We are looking for social workers with experience working with children with complex needs and disabilities to build extra capacity. It is an exciting time to join Trafford Complex Needs Service with a new, dedicated Head of Service leading a review and potential re-design of the service involving key partners and stakeholders. There is a supportive culture, a case load expectation of 15 children and flexible working arrangements on offer. There is a high level of management support within the service with two Practice Managers and the dedicated Head of Service. We will consider experienced social work practitioners with an interest in this client group who can demonstrate an understanding of additional needs and disabilities.
Here in Trafford Children’s Services our vision is that our teams are offering the right help at the right time, and that at all levels our interventions make life better for children and families. We are ambitious for our children and for our practitioners - and our core value is ‘would this be good enough for my child’?
We want to have practitioners and managers who are confident and brave in their practice and are supported by strong leaders at all levels. As a relatively small local authority, we pride ourselves on our friendly teams, manageable caseloads, creative approach and colleagues who support each other. We were pleased to see this recognised in the Ofsted report that followed our ILACS inspection in late 2022, which highlighted that “social workers in Trafford are overwhelmingly positive about both the local authority and the support they receive.”
In Trafford our approach is strengths-based, using relational and restorative practice. Our recent Ofsted report referred to our "relational model of social work practice, which is well regarded by the wider workforce, has been successfully implemented.”
We believe that a culture and environment in which our managers and social workers can thrive is an essential element of improving outcomes for children and families. To support this, we have invested in a 3-year programme with relational specialists Strengthening Practice to provide ongoing training and enhance our social workers’ personal development. Our 2023 Ofsted report recognised this, noting a “cultural shift (that) has been underpinned by a strong training offer to support social workers to develop the skills they need to provide a better service to children”.
5 years reference, gaps in employment history checked, any relevant quals as per JDPS