Our Vision - What Good Children’s Social Work Looks Like in Lewisham

In Lewisham Children’s Social Care, we know what good social work looks like and we are passionate about creating the right conditions and culture for good practice to thrive.

• Families are respected and supported to stay together, whenever there is safety.
• Families will tell us they understand why we are involved.
• Children will tell us their social worker has made a difference to their lives.
• Children who are in our care know we care, and we won’t give up on them.
• Young people who have been in our care feel confident about their future.

We have taken a whole system approach to improving our services to children and young people in our borough using ‘Signs of Safety’ as our practice model.  Ofsted recognised the progress we have made noting that:

• Staff talk positively about their manageable caseloads, regular supervision, team meetings and access to a range of training, including the social work model of practice.
• Senior leaders demonstrate a clear focus on hearing the voices of children to develop and improve services. 
• Leaders know the service well. They have a clear understanding of areas for development that are being appropriately addressed.

In January 2024, Ofsted's report lauds significant improvements in our children's services. Praised areas include strong leadership, high-quality support for families and children, and positive outcomes across all criteria. 

• The Executive Director for Children and Young People and his team are credited for driving these improvements, with particular focus on enhancing workforce stability, early help services, and partnerships with stakeholders. 
• Noteworthy practices include creative life-story work and culturally sensitive social work approaches, crucial in a diverse borough like Lewisham. 
• The Council's anti-racist practice network and safe space platform also garnered praise for supporting staff from black and global majority backgrounds. 
• Overall, the report highlights a commendable commitment to improving outcomes for vulnerable children and young people in Lewisham.

We are making progress but need passionate, creative and energetic social workers, managers and leaders to get us where we want to be. Could this be you?

Why choose Lewisham? 

“Lewisham has so much to offer any social worker. I feel supported, respected and valued every step of the way” (Social Worker).

Our social workers benefit from working in small, supportive teams with caseloads on average between 15-20 children. Our ‘Signs of Safety’ practice framework means we are committed to working in a relationship-based way with children and families, focussing on strengths in the family network to effect change. A positive learning culture which promotes opportunities for reflection and relationship-based practice is important to us. We are committed to developing our practice using reflective practice spaces such as case mapping, thinking spaces and group supervision.

Our permanent and stable senior management team are visible and approachable.  Our dedicated PSW and workforce team supports professional development across the service so that you will;

• be supported through our comprehensive learning and development offer, which includes subscriptions to ‘Research in Practice’ and ‘Making Research Count’.
• receive regular supervision and appraisal.
• have 1-1 practice development coaching as a case holder, and professional development coaching as a manager.
• have access to regular ‘Signs of Safety’ training and the opportunity to become a practice leader through attending our bespoke practice leader course.   
• have access to external leadership development opportunities such as Pathways and the Black and Asian Leadership Initiative (BALI). 
• have a clearly defined career progression pathway with opportunities for professional development at all levels.

We have a strong working relationship with Goldsmiths, University of London as part of the South East London Teaching Partnership so our practitioners have the opportunity to teach on social work courses as teaching consultants. We host both ‘Step Up’ and traditional route students and social workers have the opportunity to become practice educators.

Creating an Inclusive Lewisham

A core value of Lewisham Council is to 'draw on the diversity of our communities to create a more inclusive Lewisham'. We believe that freedom from discrimination and equality of opportunity are fundamental rights, and that each person should be valued regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, gender re-assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, or age. Social inclusion lies at the heart of everything we do as a Council in our roles as an employer, a provider of services and a community leader.

Location

15 mins south of London Bridge, we are based in two offices in Catford SE6 with 2 mainline train stations 5-10 minutes’ walk from both offices and numerous bus routes that stop outside the offices. Whilst the service is primarily based in Laurence House, we operate a (60/40) hybrid working approach as determined by service requirements.

What we’re looking for

Lewisham is the 2022 London Borough of Culture and if you want to work in a thriving borough and our social work vision connects with your professional values, then we are interested in hearing from you. We are looking for people to join our team who:

• value the importance of communication and seeking feedback
• can inspire and motivate those they work with, manage and lead
• are committed to developing their skills and expertise to deliver an excellent service 
• are professionally curious and value thinking slowly and calmly in a balanced way
• work inclusively, collaboratively with others recognising their strengths 
• take responsibility and make a positive contribution by focusing on solutions
• are transparent, are appreciative in enquiry, reflect and learn.     

In return, we’ll offer excellent development opportunities, plus a range of benefits that includes a career average pension scheme, paid parking on site for social workers and senior social workers, flexible working, a generous leave entitlement and the opportunity to make a real difference to our local community.

We have vacancies for senior social workers in our referral and assessment and family support and safeguarding services.

Applicant handbook- please read the guidance in this handbook when applying. It is essential that you complete the application fully and that your supporting statement covers how you meet each of the person specification criteria listed. 

Please click here for the Job Description and Person Specification

Please click here for the Letter from the Director

Please click here for our Vision and Values

Salary details

£47 ,043 - £49, 071 per annum (SCP35 - 37)

N.B: All appointments will be offered at the minimum spinal column point (SCP) for the grade of the role. The only exception to this will be when matching current salary (up to the maximum of the scale), which is subject to evidential proof.

Further information

For an informal discussion about the role and recruitment process, please email LewishamWorkforceDevelopmentGroup@lewisham.gov.uk with your contact details and we will call you to discuss the role in more detail. 

Lewisham Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. The post is subject to a DBS.

We value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

To apply for this post, you must have a degree in social work or equivalent qualification and be registered with Social Work England.

Diversity

Lewisham Council is a Disability Confident employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply 

The Council has a dedicated employment support service, Lewisham Works, which offers Lewisham residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you want to join Lewisham Works, please email JobsAndSkills@lewisham.gov.uk and an advisor will be in touch with you.  

The Council reserves the right to close adverts early if there is a large response.

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