Social Worker - Child Protection and Cared for Children TeamsCouncil

Your ASYE is complete. Your career is just getting started.

At Knowsley Children's Services we are investing in the next generation of social workers. If you've completed your ASYE and are looking for the right environment to develop your skills, build confidence and progress your career we'd love to hear from you.

You’ve completed your ASYE and are building confidence as a social worker. You're developing your practice, taking on more complex work and thinking about where you can truly grow your career.

Here at Knowsley, we're looking for passionate Social Workers in the first stages of their post-ASYE journey to join our Child Protection and Cared for Children teams.

These opportunities are ideal for practitioners with around 12-24 months of post-qualification experience who are ready to consolidate their learning, develop specialist skills and take the next step towards becoming an experienced practitioner.

If you're looking for a Local Authority that will invest in your development, provide support and give you the opportunity to make a meaningful difference to children and young people, we'd love to hear from you.

Why Knowsley?

We have made significant investment in our Children's Services. Our focus is simple: creating the conditions where Social Workers can do their best work with children and families.

Here in Knowsley, we are committed to:

Building strong relationships with children, families and partner agencies

Providing a visible and approachable leadership team who know their workforce Manageable caseloads supported through regular oversight

A culture of learning, reflection and continuous development

Opportunities to progress and build a long-term career

Hybrid and flexible working arrangements

We're proud of the supportive culture we've created and the investment we've made in developing our workforce through our growing Social Work Academy and clearly defined career progression pathways.

The Roles

Help and Protect Teams

As a Social Worker in our Help and Protect (Child Protection) Service, you will work directly with children and families where there are concerns about safety, wellbeing and welfare.

You'll undertake assessments, develop plans, build strong relationships with children and families, and work alongside partners to ensure children receive the right support at the right time.

This is an excellent opportunity to continue building confidence in statutory practice while working within a supportive team environment.

Cared for Children Teams

Our Cared for Children teams support children and young people who are in the care of the Local Authority.

You'll develop meaningful relationships with children and young people, support permanence planning, work closely with carers and partner agencies, and help ensure that children in care achieve the best possible outcomes in all areas of their lives.

This role offers the opportunity to develop expertise in relationship-based social work, corporate parenting and long-term planning for children and young people.

We’d love to hear from you if you:

Have successfully completed your ASYE.

Are registered with Social Work England.

Have a passion for improving outcomes for children and young people.

Are committed to developing their practice and continuing their professional learning.

Build positive and effective relationships with children, families and professionals.

Demonstrate strong assessment, analysis and communication skills.

Are motivated, resilient and committed to making a difference.

Whether your experience has been in safeguarding, children in care, assessment or family support services, we would welcome your application.

What We Offer

Explore our full benefits: https://www.knowsley.gov.uk/yes/our-offer

Competitive salary and generous benefits package.

Flexible and hybrid working arrangements.

Strong leadership support and management oversight.

Access to our Social Work Academy and progression pathways.

Reflective supervision and continuous professional development.

Local Government Pension Scheme.

Employee wellbeing programme.

Generous annual leave entitlement.

Excellent opportunities for career progression and advancement.

What makes Knowsley different?

At Knowsley, we know the years immediately after ASYE are some of the most important in a social worker's career.

That's why we've invested in a dedicated Social Work Academy, providing access to:

Group supervision and action learning sets

Practice development opportunities

Mentoring and coaching

Career development support

Structured progression pathways

We're committed to helping social workers build the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to progress into Experienced Social Worker roles through our structured development pathways and support from the Social Work Academy.

This is an exciting time to join us and help shape the future of Children's Services in Knowsley while building a rewarding and successful career.

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Samantha Madden, Social Work Academy Team Manager [email protected] or the Social Work Academy at [email protected]

We welcome applications from residents and beyond, regardless of background, belief or identity, recognising the value that diversity brings to our organisation. We particularly welcome applications from individuals from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and candidates with disabilities as we acknowledge their underrepresentation in our workforce.

See the benefits of working for Knowsley MBC https://www.knowsley.gov.uk/yes.

Curious about how much a pension with Knowsley Council could be worth? Take a look at this public sector pension calculator to find out

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applicants.

Please note sponsorship is not available for this role.

Essential Requirement

You must hold a full UK driving licence and have access to a vehicle for work purposes, as the role involves travelling to locations across the borough and wider region.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from disabled candidates. If you are unable to meet the driving requirement because of a disability or medical condition covered by the Equality Act 2010, please contact us to discuss whether reasonable adjustments or alternative arrangements may enable you to undertake the role.

If you are interested in this vacancy, please upload your CV along with a supporting statement as one document in PDF or Word format. Your CV and supporting statement should be tailored to reflect the competencies within the person specification.

Please note if a CV and supporting statement does not reflect the person specification it is unlikely to be shortlisted.

Position type: Full Time