top Job description and person specification Benefits of working in Children’s Social Care How to apply I hope this information will encourage you to apply for the post. For full details of our employment offer please visit the following link: www.slough.gov.uk/socialworkjobs To apply please complete an application form and send it by email to [email protected] or post it to the Recruitment Team, Slough Borough Council, Arvato public sector services, Phoenix 1, 59-63 Farnham Road, Slough SL1 3TN If you would like to discuss this position on an informal basis please contact Sabira Khan on 01753 875192 or Neil Ashby on 01753 690808 who will arrange for me or a member of staff in the Social Care Teams to discuss this opportunity with you. In the meantime we look forward to receiving an application from you. Yours faithfully, Karl Davis Head of Service, CP/Looked After Children Main Reception: 01753 475111 DX: 42270 Slough (west) Slough Borough Council St Martins Place, 51 Bath Road Slough, Berks SL1 3UF Messages from the top Jane Wood Strategic director of wellbeing and director of children’s services Welcome to Slough and thank you for considering us for your next career move. In Slough we are on a journey of improvement and are looking to recruit people of the highest calibre, with high aspirations for our children and families, who are committed to our focus on achieving good outcomes for our children. Our last Ofsted inspection in November last year was disappointing and judged us inadequate. We knew we were only part way through our journey and new foundations for improvement are being laid every week to underpin the commitment and enthusiasm of our staff. But we are making progress, and determined to continue at a pace to make Slough one of the best places in the country to be a social worker and a place where outcomes for all children are good. Slough is small geographically but a giant multiculturally and economically; the population and challenges of an inner-London borough, surrounded by east Berkshire and south Bucks countryside. Life in Slough can be fun, stimulating, exciting and sometimes frustrating, but it is never dull and if you enjoy complex challenges, thrive in a vibrant team environment and you want to be part of a council determined to achieve good outcomes for local children, Slough is the place to be. We want the very best social workers and in return we promise to make sure you are coming to a place where you can do the best social work. With best wishes Jane www.slough.gov.uk Kitty Ferris Assistant director children, young people and family services Thank you for considering Slough as a place to work. I hope you will choose to make an application for one of our roles. If you want to be part of a service completely focused on getting our practice right so that children thrive and are safe then Slough is the place for you. We know the only way we can get practice right and safeguard children is by listening to children and giving their social workers the tools they need to do their job and do it well. We have an amazingly diverse and vibrant community - reflected in our workforce and political leadership. Working in Slough means working with families from a wide range of ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds, where people get on well, cohesion is strong and difference is celebrated. We know we are on an improvement journey with a way to go, but our commitment and motivation to keep children safe through good social work is absolute. I hope you will want to join us. With best wishes Kitty www.slough.gov.uk Job description Job title: Consultant Practitioner (Children’s Services) Directorate: Wellbeing Responsible to: Practice Manager (Children’s) Responsible for: To provide leadership and professional wisdom to team members and other colleagues to ensure high quality outcomes for children and young people (CYP) through: • Working closely with and support the work of the Practice Manager to achieve team objectives and good outcomes for service users. • Work with cases and in situations of high complexity. • Working directly with a small number of service users. • Providing constructive challenge to team members and others to enhance practice, procedures and policies. • Promoting innovation and new ways of working (from recognised sites of excellence). • Contributing to the development of knowledge and promotion of excellence using evidence - informed practice. • Modelling and facilitating reflective and evidence–informed practice; promoting and modelling the use of critical reasoning. • Making appropriate decisions within remit. • Mentoring of staff and undertaking reflective supervision in respect of specific cases to promote the learning of team members. • Promotion of best practice throughout the team. • Representing the service in the court or other arenas. • Co-working with partners to ensure objectives are secured and improved outcomes can be evidenced. • Contribute towards preparation for inspections. Main accountabilities: 1. Responsible for undertaking social work on allocated cases, producing high quality assessments and outcome based plans, having regard to the needs of, and risks to, children and their families. 2. To ensure on-going work, care plans and care packages are reviewed in accordance with departmental policies, contractual agreements and in liaison with appropriate colleagues, partner agencies and service providers, to provide best value for money. 3. Responsible for improving areas of poor performance and quality across the Team. This will include investigation and analysis of issues and performance action planning and monitoring to ensure corrective action and improvement. 4. To undertake investigations and prepare reports for panels, case conferences and courts as required, ensuring that Safeguarding is paramount in all areas of casework www.slough.gov.uk 5. Responsible for routine auditing activity across the service to secure the highest possible standards of social work practice and record keeping and to act in accordance with requirements of the Quality Assurance Framework. 6. To complete financial assessments and, where appropriate, to determine contributions and levels of need/service to promote child/family well being with the agreement of the Practice Manager (Children’s). 7. To mentor, support and develop staff as delegated by the Practice Manager (Children’s) and to provide reflective supervision to team members on specific cases to promote learning and practice development 13. To develop and maintain effective working relationships at appropriate levels with other relevant partner agencies e.g. voluntary, community, Schools, police, health other statutory agencies/local resource networks and internal partners, to ensure services are provided in accordance with assessed need. 14. To maintain, monitor and review accurate records of all work undertaken ensuring recording information is accurate and up to date, including comprehensive use of the Integrated Children’s System. 15. To work effectively with other teams and services within the council, including maintaining appropriate work flow and case transfers. 8. To contribute to the assessment of workers performance against core competences, using a range of models including sampling case files, personal interviews, tests and other assessment tools. 16. To contribute to the development of services to children and families and to attend, contribute to and lead (when appropriate) team meetings to promote the delivery of integrated and effective services. 9. To develop systems for the dissemination of evidence based practice. 17. To focus on the professional development needs for the team including ensuring an evidence based approach and working with the Practice Manager to assess staff against the professional capabilities framework 10. To be involved in induction of new team members and NQSW, including assessment of competence, identifying mentoring and coaching needs and reviewing progress. 11. To complete FOI and DPA enquiries and deal with complaints processes as and when required. 12. To ensure that the needs of service users/ carers from all communities are addressed, and that close attention is paid to equalities issues in all aspects of work. To ensure access to translation and interpretation services as necessary. 18. To identify own individual learning needs and ensure that practice reflects contemporary thinking. To ensure regular reflection of skills and abilities and use supervision and approval to identify future and plan to meet future needs. Ensure and maintain HCPC registration. 19. To ensure compliance with Health and Safety and welfare requirements. 20. To provide cover for the work of other team members and undertake projects and other additional duties commensurate with the level of the job. (The nature of these will vary according to experience, competencies and the grade of the post). www.slough.gov.uk Person specification Consultant Practitioner (Children’s Services) Competency Experience Knowledge Skills/abilities Attributes - Customer Focus, Development, Relationships, Personal Effectiveness, Expertise, Communication Skills, Health & Safety and Equalities Essential/ Desirable Method: Application (A) Interview (I) Test (T) 1.1 Experience of working with Children and Families. Essential √√ A 1.2 Experience of assessment, commissioning of care, monitoring and review ensuring effective use of resources in the provision of services to meet need. Essential √√ AI 1.3 Working with a range of partners in social care provision. Essential √√ AI 1.4 Experience of undertaking risk assessments and developing risk management plans. Essential √√ AI 1.5 Experience of leading motivating and supporting staff. Essential √√ AI 2.1 Children Acts 1989 and 2004, and all other relevant legislation and national standards and guidance. Essential √√ AI 2.2 Best practice in the delivery of social care services to children and families. Essential √√ AI 2.3 A working understanding of child protection policy, procedures, practice and other statutory processes/procedures including CP/LAC framework . Essential √√ AI 2.4 Equal treatment and anti-discriminative policies and practices working in ethnically and culturally diverse communities. Essential √√ AI 2.5 Local resource networks. Essential √√ AI 3.1 Ability to assess the development needs of staff to ensure that quality standards are met and practice targets and outcomes are met. Essential √√ AI 3.2 Excellent analytical skills, casework assessment, interventions, and skills to develop outcome based plans. Essential √√ AI 3.3 Ability to present ideas and information persuasively, communicate effectively, facilitate group and build rapport with staff that supports practice. Essential √√ AI www.slough.gov.uk Skills/abilities Qualifications 3.4 Excellent verbal, written and IT skills, to produce clear literate and appropriate reports/ correspondence for a wide range of readership, ensuring comprehensive use of ICS for case recording. Essential √√ AI 3.5 Communicating clearly and effectively with vulnerable customers in a non-judgemental, nondiscriminatory way. Essential √√ AI 3.6 Ability to undertake direct work with CYP, parents and carers, managing a caseload of high complexity work. Essential √√ AI 3.7 Maintain clear and effective caseload reporting, complete risk assessments and care plans. Essential √√ AI 3.8 Ability to work on own initiative exercise judgement. Essential √√ AI 3.9 Experience of balancing complex workloads and setting priorities. Essential √√ AI 3.10 Demonstrable ability to work effectively and contribute to the management of the team, supervision of staff and make best use of available skills. Essential √√ AI 4.1 Recognised Social Work qualification. Essential √√ A 4.2 Evidence of continuing professional development. Essential √√ A 4.3 Full driving licence with access to car on daily basis. Essential √√ A 4.4 A relevant qualification/award in promoting the learning and development of staff. Desirable 4.5 The post holder is required to register with the HCPC to comply with National requirements. Essential A √√ A www.slough.gov.uk Benefits of being a Consultant Practitioner at Slough Salary • For posts in CP/CIN/LAC & LDD Teams the salary is: £40,208 - £41,111 per annum fully inclusive (+£4,000 Market Supplement +£1,000 retention payment). After 18 months in post in the in CP, CIN & LDD teams you will receive a £1,000 retention allowance having sustained and satisfactory performance. • For posts in all other Childrens Social Work Teams the salary is: £40,208 - £41,111 per annum fully inclusive (+£2,000 Market Supplement). Salaries are paid on or about the last working day of the month. Annual increments are paid on 1 April each year subject to 6 months service and satisfactory performance. Working hours Hours of work are 37 hours per week at Slough. Slough encourages part time working/job share. The LGPS is a national scheme which is administered by geographical region. Slough is a part of the Berkshire pension fund administered by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead on behalf of all the employers. Unless you wish to opt out, you will become a member of the LGPS on starting a job at Slough Borough Council. More details are available in the Guide to new Employees to the pension fund website: www.rbwm.gov.uk/berks-pension/index.htm Annual leave Our annual leave is generous and the longer you work for us and local government, the more you get. The annual leave year runs from 1 April to 31 March. The yearly entitlement is based on full time staff; for part-time employees the entitlement is pro-rata. You are also entitled to eight public and bank holidays - which is pro-rata for part time staff. Your entitlement Flexible working Service We support a range of flexible working arrangements to promote a work-life balance for our staff. Days in a complete year Up to two years continuous local government service 25 days These are dependant on the operational needs of each service. Between two and five years 29 days continuous local government service Pensions More than five years continuous local government service 32 days As a local government employee you will have access to a high-quality pension scheme known as the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) www.slough.gov.uk Mileage and subscriptions Travelling Mileage Car parking We reimburse all business mileage. Currently we pay 45p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles in a tax year and 25p per mile for each business mile over 10,000 in the tax year. Unlike many places, we have free car parking for staff just across the road from our main site called St Martins Place where 800 of our staff are based. We offer travel warrants to staff that need to travel on business via public transport. Business mileage taken on a motorcycle or bicycle is also reimbursed at 24p per mile for motorcycles and 20p per mile for a bicycle. All mileage claims for cars and motorcycles are only valid when supported by VAT receipts. Once a member of staff has hit 1,000 business miles or more in any one tax year they are paid a lump sum of £1,000. Vehicles used for business need to be suitably insured. Subscriptions As an employee within Children’s Social Care we will pay for your HCPC registration and registration with the College of Social Work. Additionally, we subscribe to the Research In Practise who bring together research and practitioner expertise - building the sector’s capacity for evidence-informed practice. Professionals of all levels benefit from their wide range of high quality, accessible resources and learning opportunities. Bike loans and pool bikes But if you’d rather use two wheels - we offer a bike loan scheme for our staff, free secure bike parking and have shower facilities on site. There are also pool bikes available to get you from a to b in the town during the day. Season ticket loans We offer all our staff an interest-free loan to buy an annual railway, London Underground or bus season ticket to cover travelling from home to work. The scheme is available to all staff on a permanent contract and on those on a fixed term contract where there is at least 12 months left to go. Our location Slough is one of the easiest places to get to in the country. Two motorways, a mainline railway station and bus links across the area and we are also one of the least hilly places, making cycling a breeze. And if you would rather take to the skies - Heathrow is a mere five miles away. Slough is also only nine miles end-to-end and five miles top-to-bottom so many areas are also in easy walking distance. www.slough.gov.uk Nearby Getting physical Thirty minutes to the West End and 10 minutes to Burnham Beeches; Slough and its surrounds have everything you could ever want. In the borough are 254 hectares of parks and open spaces - three of which have green flag status - including 76 playgrounds; with everything from historic Victorian pleasure grounds to football pitches and wildflower meadows. Not bad for one of the most urban areas in the country. There are shops galore in the High Street and retail parks, a cinema and the largest variety of food outlets outside London. With one of the town’s leisure centres just across the road from our main site and 20 percent off membership there is no excuse not to go to the gym or have a swim. Events taking place this year include the bonfire and fireworks spectacular, annual canal festival, the Mela, Night of the Festivals and continental markets in the town centre. And just down the road is the spectacular and historic Windsor Castle, host to many royal activities and the Windsor Great Park where you can truly get lost in the country. And you don’t have to pay a joining fee meaning peak time membership is just £31.20 per month and family membership (two adults and up to three children) is just £61 per month. But if you would rather take to the ice, our Ice arena (also just across the road from our main site) offers £3 off a general skate session during the week. Discounted driving lessons I-drive offer Slough staff discounted driving lessons. Hotels Want to stay in style on your holiday? Hilton hotels offer up to 40 percent off to our employees. Food and drink With London a short train journey away the world of the capital is on our doorstep. Money off deals To help with that work-life balance, several local and national businesses offer great money off deals for our staff. O2 Our corporate network provider, O2 offers staff and their friends and families special discount on pay monthly phone plans, home broadband and other products. Kaarp benefits From days out and holidays to gifts and flowers, Kaarp benefits offers our staff special deals on a whole range of activities. There are restaurants galore in Slough with some offering up to 20 percent off the price of food for our employees. Treat yourself to a pizza at Pizza Express with 20 percent off, a curry at Haveli or the Prince of India with 15 percent off or a range of Asian food at As Asia with 15 percent off. Costco Our employees can take out membership at Costco the wholesale shop that gives access to top quality products and low prices. Individual cost of a membership is just £25 a year, plus VAT, and includes a free spouse card. Theatre tickets If the theatre is your thing, then the West End Theatre Club offers our staff discounted tickets at top West End shows. www.slough.gov.uk Childcare vouchers HSF As any working parent knows, arranging childcare can be a real headache and very expensive, but there are lots of options available to staff. You are eligible to join the HSF which is a health plan that provides staff with a highly valuable benefit. The HSF health plan can cover both you and your family for over 30 benefits with contributions starting at just £1 a week (made by Payroll deduction). It is like an added peace of mind for you and your family’s health in these ever changing times. One option is the childcare voucher scheme. Many people have asked whether they can still apply for childcare vouchers if they get child tax credit and working tax credit. The only people that aren’t eligible for the childcare voucher scheme are those that receive the childcare element of the working tax credit. Further information about childcare vouchers is available through an organisation called Computershare. You have to register with them online. To find out more, visit the ComputerShare website. http://www.computersharevoucherservices.com/ Pages/default.aspx If you are looking for childcare, Slough’s children’s centres provide a range of childcare services and staff may use the childcare vouchers at the centres. There are 10 children’s centres, each offering various options for childcare for children aged 6 months to 8 years, including full day care, crèches, before and after school clubs and holiday care. The children’s centres also offer a wide range of other services for families with young children, including health visitor drop-ins, speech and language drop-ins, family and adult learning programmes, access to the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, and much more. If you want to find out what’s on at your local children’s centre, you should ring 01753 476566 or email [email protected]. For more information about other childcare providers and services in Slough, you can call the Family Information Service on 01753 476589 or visit the Slough Services Guide website. Dental check-ups and treatment, sight tests, glasses, contact lenses, the cost of your family’s day to day health care can add up to a large annual bill. Getting Cash Back with HSF health plan will be a great benefit to your household budget as well as your family’s health. Relocation allowance Newly appointed staff to Social Worker posts within the Children In Needs teams, Child Protection teams and Learning Difficulties and Disabilities teams will be able to access the councils’ relocation scheme. Children’s Services Retention Payment Scheme Newly appointed staff to Social Work posts within Children in Needs teams, Child Protection teams and Learning Difficulties and Disabilities teams will be eligible for a retention allowance, after 18 months in post, in accordance with the Children’s Services Retention Payment Scheme. Smoking Policy The Council has a No Smoking Policy. Smoking is not permitted within the core hours of 10:00-12:00 & 14:00-16:00. www.slough.gov.uk How to apply Key dates Recruitment monitoring form Closing date: 5pm Thursday 20 November 2014 Interviews: week commencing 8 December 2014 Please complete our Recruitment Monitoring Form as this provides us with important information to monitor the process of the appointment of individuals under current legislation and our equal opportunities policy. This form will be separated from your application form and will not be used for shortlisting or selection purposes. To apply for this post you must complete a Slough Borough Council application form. You may submit a CV in addition to your application form. Please note that a CV alone will not be accepted as they do not meet our assessment criteria and commitment to equal opportunities. Completing application forms Particular attention should be given to the Supporting Information section within the application form. Shortlisting is based on the candidate’s ability to meet the selection criteria within the person specification. Therefore, it is essential that you outline clear examples and evidence of how you meet the requirements of the person specification. Examples and evidence should also relate back to the duties/accountabilities contained in the job description. It is important that you complete ALL sections of the application form; you can attach additional information if you wish. Reply details Your application form must reach us by closing date. Applications received after this date will not be considered. Application forms should be returned by: a) E-mail: [email protected] b) Post: Recruitment Team, Human Resources, Slough Borough Council, Arvato public sector services, Phoenix 1, 59-63 Farnham Road, Slough SL1 3TN. Next steps If you are selected for interview we will contact you by telephone and confirm the details in writing. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that, on this occasion, your application has been unsuccessful. www.slough.gov.uk Consultant Practitioner job pack Designed and printed by Slough Borough Council | www.slough.gov.uk