Senior Practitioner Social Worker (Children's Services) - EAL11198

Job Description

Hourly rate of pay: £24.24 - £27.07

Candidates will be assessed on the basis of appropriate relevant experience and qualifications and salary placed within the advertised scale.

Days and Hours of Work:
Monday - Friday, 09:00-17:00
Flexi time is applicable, and starting and finishing times are flexible.
To start 1st June 2025

Applications will be accepted from those wishing to be considered for this role on a part-time basis. If you are applying for this role on a part time basis, please tell us in the Additional Information section of the application form.

East Lothian Children’s Services have an exciting opportunity for a full time Senior Practitioner to join the dynamic Child Protection Team. The team consists of a team leader, three senior practitioners, one social worker/SCIM interviewer and a full time SCIM interviewer.

All of Children’s Services is located in an open plan office with onsite parking and we promote an open, trusting and communicative culture at all levels of the organisation.

Applicants should have a sound value base, excellent communication and report writing skills and a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Child Protection processes, as well as, a knowledge about Children and Families social work legislation, role and responsibilities.

Candidates should work well under pressure and be able to manage competing demands of a Child Protection case load. We are particularly keen to receive applicants from Social Workers with knowledge or experience in Signs of Safety and Safe and Together.

East Lothian Children’s Services are keen to recruit workers who are passionate about achieving the best possible outcomes for children, young people and their families. We are committed to promoting a learning culture at all levels of the organisation.

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 committed to promoting an open and trusting culture at all levels of the organisation and prioritise continuous professional development and learning. Our staff are our greatest asset and we strive to be supportive, inclusive and child centred by prioritising effective supervision, manageable caseloads and a healthy work life balance. Our vision is to support children and young people to live with their families when it is safe to do so. We have redesigned our services to ensure that the right support is offered at the right time and our staff are involved in developing services and implementing improvement activity around this goal.

We benefit from access to a clinical psychologist who supports our staff with complex work. We recognise the emotional impact of the role and strive to promote staff resilience. 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.

The successful candidate must have experience in Child Protection work and carrying out risk assessments.

If you wish to discuss this job vacancy or working for East Lothian Council, please feel free to contact the recruitment manager Denise Malone - 07929 836 276.

Home / Hybrid Working Consideration
Applications for homeworking or hybrid working will be considered for this post, subject to a trial period and in accordance with East Lothian Council’s Home Working and Worksmart Policies which can be found here. Home or Hybrid working options can be discussed with candidates invited for interview. All applicants must live in the UK and will be expected to attend Council offices from time to time as required.

To provide an advanced level of practice that ensures appropriate services are provided to meet client needs within the department’s statutory obligations and departmental 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.

Education/Qualifications
Essential: Approved qualification in Social Work, and SSSC registration.
Those with international Social Work qualifications should not apply unless they are fully registered with the SSSC.
Desirable: Post qualifying award

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 Membership
This post is considered as a Regulated Role with vulnerable children and/or protected adults, as specified in the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020.

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:
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.UK website.

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. If, for example, due to a disability, you are unable to complete the on-line application form you can contact us for a paper application via the telephone number or email address above.