Social Worker (Children's Services) - City Wide

Social Workers (Children’s Services) 
City Wide

Salary: £40,501 - £47,639
Hours: up to 36 per week

Children’s Services in Edinburgh 

Our aim is for Edinburgh’s children to be safe, healthy, nurtured, educated, active and respected. Our teams are at the forefront of providing services to help children, young people and their families deal with difficult situations at various stages in their lives.  You will be part of a service that champions rights-based, person-centred approaches to achieve positive change.

This is an exciting time to join Edinburgh. Following a service review, we are implementing a new structure to ensure innovative social work practice. We are also moving to the Mosaic case management system, providing our social workers with a more efficient platform that reduces administration and increases time spent working directly with children and families. We are also exploring how AI tools can enhance our practice. 

Due to posts created by the service review, we have vacancies across the following teams: 

 

Contact and Assessment Team: A city-wide service responsible for initial assessments when requests for a social work service are first made.  The focus of the team is short term assessment and intervention predominately on a voluntary rather than statutory basis. For more information contact Brian Henderson on Brian.Henderson@edinburgh.gov.uk

 

Child Protection Resource: A city-wide service that undertakes initial child protection assessments for children and young people. The focus of the team is immediate risk assessment and intervention. Applicants must have previous experience of undertaking assessments of need and risk for children and young people in a social work setting. For more information contact Alison Wishart on Alison.Wishart1@edinburgh.gov.uk

 

Children’s Practice Teams: Social workers in practice teams work collaboratively with families and professionals to carry out assessments, manage risk and deliver targeted interventions for children and young people living at home and those who are looked after and accommodated, often working with the Child Protection Register and the Children’s Hearing system. Practice teams are embedded within local communities where they can make the most difference: North East (Niddrie), North West (Muirhouse), South East (Gilmerton) and South West (Wester Hailes). For more information contact Billy Brown on Billy.Brown@edinburgh.gov.uk

 

Children Affected by Disability Team: A city-wide service that assesses need and provides specialised support for children, young people and their families where there are substantial or long-lasting disabilities. For more information contact Rachael Kinnear on Rachael.Kinnear2@edinburgh.gov.uk

 

Young People’s Service: A city-wide service that works with children and young people in conflict with the law. The team works with children, young people and their families on a voluntary and statutory basis within both the Children's Hearings and justice systems. For more information on the role and team contact David Orr on David.Orr@edinburgh.gov.uk

 

**Please state which team or teams you are interested in being considered for within your application**

 

Skills and experience required

• Social Work qualification recognised by the SSSC

• Registration with the SSSC

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and prioritise effectively

• Commitment to continuous improvement and professional development

 

Support and development

• Personalised induction

• Named mentor

• Regular supervision from a Team Leader

• Learning and development specific to your role 

• Newly Qualified workers will be supported through their SSSC NQSW Supported Year with a reduced caseload, clear practice standards and tailored development opportunities

• All workers will benefit from manageable caseloads, clear practice standards and opportunities for career progression

• Opportunities to study for the Child Protection and Welfare postgraduate certificate and upon completion receive an additional monthly payment 

• Opportunities to study for the Mental Health Officer Award then operate as a Mental Health Officer alongside your main role

• Opportunities to study for the Practice Educator Award and then receive an additional financial payment for students who successfully pass their placement

 

Benefits of working for Edinburgh

• Flexible and hybrid working 

• Generous annual leave entitlement which increases based on years in post

• Public holidays and discretionary leave

• Member of Lothian Pension Scheme where the current Edinburgh employer contribution rate is over 17%

• Family-friendly policies and well being support, including access to a specialist service providing wellness and counselling support

• Access to a wide range of employee benefits, including Car Lease and Cycle to Work schemes, discounted gym membership, home and electronics benefits

• Paid SSSC membership (where applicable)

• Sponsorship for a New Entrant Skilled Worker Visa (where applicable)

 

Additional Information

This post is regulated work with children and/or protected adults under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. The preferred candidate will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check.  Where an individual has spent a continuous period of 3 months or more out with the UK in the last 5 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check. An unconditional offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of both these pre-employment checks being deemed satisfactory.

We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone feels valued and able to be their best. We particularly encourage applications from women for senior roles, as well as people from minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities or neurodivergent people, care experienced people, carers and LGBT+ people across all levels of the organisation, all of whom are currently underrepresented. All applicants will be considered fairly based on skills and experience. Disabled and care-experienced applicants who meet the minimum job criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

Find out more about our commitment to equalities https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/work-us/inclusive-edinburgh/4

As part of our goal to improve organisational culture and create a great place to work together for the people of Edinburgh, we want to make sure we're recruiting the best people. We’re interested not only in your skills and experience but also in your approach to work. Therefore, part of our interview process will be an assessment of how you would bring Our Behaviours of Respect, Integrity and Flexibility into your ways of working.

You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council

Our salary range typically reflects the initial starting salary and annually increases until it reaches the top of the range.

Happy to talk flexible working.

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THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL

About Us:

Are you keen to shape the future of Scotland’s capital city? The City of Edinburgh Council is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic individuals to work with us and deliver key services across our capital city. We’re the second largest local authority in Scotland with a workforce of over 19,000 who all play a crucial role in maintaining and supporting vital services to over 500,000 residents. We offer an incredible variety of career opportunities across a broad range of sectors. Join us and you’ll find a role where you can make a difference and grow your career.

Our Culture:

Our Behaviours, respect, integrity, and flexibility guide everything that we do, and we strive to make sure all colleagues feel valued and have a sense of belonging in the workplace. We want to make sure that we bring people into our roles who demonstrate Our Behaviours and are dedicated and committed to our purpose of serving our community. We are focused on delivering excellent customer service to meet citizens needs and make the city a better place.

You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

We recognise the benefits that diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds bring to our organisation, and we’re committed to employing a workforce that represents the population of the city we serve. We particularly encourage applicants from under-represented groups including women, LGBT+ people, racially minoritised groups, people with disabilities and people who are neurodivergent.

As part of our commitment to inclusive recruitment, we're delighted to announce that we have extended our guaranteed interview scheme to include all applicants who are or have been care experienced, and who meet the essential criteria for the post. This extends our current arrangements of being a Disability Confident Employer, that guarantee an interview to applicants who meet the criteria for the post and who declare a disability.

Happy to talk flexible working.

Colleague Support and Wellbeing

As outlined in our People Strategy 2024-27, we aim to nurture a healthy workforce where we can all thrive. We offer regular events, initiatives and learning opportunities covering a range of different health and wellbeing topics.

We’re committed to supporting employees to achieve a healthy work life balance. There are several policies in place to support this ranging from flexible work options to career breaks. Our full suite of employment policies can be found here.

We have a range of support options available including access to counselling, a mental health support service, an occupational health service, speak up supporters and a colleague listening service.

Reasonable Adjustments:

We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience at work for all our colleagues and we’ll work hard to ensure that we meet the changing needs of colleagues throughout their time with us. We’re also geared up to support all candidates who may require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. Candidates invited for interview, should let the hiring manager know what they need, and they will do everything they can to accommodate your request.