Family Social Worker

Job Purpose

• To provide a comprehensive social work service in a variety of settings within a framework of relevant legislation and procedures, supporting children, young people, families and groups within the community. 
• Social Workers will take responsibility for a caseload according to qualifications and experience. 
• To form, develop and maintain professional relationships with children and young people and their families through direct casework, supervision, shared activity and counselling, in such a way that the child/young persons familys needs are met. 
• To provide a service, which meets primary needs, promotes development, and assists behavioural difficulties and vulnerabilities
• To identify and assess risk of abuse, failure to protect, or harm to children. 
• To advise senior managers as to any concerns in respect of children/young people with particular reference to there being at risk of abuse or harm. 
• To identify, contribute to and suggest ideas for good practice and its development, and to take a lead in a special area of responsibility. 
• To value, recognise and respect the diversity, expertise and experience of individuals, families and carers and enable them to make informed decisions and express their needs. 
• To challenge discrimination, disadvantage and other forms of inequality, injustice and oppressive practice. 
• To maximise the financial and material resources available to service users and carer(s) from all possible sources and ensure value for money care packages. 
• Ensure that service users and carers are aware of the Departments Complaints procedures. 
• To case manage child protection work. 
• To understand the changing culture, health and social needs of the locality to inform current and future practice and service provision. 
• To establish good practice by example 
• To provide verbal and written information to aid care planning activities and to provide evidence for assessment of need and care plan approaches. 
• To implement designated actions from care plans. 
• To gather and interpret information on agreed criteria related to the care of a client or implementation of procedures. 
• To lead meetings to define care planning activities and to evaluate evidence for assessment of need and care plan approaches. 
• To set up mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating delegated actions from care plans. 
• To derive and interpret information related to the care of a service user or implementation of procedures 
• To communicate effectively and in the best interests of the client in case conferences, planning meetings, discussions with clients/families, inter-agency personnel, team members and in staff supervision. 
• If required, to give evidence in court in relation to care. 
• To work within established protocols, negotiate expectations/roles in liaison with others, e.g. in the key worker role / in multi agency working. 
• To represent the Team as required on behalf of a service user - this includes representing individuals and the dept/team in meetings/conference. 
• To attend child protection meetings. 
• To appropriately challenge the judgements and decisions of others where there is evidence that the needs of those you are working with are not being met.