Birmingham Children's Trust
Senior Social Work Assistant - Kinship Assessment Team Fostering
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It has never been a more exciting time to work for Birmingham Children’s Trust’s Family and Friends Service
As we continue our progressive journey to implement improvements for our children, kinship carers as well as our dedicated workforce.
This is a Senior Social Work Assistant role
Based in one of the three Kinship Assessment Teams.
Our specialist assessment teams
Are responsible for assessing relatives or friends to care for children & young people, when their own parents are not able to; supporting the Trust’s commitment to the importance for children to remain within their families throughout their childhood.
We have been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted and strive to be an outstanding fostering service! 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.
As a Senior Social Work Assistant
You will be responsible for supporting the work completed within your social work team; which will include:
- Contacting potential Connected Persons Foster Carers / Special Guardians to introduce yourself/the service and talk through the stage one checks & references required as part of the full kinship assessment. It will also be necessary to be able to give an overview of the assessment process, why this is taking place and what will be expected from applicants.
- Being confident in using electronic systems (CHARMS, Eclipse, spreadsheets etc) to keep records up to date and be able to communicate with people using a variety of different methods.
- Working alongside and communicating effectively with Social Workers and other professionals across the Trust including child care social workers, legal representatives, GP’s and the medical advisor.
- To meet with potential applicants and help them complete paperwork, check ID for the purpose of DBS checks and to ensure people have the correct paperwork and understand the process for requesting a full adult medical with their GP.
- To support social workers within the service to complete the full kinship assessment; this may include completing one to one sessions with applicants, or supporting with other documentation (i.e. health & safety checklist, safer care agreement, chronologies etc).
This is a hybrid role based in Birmingham so you must have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship.
Want to know more?
We are happy to answer any queries about this role and our Friends and Family team. Please contact: Lucy Kershaw via email on Lucy.Kershaw@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk
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About You
- Experience and a background of direct work with vulnerable children, young people and their families within a children’s or family placement setting.
- Knowledge and an understanding of children’s legislation and processes particularly in fostering issues, coupled with the knowledge and understanding of the permanency needs of children from complex backgrounds.
- Possess strong administration and IT skills, as your time will be split between office-based tasks and work in the community, visiting families.
- Key effective communication and positive relationship skills are essential, as well as clear, concise record keeping, in a timely, accurate manner, applying your time management and organisational skills.
- Ability to work effectively with colleagues and other agencies; solve problems, negotiate and make decisions are also a necessity to be able to support the social work team.
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, Right to Work, and Digital ID verification. These are essential pre-employment requirements.
Interview date
Wednesday the 30th of September at One Avenue Road, Aston.
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.
- Salary Sacrifice Car Scheme which gives you the chance to drive a brand-new car for an affordable fixed monthly amount as part of a salary sacrifice initiative. With no deposits or credit checks required a range of all-inclusive driving packages
- 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!
- You will receive a generous local government career average pension scheme in line with the Local Government Pension Scheme.
- Continuous Service Recognition - Thank You employee badge when first joining the Trust. Plus, Years of Service badge awarded for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35+ years of service.
- 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!
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Help us to change children and young people’s lives!
At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.
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.
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