Newly Qualified Social Worker (NQSW)

Role Responsibility

Kent County Council’s Disabled Young Peoples Service (16-25 year olds) and Sensory Team (0-25 year olds) are recruiting three Newly Qualified Social Workers who will have successfully passed their social work degree course and will be available to start in 2020. The teams work with both adults and children and this is an exciting time to join a growing and dynamic team as we build and consolidate good practice in this area of social work.  

Within each team you will be involved in assessing the needs of children and young people, with a particular focus on transition into adulthood in the Young People’s team and planning with them support to build their skills and independence.

In the Sensory Team you work with deaf, deaf/blind and VI children and their families. Your work will include assessments, planning, implementing and reviewing actions to safeguard and protect the wellbeing of children with Sensory needs. You will be involved in developing new initiatives and partnerships with children parents and other agencies.

You will be highly motivated and demonstrate excellent social work knowledge, skills and values to deliver the highest quality service to disabled children and young people, their families and carers. Experience in either Children’s or Adult’s Services would be essential, including child protection and/or adult safeguarding.

Our team consists of Social Workers, Social Work Assistants and Occupational Therapists and you will be required to work closely with our colleagues in Children’s Social Work Teams, a range of Adult teams, and other key agencies, such as Health, Education and the voluntary sector.

The teams cover a large geographical area. The Disabled Young People’s Team covers the South Kent Coast and Thanet and has access to three bases currently across the area. The Sensory team is a County wide service and the base is Kroner House. 

We will guide you through the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) Programme to ensure you fulfil your potential as a developing practitioner. You will receive a full induction, regular supervision and support. In your first year of post qualifying you will have a protected caseload. We offer a comprehensive learning and development framework in Kent, but recognise that one size doesn’t fit all, so offer opportunities that can be tailored to individual and team needs. We know that if our social workers are going to make real change in children's and young people’s lives, they need the best support, leadership and resources we can offer.

We can offer you a competitive salary, staff benefits package and excellent career development and training that comes from working for an authority as large as Kent. Following satisfactory completion of the ASYE Programme and after demonstrating your ability to manage a full caseload, a £3,000 annual market premium will be payable. You are also entitled to a £2,000 annual car market premium (subject to eligibility).

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring service and registration as a qualified Social Worker with Social Work England.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wide operational area including travelling around the county of Kent and beyond to transport children and their belongings and be available to do so in an emergency. You should note that public transport is rarely a viable option as your role will involve you transporting people and equipment to venues in very rural areas, often with limited public transport.

Interviews will take place on 11^th & 12^th June 2020 (shortlisted candidates will be contact on 9th June 2020).

Contact Details

South Kent Coast & Thanet Disabled Young People's Team Manager: Lisa Hutchinson 03000 418186

County Sensory Team Manager: Claudia Verwey 03000 417690