Children's Social Worker - Advice and Guidance (MASH)

About The Role

Working Hours: 35 hours per week

Contract type: Permanent

Additional Payments: Essential Car Allowance; Retention Payment (see further information below)

This role is subject to -

• A minimum of two years' experience as a registered Social Worker
• Social Work Qualification and registration with Social Work England
• This post is a designated Essential Car User. Therefore you must hold a full valid driving licence at all times and provide your own car for use at work. You will receive the Essential Car User Allowance.
• The post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (amended in 2013). Appointable candidates will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Information provided by you or the DBS will be dealt with in a confidential manner and in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice which can be viewed here. We have a policy on the Employment of Ex-Offenders and it is available upon request.
• The Children's Social Work Services are not currently considering applications from overseas. You must be living in the UK to be considered for the role at this time.
• Medical Clearance - Pre-placement health assessment (PPHA)  

In Manchester, we are proud and passionate about the work we do. Our vision is to create a city that is thriving, full of talent, fair, a great place to live and connected. Manchester – a place to live, work and play Health & Wellbeing at Manchester City Council

“Social workers like working in Manchester; they report accessible and good management support and access to appropriate learning and development. The morale of the staff seen during this visit is good.” Ofsted Focused Visit, December 2019

Joining Our Advice and Guidance Service (AGS) often known as the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).

We are looking for social workers across the city to work in our AGS Service.

The AGS service is delivered in the three locality Hubs (North, Central and South). The role involves screening referrals from partners to make decisions around risk. The Hubs are vibrant and comprise of multi-agency staff including Duty and Assessment Social Workers, Early Help and Police, based at the following offices:

North- Abraham Moss- 140 Crescent Road, Manchester, M8 5UF

Central- Hulme District Office- 323 Stretford Road, Manchester, M15 4UW

South- Wythenshawe District Office, Etrop Court, Rowlandsway, Manchester, M22 5RG 

Our promise to you

• A manageable and diverse caseload aligned with your experience and skills opportunities to develop your skills in social work and consider areas of interest
• A commitment to your CPD through a bespoke learning and development programme
• Clear career pathways, to help you take the next step opportunities to move into specialist services such as our migrant children, complex safeguarding or disability teams.
• Career opportunities to progress and develop in Social Work
• Regular, quality, reflective supervision and learning from practice audits weekly training days in each of our localities.
• Monthly Group Supervision with your team
• Weekly Learning Spaces where you have protected time for up to an hour a week as a group to focus on a specific area of learning our Teaching Tuesdays or Wise Wednesdays.
• A supportive management and leadership team
• Full Corporate and Directorate induction
• Direct link to a Team Manager, Two Advanced Practitioners on each team and Social Work Consultants
• Opportunities to be NAAS Accredited
• You will be given the opportunity to become a Practice Educator and to develop students within the organisation
• There is a programme of training and group supervision tailored especially for Advanced Practitioners
• You will be supported to develop in your role and look at other opportunities we are focused on your career and aspirations.
• Child and family centred outcomes across all sectors by looking at how we Identified the right intervention at the right time ‘building a safe, happy, healthy and successful future for children and young people;

Staff benefits

• Flexible working arrangements, including remote working and mobile technology
• Opportunities to be in the office and meeting with your teams balanced with working from home opportunities
• Accessible free parking close to our locality offices
• 35 hour working week
• Annual leave purchasing scheme (up to 10 days)
• 26 days annual leave, increasing to 31 after 5 years Local Government Service
• Development Plans to look at promotion too Advanced Practitioners after two years with commitments to supporting you becoming Practice Educators and completing training and development
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Discounted gym membership
• MCR+ High street discounts
• Access to an employee assistance programme
• Annual Staff Awards for Excellence
• Essential Car User Allowance over £1000 per annum + up to 52p per mile
• After 1 years’ service, you will receive a £1000 retention payment and after your second years’ service you will receive a further £1000 (terms and conditions apply). 

About the Candidate

We are looking for Social Workers across the city to work in our AGS Service. You must have a minimum of two years' experience as a registered Social Worker to apply. 

Jessica who works in AGS said “Having been in a duty and assessment team for 2 years I welcomed the opportunity to use my experience to make sure the right decisions were made for families from the start. I enjoy working with partners when they call, the job is not just about sending referrals to the duty teams but often its supporting partners, offering reassurance and being part of a team that makes real changes to families. I love working in a multi-agency hub, it's never a quiet day and you get to have so many conversations. I have developed so much more since taking the role. We are a close team and I feel we are making a real difference”.

About Us

We’re the local government authority for Manchester, and have teams across the city helping to make this a great place to live for everyone. We’re proud to do local government differently, in a city with an international reputation for diversity, creativity, culture and passion. 

When you join us, you’re joining a team of over 7,000 council staff helping to make our ambition for Manchester a reality. Whatever your role, you’ll be supporting our residents and communities to be the best they can be, and helping to build a Manchester that's fairer for everyone who lives, works, volunteers, studies or plays here. 

To make our ambition a reality, every person we recruit needs to play their its part. It takes a certain type of behaviour, attitude and way of working to get Manchester where it wants to be. Our people and partners have agreed five ‘behaviours’ – the grounding for how we must work together and treat one another:

• We take time to listen and understand
• We work together and trust each other
• We show that we value our differences and treat each other fairly
• We ‘own it’ and we’re not afraid to try new things
• We’re proud and passionate about Manchester

A career with us means you can be yourself, thrive, and build the career your talent and ambition deserve.

Creating an inclusive team at Manchester City Council 

At Manchester City Council, we strive to create a fair and inclusive workplace that is as diverse as the communities we serve. If you want to find out more about the role, our culture, flexible arrangements or any adjustments, please let us know by emailing [email protected]. If you are invited to interview we will ask you if you require any adjustments in order for you to best demonstrate your suitability for the role in the interview process. 

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

Accessibility 

As a Disability Confident Employer, we provide support for employees with physical or mental-health conditions, a disability or neurodiversity. Our workplaces are accessible by design, and we make workplace adjustments including providing aids, adaptations and equipment. These, combined with our flexible working policies such as disability-related leave, enable our employees to perform their role, thrive and be their authentic selves in work.