Social Work Assistant - CLA

We are a London Borough based in the southeast of London. With direct and easy access into central London, we also have the advantage of being on the borders of Kent with easy access to the Kent coast and the continent.

As a Council, we prioritise our responsibilities for children, young people, their families and carers. We are working to strengthen families, to enable them to identify their own solutions where there are difficulties, creating strong family networks and effective safety plans as the fundamentals to the protection and care of children.

Our established family engagement group, FL.A.RE (Family Learning, Advocacy & Restorative Engagement), and children in care forums Positive Journeys, Positive Journeys Seniors and Bexley’s Young Director support us with practice development and delivery. Front line practitioners have the opportunity to learn from our children, young people and families, and be part of this work.

The social work assistants undertake a range of support tasks including providing practical support for children, young people and their families. This includes coordinating aspects of care packages, recognising where social work input is required and supporting clients to make informed decisions.

The successful candidate will need to be resourceful and able to use practical problem solving skills and be able to encourage, support and motivate children and their families. You will need to be able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, and be able to listen and observe to identify problems. A relevant child care qualification and an understanding of the principles of the 1898 Children’s Act would be an advantage.

Looked After Children and Permanence Service

This service has 3 teams with responsibility for all looked after children, care proceedings and young people who we are helping prepare to leave our care or move into our dedicated Leaving Care Service. Wherever possible we support young people to return home to their family and securing permanence for young people is central to the work we do.