Job Introduction
Are you an experienced social worker passionate about making a difference in every child’s life? Join us and help us bring about change!
We need a courageous leader who puts ‘the child’ at the heart of every decision. Someone who enthusiastically embraces change, thrives on challenge, and tackles the most complex needs with drive and determination to ensure the best outcomes for the children and young people of Bradford.
Your passion keeps you focused on delivering the highest standards at every opportunity. As well as steering the course of the service we want to provide, your experience, guidance and dedication will provide invaluable support and inspiration for those around you.
If you’re up for the Challenge and want to help us achieve our vision, then we’d love to hear from you!
We are currently recruiting for Social Workers in the following Services / Localities:
- Bradford East – currently Sir Henry Mitchell House
- Bradford South – currently Sir Henry Mitchell House
- Bradford West – Farcliffe Family Centre
- Keighley and Shipley – Keighley Town Hall
- Children with Complex Health & Disabilities Team (CCHDT) – Shipley Town Hall
The East Locality covers the eastern suburbs of the district and includes the areas of Thackley, Eccleshill, Bolton and Undercliffe, Bradford Moor, Bowland and Barkerend, and Little Horton.
Working for the East locality offers the opportunity to work with some great people who are passionate about delivering change in a city whose culture offers as much diversity as it’s geography. Bradford East has a diverse population, and our social work teams reflect and celebrate the diversity of the area. There are great transport links which allows for easy access around the locality.
As a locality we pride ourselves on being restorative, collaborative, and supportive. You will be supported via manageable caseloads and receive support from experienced leaders at all levels.
We have eight social work teams within the locality each made up of social workers, practice supervisors and community resource workers. Our practice supervisors play a key role in supporting best practice and developing a learning culture in the locality by offering coaching, mentoring, co-working, reflective supervision, and lunch time learning sessions.
The South Locality covers the southern suburbs of the district and includes areas such as Tong, Queensbury, Great Horton, Wyke, Wibsey, Royds and Holmewood. Bradford South has a diverse population, and our social work teams reflect and celebrate the diversity of the area.
We have eight social work teams within the locality each made up of social workers, practice supervisors and community resource workers; one of our teams is dedicated to supporting and developing newly qualified social workers. Our practice supervisors play a key role in supporting best practice in the locality by offering guidance, mentorship, and group learning through their Teaching Tuesday sessions.
There are great transport links which allows for easy access around the locality.
Our families face a number of challenges in South Bradford, including socio-economic pressures but in the South, we are committed to high practitioner support, manageable workloads and working both collaboratively and restoratively with our families, our partners and with each other.
The West locality is unique in that it is co-located within a Family Hub, with our Prevention and Early Help Colleagues. The hub holds several drop in sessions for children and families and local support groups and services work visit the hub on a daily basis so there is a real community approach to our children and families.
We cover the western suburbs of the Bradford district, including the city centre, Thornton, Allerton, Toller, Heaton, Clayton and Fairweather. There are 121,300 residents in the locality which makes up 22.2% of the district; 23.5% of the residents are aged 15 years and under.
We are a hugely culturally diverse locality and this is, largely reflected in the workforce who celebrate differences and ensure that the right support is accessible to everyone.
We are committed to delivering good practice to our children and their families and we do this by working restoratively with them, working alongside them so that we can jointly agree solutions. We encourage students and newly qualified social workers to join us in West as we understand the journey and want to support and develop the social work careers of others
Keighley and Shipley are towns located to the north and west of Bradford and the locality teams cover both these urban areas and the rural areas stretching out to Ilkley and Haworth.
Working in social work within Keighley and Shipley offers several benefits. The area is home to diverse communities, providing opportunities to work with various cultural backgrounds and support and address unique challenges faced by our children and families. Social workers collaborate with local organisations, schools, and health services, fostering a supportive local network that better meets the needs of families. Both towns have strong community ties, allowing social workers to build meaningful relationships and understand the needs of local families better.
Social work in Keighley and Shipley is relationship based, fulfilling and impactful and offers a chance to contribute to the well-being of the community while developing as a professional within a stable, creative and forward-thinking service area.
Children with Complex Health or Disabilities Team offers an opportunity to be part of a dynamic team who support families from the first point of contact through to adulthood. The team covers the entire Bradford District with the office base in Shipley.
The team believes in giving children and young people choice, control and flexibility in how they manage their support needs, and the right to access inclusive services and be part of their own community. Social workers will be expected to work in a child centred and restorative way to seek the views, wishes and feelings of the children and young people we work with.
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a lively and dynamic team which acts as the first point of contact for disabled children who require a social work assessment in the Bradford District, as well supporting children with lifelong disabilities on a long-term basis. The team also undertake safeguarding enquiries and court work and support a number of our children in care. We work closely with partner agencies to ensure the best possible support for children with disabilities and their families
About Us
Bradford Children and Families Trust was established in April 2023 to bring a step change in the quality and delivery of Children’s Services across our district. Our purpose is clear - to ensure that our promise to improve the lives of children and young people in Bradford becomes a reality. It’s a tough ask. It requires dedication, determination, and resilience – but under a new Chief Executive, Senior Leadership team and an unswerving drive to deliver the best outcomes, we are confident that we will achieve our ambition.
Working for the Bradford Children and Families Trust offers the opportunity to work with some great people who are passionate about delivering change in a city whose culture offers as much diversity as it’s geography. You can make a real difference to families and children and be an active part in delivering the service Bradford families should receive.
About the Role
We are looking for confident and skilled Social Workers to work in our Locality Team. Our objective is to deliver the best outcomes for children and young people.
Reporting to the Team Manager, your role will consist of completing direct work with children to keep them safe, ensuring their voice, wishes and views are central to the planning and delivery of work.
You will lead and coordinate multi-agency partnerships, assessments, plans, interventions, and meetings to ensure children and young people are safe and their holistic needs are being met. Within your team’s geographical area, you will support children and young people to achieve positive outcomes within their families and communities. As a Social Worker you will ensure that the children are at the heart of your decision making.
Social Workers within all our areas can work flexibly within a hybrid model although as a Trust we have an expectation that you will spend at least three days each week in the office to help you build relationships with your team, get the support you need to manage a busy caseload and to help and influence other less experienced colleagues.
About you
- Hold a DIPSW or equivalent qualification
- Are registered with the Social Work England as a qualified social worker.
- Have a full driving license and car available for work (unless a disability prevents this).
- Strong interpersonal skills.
- Experienced and expert in managing the delivery of quality outcomes for children and young people.
- An ability to build strong relationships with children, their families, colleagues and partner agencies.
- An ability to write high-quality reports and assessments and analyse information effectively.
Benefits:
- Excellent pension with 15.2% employer contribution
- Competitive salary and pay progression structure
- Real living wage as the minimum rate of pay
- Supportive carer and parental policies
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
- Access to Occupational Health and confidential counselling services
- Supportive staff networks
- Access to Blue Light Card discounts
- Professional development/support
- Career progression
- Enhanced annual leave entitlement - 31 days and rises to max of 34 days with service. (plus, public holidays)
- Social Worker Registration fees paid
- Flexible working / hybrid options subject to service need
Want to know more?
If you would like to know more about the role, the recruitment process or working for Bradford Children and Families Trust feel free to contact Kasem Khan at kasem.khan@bradfordcft.org.uk
Bradford Children and Families Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.
If shortlisted, you will be required to disclose relevant information regarding criminal history prior to interview.
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check including a check against the Children’s barred list, will be carried out on preferred candidates.
