Recruitment policy - Experienced Social Worker

Level 3 - Grade 11

Professionalism 

• you maintain your professional registration by complying with the requirements of HCPC
• you have a strong understanding of the professional code of conduct and can competently demonstrate how this is embedded in your practice
• you demonstrate a strong commitment to values such as honesty, respect and integrity in your practice and in your communication with children and families, communities, colleagues and other stakeholders
• you consistently provide a high quality service and take responsibility to influence others to provide this service too
• you consistently model behaviour that positively promotes yours and others practice and demonstrate ability to professionally challenge others
• you present information competently in formal and informal meetings including giving evidence in court
• you always positively represent the council in all your work and influence to do this
• you demonstrate the importance of personal resilience and adaptability in social work and assist less experienced staff
• you continually demonstrate your understanding of psychological, social, cultural, spiritual and physical influences on people; human development throughout the life span and the legal framework for practice. You apply this knowledge to your work with individuals, families and communities. You know and use theories and methods of social work practice and assist less experienced staff
• you work as a member of a team and an organisation and influence and support others in doing this
• you demonstrate how your own learning, behaviour and ideas can influence and benefit others and you recognise the impact your own values and attitudes can have on relationships with others and promote this with others
• you demonstrate and share knowledge of the importance of seeking the perspectives and views of service users and carers
• you demonstrate that you will need to deal with conflict and use the authority invested in their role and mentor others to obtain this balance in their practice
• you demonstrate knowledge of difference and diversity within society and the implications of this for social work practice and help others to understand the implication for social work practice
• you help others to and demonstrate the contribution of social work to promoting social justice, inclusion and equality

Child centred and outcome focussed approach

• you have a child centred approach and demonstrate an in-depth understanding of this and the application within practice. You take responsibility for supporting others to develop their practice in this area
• you have a detailed knowledge and understanding of outcome focussed approaches to your intervention. You apply these consistently in your practice. You demonstrate the ability to use SMART outcomes in your planned intervention

Knowledge, critical, reflection, assessment and analysis

• you demonstrate detailed knowledge and practice skills in a strengths based approach to assessment and planning across a range of complex and challenging situations
• you are strongly committed and actively promote (within yourself and others) the need to provide early action, and can demonstrate how this early action improves outcomes for children
• you actively recognise and support others to recognise the behaviours which may indicate disguised compliance, resistance to change, ambivalent or selective cooperation with services
• you will have the knowledge and applied use of research, to share with others the ability to carry out in-depth on going family assessment of social need and risk to children with particular emphasis on parental capacity and capability to change; effectively carrying out high level of analysis using child observation skills, genograms, ecomaps, chronologies and evidence based tools; whilst ensuring active child and family participation
• you have an active role in promoting the learning from serious case reviews
• you will monitor and help others evidence that you learn from your own experience (educational, personal, formal and informal)
• you demonstrate your evidence of how the family justice system works in England and the role of the child and family social worker within that and help others to develop their knowledge and skills in this area

Workload management 

• you carry a caseload of primarily complex and challenging cases
• you have developed excellent workload management skills and can readily adapt to the changing demands of the service and accommodate the fluctuations of day to day practice ensuring that deadlines are met
• you take responsibility for appropriate delegation of tasks
• you take responsibility for assisting less experienced staff in meeting deadlines, in developing these skills and managing these pressures

Policy and procedure

• you have a detailed knowledge of the policy and procedures that govern practice within your service area by using and promoting the council practice standards, Tri.X policies, interagency DSCB policies and procedures
• you demonstrate compliance with these guidelines and clearly demonstrate your practical application of these; and:
• you take responsibility for assisting less experienced staff in developing practice in these areas

Decision making

• you have a detailed understanding about your role and responsibilities
• you demonstrate collaborative and integrated working as well as offering appropriate professional challenge and support to others in meeting outcomes for children effectively
• you understand your level of delegated authority and that of others in your decision-making
• you use professional judgement confidently in situations that require your action based on risk and jeopardy to customers, and impacts on their wellbeing
• you demonstrate in practice your ability to be autonomous in decision-making within your delegated responsibility and clearly and concisely articulate to others
• you provide guidance to less qualified staff in developing practice and understanding in this area
• you take responsibility for taking decisions, based on your knowledge, skills and practice experience

Supervision

• you consistently demonstrate your commitment to the Directorate supervision policy, your responsibilities within it, and its role in helping develop your knowledge and skills and that of others
• you use formal and informal methods of receiving supervision
• you are able to provide advice and guidance to other staff
• you gain in depth knowledge in identified specialist areas to help others
• you are an ASYE mentor and will be working towards holding the Practice Educators Professional Standard Accreditation (PEPs) in order to practice as a Dorset Council Practice Educator

Record keeping

• you are fully competent in and understand the role of recording (e.g. evidence of involvement and decision-making, case audits, legal proceedings and use in complaints) and your professional responsibilities to keep up-to-date records of your work towards children understanding of their own history and help to promote this understanding with other less experienced staff
• you have a detailed knowledge of the law that relates to data protection and confidentiality and adhere to this within practice
• your recording is in line with Directorate policy and will impact on children and young people’s understanding of their own family history, will you help others to achieve this

Performance management 

• you have a detailed knowledge and practice awareness of the performance measures applicable to your service area
• you fully understand your role and responsibility in meeting targets and expectations that are set for you, and can clearly articulate these if asked
• you are open to receiving feedback on performance and positively inform and reflect on your future behaviour. You take responsibility for your own performance in your practice as well as developing this responsibility with less experienced colleagues
• you are aware of where practice needs to improve and lead on finding creative solutions
• you fully understand your responsibility for ensuring that managers are aware of any areas that you become aware of in your practice or of others that could potentially impact on the service of children and families

Risk management 

• you have a comprehensive understanding of your role in the assessment and management of risk to children within practice and assist others in this area
• you have strong knowledge and skills relating to. the abuse and neglect of children and be able to competent in recognising and supporting others in: the risk indicators of different forms of harm to children including sexual, physical and emotional abuse and neglect; the impact of cumulative harm
• you have detailed knowledge of harmful practices in specific communities such as female genital mutilation and enforced marriage; and the full range of adult behaviours which pose a risk to children, also recognising the potential for children to be perpetrators of abuse, and help others in this field
• you are competent to support others to critically evaluate theory and research findings and demonstrate informed use in practice of: typical age related physical, cognitive, social, emotional and behavioural development, and the influence of cultural and social factors on child development; the impact of different parenting styles on development; and the impact of loss, change and uncertainty in the development of normative resilience
• you are competent in and be able to explain to others the impact that: mental ill-health, substance misuse, domestic violence, physical ill-health and disability can have on family functioning and social circumstances
• you demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of policy and procedures in risk management and give confident advice regarding means of interventions in managing risk to children and work on developing these skills within others. Through informal and formal supervision you share issues of risk and jeopardy appropriately with your line manager and seek support and guidance in managing this

Interventions and models of care

• you have a comprehensive knowledge of the models of intervention appropriate to your work role and responsibility, and demonstrate these skills within practice
• you have excellent skills in building purposeful, effective relationships with children and families, demonstrate a high level of skill in evidence based, effective social work approaches
• your interventions are child-centred and outcome focussed
• you are able to demonstrate that you are competent in communicating clearly, sensitively and effectively using best evidence methods with children of all ages and abilities, their families and other professionals in ways which are engaging, motivating and respectfully challenging. You have the skills to manage people even when they are perceived to be angry, distressed, hostile or resistant to change