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Senior Social Work Assistant
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Birmingham Children's Trust
Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and families?
Do you have the drive to support and empower young people to achieve their full potential?
If so, Birmingham Children’s Trust wants you!
About the Role
Birmingham Children’s Trust is looking for a Senior Social Work Assistant to join our Kinship Fostering Support Team on a permanent basis.
When children can no longer be cared for by their parents, we support them to grow up within their wider family whenever it is safe to do so. This is every child’s right, and we at Birmingham Children’s Trust are committed to supporting children and their carers within their own family network.
Listening to the child is at the heart of our approach. We support them on their own personal journey. We are looking for a Senior Social Work Assistant who is passionate about children remaining within their families to help us in supporting our children and their carers.
Our specialist Kinship Fostering Support Team provides support to placements for children and young people who are cared for by a relative or friend, where their own parents are unable to provide care. We have dedicated and passionate social work teams, led by experienced managers that support, advise and supervise all our approved Kinship Foster carers. This strengthens our Trust’s commitment to the importance of supporting children to remain with their families throughout their childhood so they can achieve positive outcomes in life.
Key Responsibilities
- Undertake home visits including visiting some carers who may live out of borough and undertaking urgent visits where there has been a safeguarding concern or where a family requires urgent support.
- Provide practical support such as transporting children and their belongings to a family member to prevent placement breakdown or when there is a placement move or to enable a child to attend contact.
- Provide practical support with transporting carers to a particular venue for training or an event or to attend an important meeting.
- Support carers to access and progress their training online and face to face to develop their knowledge and skills
- Support Supervising social workers with delivering training to carers.
- Assist with setting up and managing carer support groups.
- Provide support to carers with completing referrals and application forms to secure additional services for instance requesting alternative accommodation from the housing department.
- Provide support and guidance to carers with parenting and managing behaviour.
- Use good communication skills to help mediate between carers and children where there is a relationship breakdown or family meetings to create a support plan for the carer to enable them to get a break.
- Provide practical assistance in the home such as supporting with decluttering or budgeting.
- Undertake direct work with children to support them in their placement
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What We Offer
In return, you will be provided with a supportive team environment where you will have access to the right tools, equipment and resources so you are enabled and can focus on producing your best work. You will receive regular supervision and a comprehensive induction and training programme which will support your career development.
We have been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, following a 2023 inspection. This is a fantastic achievement for Birmingham Children's Trust, with many positive highlights focusing on areas including the quality of staff leadership, partnership working, safeguarding and corporate parenting.
About You
You will have experience and a background of direct work with vulnerable children, young people and their families within a children’s or family placement setting.
You will have knowledge and an understanding of children’s legislation and processes preferably in fostering issues, coupled with knowledge and understanding of the needs of children with a history of trauma and complex needs.
In the Trust we are committed to relationship-based practice so an ability to develop strong relationships with children, carers and a range of professionals is essential, as well as effective communication and report writing skills.
You will also have strong administration and IT skills, as your time will be split between office-based tasks and work in the community visiting families.
It’s a vibrant and busy work environment which also requires a flexible approach with good organisational and time management skills.
An ability to work proactively and creatively, using your own initiative are also critical skills.
Additional Information
Interviews will be held in person week commencing 27 July 2026.
As part of the application process, please submit your CV and a supporting statement clearly demonstrating your skills and experience.
Onboarding Process: Please note as part of our onboarding process, the successful candidate will be required undergo a series of background checks with Experian including Experian DBS, Experian Right to Work, and Digital ID verification. These are essential pre-employment requirements.
Our Benefits
- A generous annual leave package of 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 5 years of service and 35 days after 10 years of service.
- Free on-site parking at our offices on One Avenue Road (Aston) and Lifford House (Stirchley). We also provide onsite electric car charging ports which are free to use!
- Full access to our amazing internal employee benefits scheme including, Occupational Health services, Rewards Schemes, Benefits discounts (including the Blue Light Card), Health & Fitness and Personal Wellbeing support and much more!
- Flexible and hybrid working policy - we are well adapted to a hybrid model of working which includes a combination of time spent in the office and at home and we offer a variety of working patterns.
- Pension Scheme - You will receive a generous local government career average pension scheme in line with the local government pension scheme.
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For further information, feel free to contact Darlene Mansurali (Team Manager) via Darlene.Mansurali@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk
Why Join Us?
- Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
- Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
- Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
- Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.
Our Values
We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.
We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.
We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.
Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.
Safeguarding
At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.
The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.
We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.
Please note that we reserve the right to close the job early should we reach the required number of applications, therefore please ensure you submit your application and supporting statement early to avoid any disappointment.
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