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Children's Social Work Offer

Why Cheshire West and Chester?

At Cheshire West and Chester, Children's Social Care we want to invest in you, support and develop you in a successful career in social work. We want you to be part of a workforce that is committed and motivated to making a difference, safeguarding and improving the outcomes for our most vulnerable children and young people.

Cheshire West and Chester Council is an award winning authority and is the winner of the Management Journal best achieving Council award. In December 2015, Ofsted judged that we were 'Good' with outstanding in Leadership and Management and Adoption.  Our Winsford and Northwich Children in Need Team won Team of the Year at the Annual National Social Worker of the Year Awards in 2016. Our recent Joint Targeted Area Inspection also highlights our "stable and skilled workforce" with recognised "clear planning for career progression and a wider range of development opportunities." In 2018 we were approved as a Partner in Practice with the Department of Education and have won "Overall council of the Year" and "Best Innovation" awards in 2018. In 2022 the focussed visit from Ofsted recognised we had continued to strengthen quality of practice. Social workers say they feel safe and enjoy working with us.

Who are we?

Children’s Social Care Children’s Social Care is segmented across three different districts; Ellesmere Port, Northwich and Winsford, and Chester.  There are Children in Need and Children in Care Teams in each of these districts and further teams detailed below which cover all three districts. All teams are supported by effective and innovative Business Support.

Provider Services

A range of teams and service areas are situated within Provider Services:

  • Access to Resources Team (ART): coordinate and process placement requests.
  • Mainstream Fostering Team: responsible for recruiting, assessing, supporting and supervising foster carers.
  • Connected People’s Team: responsible for assessments and supervision of family and friend carers.
  • Together for Adoption: regional adoption service plays a key role in enabling permanence through adoption.
  • Intervention Hub: The Intervention Hub provides a range of support and intervention services to children in need, at risk of harm or where there is the potential for family or placement breakdown.
    The Intervention Hub consists of a number of services, they are, Child in Need Intervention, Targeted Family Support, Edge of Care, Court and Child Protection, Placement Stability, Family Group Conference and the Contact Service.
  • Residential care provision: We have a number of different provisions to provide short term, long term and respite placements for children and young people. The Local Authority has an extensive and ambitious plan to expand and provide high quality accommodation for our young people within borough.

Your rewards and benefits

Your support and development

Supervision

In addition to monthly supervision with your Team Manager, every social worker engages with monthly reflective practice group sessions which take place across the teams and districts, led by Senior Practice Leads.

Your career

We have a Career Progression structure denoting three levels of progression programmes to support your professional development.

  • ASYE - Newly Qualified Social Workers are supported and developed through their first year of practice on the Assessed and Support Year in Employment Programme. You will have additional support through reflective Practice, Peer Group Sessions, Protected study time (up to six days), protected case load, tailored learning and development programme for ASYE, shadowing and co- working.  An additional increment within the Grade 8 pay structure will be awarded on successful completion of the ASYE programme.
  • Grade 8-9 Programme - This is a 12 month programme supporting you through your second year of practice in order to develop your practice as a Grade 9 Social Worker.
  • Grade 9-10 Programme – This 12 month programme is research-based.  On completion you will be graded as an Experienced Social Worker.

Carer Progression Framework

A career progression framework is in place which also includes:

  • Practice Educator Programme
  • Aspiring Senior Practice Lead and Aspiring Team Manager programmes
  • We are an active member of the teaching parent-ship continuing professional development programme, accessing a wide range of opportunities and specialisms. Including the Child Sexual Abuse Programme.
  • We are ambitious in our learning and development programme and take part in numerous initiatives, Safer Together training being one example of this.