Job Title: Children's Qualified Social Worker - Children Looked After
Location: Bases in Hertford, Stevenage & Apsley
Starting Salary: £35,745 plus £5,673 Market Enhancement with the opportunity to progress to a maximum of £39,186 plus £5,242 Market Enhancement per annum + £1k one off Welcome Payment
Hours: 37 hours per week
Contract: Permanent

Diversity: We are an inclusive employer and value a diverse workforce

Support our children in care and their families to achieve life changing outcomes

When you work with looked-after children at Hertfordshire County Council, you experience first-hand what working in partnership with children and their families can achieve. Whether you’re supporting a child into an adoptive home, ensuring a child’s safe return to their family, or helping them achieve independence as an adult, your aim is for them to feel accepted, supported, safe, hopeful, and loved.

This role is an opportunity to build meaningful relationships with children, young people and families as well as productive partnerships with services such as mental health, education and the police. We work hard across the service to increase collaboration, consistency, capacity and compassion. Join us and you can be sure you’re changing lives for the better – including your own.

We’ll challenge you with complex and diverse caseloads, but we’ll also support you with regular supervision and training, delivered via a stable and supportive management team. Our strengths-based approach is directed at achieving the best possible outcomes, and we take time to learn from each other and the lived experiences of children and young people. In terms of work-life balance, we’ve taken lessons from the pandemic and now offer hybrid working with appropriate support and resources.

A qualified and registered social worker, you’re likely to have some track-record of working alongside challenging families. As you will be involved in care planning; assessments and reviews you’ll also need strong written and spoken communication skills. Your energy, passion and persistence will be matched by sound decision-making that balances the wishes of young people with rigorous safeguarding.

In return we offer great training opportunities; an innovative working environment and a generous benefits package that includes relocation expenses of up to £6,000, a car lease scheme and access to the Local Government Pension Scheme.

**Applications are shortlisted weekly with interviews offered weekly**

For an informal discussion and more information please contact Sarah Baker on 07580744211.



Application Information
Benefits of Working for HCC:

Competitive Starting Salary
One off Welcome payment of £1,000 for all external appointments who have completed their ASYE at the time of application
Monthly Market Enhanced Payment
Relocation Expenses of up to £6,000 (terms and conditions apply)
Up to 33 days annual leave entitlement
Flexible Working Arrangements (depending on the role)
Free parking at all of our sites
Car Lease Scheme (terms and conditions apply)
Excellent Career Development
Salary Exchange for Additional Benefits
Excellent Pension Scheme with Employer Contributions
Shopping Discounts
Support Groups & Wellbeing Schemes
How to Apply: Please follow the 'Apply for Job' button at the bottom of the screen. As part of the application you will be required to upload your most recent CV ensuring gaps in employment have been addressed and includes your current, or most recent, employer. You are also asked to provide a supporting statement which is your opportunity to evidence how your skills, knowledge and experience match what we are looking for based on the Person Specification area of the attached Job Outline. If you do not supply a supporting statement, your application will be rejected.

We welcome applications from people already located in the UK, additionally sponsorship opportunities may be available.

Safeguarding: Safeguarding children and adults is of utmost importance to Hertfordshire County Council. The Council requires employees to abide by legislation and best practice to enable Hertfordshire to achieve this. This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. For more information Click Here

Driving Roles Only: As part of this role, you will be required to travel to other HCC Sites/Residences either using your own mode of transport or a company car. In light of this, the ability to drive and/or travel around the County is required for this role a DVLA check will be required on appointment.



Additional Information
English Fluency: The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.

Disability Confident: We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Why Hertfordshire: Watch our ‘Why Hertfordshire’ video. Our staff use their own words to tell their story and share their experiences of what it is like working here. Take your next step in your career.

Hertfordshire County Council is currently undertaking a review of its pay structure and terms and conditions. The council is undertaking this review as part of its commitment to continuing to be an employer of choice, by ensuring that its pay and terms and conditions are relevant to future working practices. You can read more about this on our website

CS Roles Only: We expect all Children Services employees to fulfil Hertfordshire's Professional Promise for how children, young people & young adults with special educational needs and / or disabilities and their families should be treated. It is our agreement to place families and children at the centre of what we do, and helps parents and carers to understand and be able to hold us to account for how we provide our services. For further information please visit:‘Professional Promise’