Social Worker (Children's Services) - 3 Positions

Vacancy Information

The salary advertised is full time (35 hours per week).  Part-time hours will be pro-rated accordingly.

East Lothian Council will place newly appointed Children’s Services social workers at point 3 of the Grade 9 salary scale (£36,972) and are happy to discuss a higher placement depending on experience.

Days and hours of work:
Post 1 & 2: 35 Hours, Monday - Friday
Post 3: 21 Hours (3 days) over Monday - Friday to be agreed
To start asap

Please specify which role you would like to be considered for when you complete the application form.

Following a service redesign to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families, East Lothian Children’s Services have opportunities for social workers to join our support and intervention teams.

This is an exciting opportunity for qualified social workers to develop their experience and use their skills to reach the best permanent outcomes for children within their families or the best possible alternative.  Working alongside the Team Leader and Senior Practitioners you will be well supported to practice using Signs of Safety and to meet the principles of The Promise

East Lothian Council’s Children’s Services recognises the importance of relationship based practice and use Signs of Safety as our practice framework in all areas of the social work. We know this requires workers to have sufficient time and energy and we carefully match workers with families in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. Most support and intervention workers will have a case load of around 17 children which we will continue to review in line with the Setting the Bar report from Social Work Scotland.

East Lothian Children’s Services are absolutely committed to keeping The Promise and keeping children, young people and their families’ voices at the heart of everything we do. We are keen to recruit workers who are passionate about working with families and who want to help them to utilise their strengths and networks before we impose our own solutions.

Our staff are our greatest asset and we want to support people to have a healthy work life balance. For this to be possible, we recognise that social workers need protected caseloads, effective supervision and support.  We recognise the emotional impact of the role and benefit from access to a clinical psychologist who supports our staff with complex work and promotes staff resilience.

We are committed to promoting an open and trusting culture at all levels of the organisation and prioritise continuous professional development and learning. We are proud of our approach to learning and development and there are a number of formal and informal opportunities to develop your practice and support your career pathway within East Lothian.

We have an accessible senior management team who are committed to recruiting the best people to compliment the wide range of knowledge and experience that exists throughout the service. 

Applicants should have a sound value base, excellent communication and report writing skills and a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of children and families social work role and responsibilities.

If you wish to discuss these vacancies or working for Children’s Services in East Lothian Council, please feel free to contact Nicola Clark, Service Manager on nclark1@eastlothian.gov.uk  

Job Details

To provide an effective service to service users and their families/carers, promoting a high standard of practice, in accordance with statutory obligations, policies and procedures.

Please download the Job Outline/Person Specification (available under 'Job Attachments') for the full range of tasks and duties associated with this job.  You will need to refer to these in order to complete the application form.  You must ensure you meet every 'essential' criteria stated on the Person Specification to be considered for interview.

The ‘East Lothian Way’– values and behaviours we expect our employees to demonstrate in their everyday work.  Should you be invited to interview, you may be asked questions based on these behaviours.  Please refer to the document via the link to familiarise yourself with them.

Job Requirements

Education/Qualifications
Essential: Approved qualification in Social Work, and SSSC registration

Driving Licence
Full current driving licence and access to a vehicle*
(*Where a disability precludes you from obtaining a driving licence, ELC will take into account its responsibility to make reasonable adjustments to allow for your disability).

PVG/Disclosure Requirements
This post is considered as Regulated Work with vulnerable children and/or protected adults, as specified in the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.

All preferred candidates for posts carrying out regulated work with these groups will be required to become a PVG Scheme member, or undergo a PVG Scheme update if they are already a member, prior to any formal offer of employment being made by East Lothian Council.

Please note: PVG member’s records are constantly updated with any new vetting information that arises. Any information that is disclosed on a PVG membership or update check, if relevant to the post being applied for, will be discussed with the applicant and investigated prior to any formal offer being made.

Please Note:
In line with current guidance, any PVG costs associated with this role will be paid for by the Scottish Government.  There will be no charge to the applicant.

Please note:
If you have spent more than 3 months working or living outwith the UK in the last 5 years then you will be required to present a copy of an overseas criminal record check. Details of how to apply and contact details can be found on the GOV.UKwebsite.

Additional Information

For additional East Lothian Council employment information please click on the following link:  www.eastlothian.gov.uk/nonteachinginfo

If you have any difficulties creating an account on MyJobScotland or applying for this post please contact the MyJobScotland support team via this link https://www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/contact-us.

If you require further information about this vacancy, please call 01620 827868, or email us on recruitment@eastlothian.gov.uk

Please note: We do not accept CV's (either electronically or by mail).  All our vacancies must be applied for by fully completing the on-line application form.  Although there is an ‘import data from my CV’ function on MyJobScotland, this only imports very limited data and should not be relied upon to complete the application form.