Full Time / 37 Hours Per Week / Permanent
Shape the first decision that could change a child's life.
We're looking for a passionate and experienced Level 3 Social Worker to join our welcoming and supportive Duty and Advice Service.
Join Leicester City Council's Duty and Advice Service – a 24-hour front-door service for Children's Social Care. This is a unique opportunity for experienced social workers looking for a fast-paced, non-case holding role where you'll make critical decisions, assess safeguarding concerns and ensure children and families receive the right support at the right time.
With flexible hybrid working, regular 1:1 supervision, excellent professional development and the opportunity to work from home for two weeks out of three, this role offers the perfect balance of challenge, support and flexibility.
As part of our continued service development, we're looking for social workers who thrive in a busy environment, enjoy making informed decisions, and are passionate about achieving positive outcomes for children and families.
At Leicester, you'll be joining a team that values collaboration, reflection and professional development. We use the Signs of Safety practice model and provide regular supervision, peer support and learning opportunities to help you develop and thrive in your role. One of the benefits of joining our Duty and Advice Service is that this is a non-case holding role. You'll focus on assessing referrals, analysing risk and making decisions, without the responsibility of carrying a long-term caseload.
If you're ambitious for children, enjoy working at pace and want to be part of an innovative service that makes a real difference, we'd love to hear from you.
As a Level 3 Social Worker within the Duty and Advice Service, you will be responsible for assessing referrals received into Children's Services and making informed decisions regarding next steps.
No two days are the same, below are some examples of what you can expect in our team
Undertake complex screening and assessments of referrals.
Analyse safeguarding risks and make timely threshold decisions.
Determine whether referrals can be safely closed at the front door, require Early Help intervention, or need to progress to statutory social work teams.
Liaise with partner agencies and contribute to multi-agency decision-making.
Provide professional advice and guidance relating to children's safeguarding concerns.
Lead on complex decision-making and support less experienced practitioners through mentoring and professional leadership.
Participate in a 24-hour rota service, including shift work, out-of-hours decision-making and occasional visits when responding to urgent safeguarding matters.
This is a rewarding and fast-paced role where no two days are the same, offering excellent opportunities to develop your assessment, analysis and decision-making skills.
You'll have post-qualifying experience as a Social Worker and a strong understanding of safeguarding, assessment and threshold decision-making within Children's Services.
You'll have knowledge of relevant children's legislation, guidance, standards and regulations and be confident in balancing risk, analysing information and making appropriate decisions.
You must hold a recognised Social Work qualification (CQSW, DipSW, CSS or equivalent) and be registered with Social Work England.
You will also need to hold a full driving licence and be willing to undertake occasional out-of-hours visits as part of the service rota. A DBS check will be completed as part of the appointment process.
As well as the satisfaction of helping to improve the lives of children and families across Leicester, you'll benefit from:
A unique opportunity to work within the UK's only designated 24-hour Duty and Advice Service.
A non-case holding role focused on assessment and decision-making.
Flexible and hybrid working arrangements, including home working opportunities.
Regular one-to-one supervision and a supportive management team.
Excellent training, development and career progression opportunities.
Generous annual leave entitlement.
Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme.
A range of employee benefits, including discounts on city buses and trains.
Relocation support where appropriate.
We're committed to recruiting a diverse and highly talented workforce as we continue to build a council that reflects and represents our great city. We've designed our recruitment process to help you feel welcomed, supported and able to show your best throughout the selection process.
For an informal discussion about this post, please contact [email protected]
