Social Worker

Social Work in Cornwall 

 Make a difference – Children’s Social Work in Cornwall

 “Senior leaders and politicians are relentless in their drive to continue to improve the lives of Cornwall’s children and families”

Staff’s care, commitment and child focussed approach shine through when they talk about their work. This positive working environment helps to foster a culture in which an enthusiasm and commitment to do the best for children is found at all levels in the organisation.”

Ofsted, July 2024 

The Service & Team:

Social workers make a real difference to the lives of children in Cornwall. We believe that the children of Cornwall deserve the very best. We put their needs at the heart of everything we do and we are looking for people who share our determination to improve their lives and make a brighter future. If you believe in humane, relationship-based social work with children and families we offer the opportunity to develop your social work career in an innovative and ambitious children’s service in one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

The Role:

We are looking for Social Workers for the Gweres Tus Yowynk (GTY - Helping Young People) Service). The postholder will play a key role in the delivery of this specialist multi-agency adolescent service that works positively to support young people to remain at home and/or with their wider family.  

There are three GTY teams based in each of our areas in the West, Mid and East of the county, which are multi-disciplinary teams providing intense support, often when families are approaching crisis. The teams currently include Social Workers, Targeted Youth Workers, Youth Justice Service Officers and Functional Family Therapists. You will undertake all aspects of social work directly with young people, completing social work assessments whilst holding a caseload.  You will be responsible for providing high-quality interventions to enable young people at risk of care to remain in the community where appropriate. This is a team that is committed to improving standards and continuing the development of multi-agency working.

MARRS provides a rapid, integrated response for children and young people experiencing mental health crisis, bringing together health, social care and wider multi-agency support to respond to immediate risk and address underlying complexity. The service offers timely assessment, crisis intervention and, where required, intensive short-term support to help stabilise situations, strengthen family and professional networks, reduce repeat crisis presentations, and support children and young people to remain safely at home or in the most appropriate setting wherever possible.

The Social Work position available is based in the West of Cornwall, you will be part of a small therapeutic team offering assessment and intervention to Children and Families in Mental Health Crisis

Applicants with living experience of Neurodiversity/Mental Health needs within their or their families experience are actively encouraged.

This is a public/customer-facing role, where the statutory English language requirement for public sector workers applies.     

This position will be subject to an enhanced criminal record disclosure check.

 What you’ll need to succeed:

You will be a social worker registered with Social Work England who will have:

• You must hold a social work degree, social work qualification (Dip.SW, CCSW, CSS).
• You must have post qualifying experience and previous experience working within a social care environment
• A proven track record of excellent practice that improves the lives of children
• High-level written and verbal communication skills to build effective professional relationships with families and other professionals
• Knowledge and understanding of the legislation, models and theories relevant to children’s social work, and the ability to evidence how you have applied your learning to your practice
• The skills to undertake assessments and to use evidence-based practice tools to devise, implement and review care plans

This post holders will be located in either the Bodmin, St Austell or Scorrier office.  Own transport is essential.

This is an exciting opportunity, so if you are interested in joining this specialist area of Cornwall’s successful and ambitious Children and Family Services, we look forward to hearing from you.  For an informal discussion contact Simon Moss, Team Manager (East): 07483 166902 E-Mail: simon.moss@cornwall.gov.uk or Chloe Ellis Team Manager (MARRS) 07521 689844 or chloe.ellis@cornwall.gov.uk

If your experience as a social worker is within another sector (such as Adult Social Care or the Voluntary sector), we provide additional support to transition into children and families social work through a supported induction period.

Please read the role profile for the full details of this role attached below in this advert

What you’ll get in return:

Cornwall Council’s ambition is to be an employer of choice, a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract, motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff.

We actively encourage and enable our practitioners to progress and reward them for their commitment and expertise. If you are committed to continuing professional development, can demonstrate learning in your practice and in improved outcomes for the children you help and protect, we will provide you with the career options and remuneration that match your expertise.  We support our social workers to stay in front line practice as advanced practitioners or move to front line management, both of which attract the same pay.

As part of our commitment to outstanding practice, we have put in place a comprehensive core curriculum and career and qualification pathway for our social workers to develop their knowledge and skills to deliver the most effective social work intervention with children and families.

Cornwall is one of the best places in the country to live, work and bring up a family. It’s location and landscape offer unique opportunities for a healthier, happier way of life.  We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our staff and we recognise that resilient Social Workers need a good work/life balance as well as supportive leadership and support in the workplace.

In recognition of the vital contribution you make, we offer an attractive package of benefits including:

• Welcome bonus of £4000 for qualified Social Workers who are new to social work in Cornwall and have completed their ASYE
• £3000 Annual Market Supplement for Advanced Practitioners
• A generous relocation package
• An individualised induction to meet your specific needs and learning
• An excellent core curriculum to support your ongoing development with a high-quality programme of evidence-based learning and development to enhance skills and practice.
• An outstanding career and qualification pathway, recognised by Ofsted as a foundation of Cornwall’s good practice, which will support your progression.
• Support from our dedicated Practice Educators throughout your progression pathway
• Regular, high-quality case and reflective supervision
• Supportive management and leadership
• Support to access temporary accommodation if moving from outside of Cornwall
• Access to a Cornwall Council lease car
• 26 days paid annual leave per year (rising with length of service), plus bank holidays
• Flexible working opportunities, including part-time hours and homeworking
• A license to access Community Care Inform and Research in Practice.
• Payment of your Social Work England registration fees.
• A competitive starting salary and the opportunity to increase your pay further as you progress

Additional Information:

Cornwall Council is unable to offer visa sponsorship or transfer existing sponsorship for this role.

Application Process

Please view the Role Profile for the level of role you are applying for, as follows:

 Role Profile (Grade 3 Social Worker)

Role Profile (Grade 4 Experienced Social Worker)

Role Profile (Grade 4 Advanced Social Worker)

We recommend saving a copy of this to refer to if you are invited to an interview

Please attach a supporting statement to your application, you can add your Education & Qualifications details manually using the application form timeline or you can upload your CV.

Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points marked as ‘Application’ on the Role Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had.

Guidance on how to complete your application can be found here – The application process.

We recognise that you may choose to use AI tools when preparing your application. We ask that any information you include is an accurate reflection of your own skills, knowledge, experience and achievements. You may be asked to discuss the examples and evidence you provide during the selection process.

We may adapt our shortlisting approach where we receive a high volume of applications. Any shortlisting decisions will be based on the information provided in your application and the essential requirements of the role.

Please note that applications cannot be edited after they have been submitted, please contact careers@cornwall.gov.uk if you have any queries or require assistance with your application.

Existing employees must apply using their Cornwall Council email address through the Opportunity Marketplace on Oracle.