Social Work
Be the social worker you want to be...
We have a social work career and development pathway that supports social workers to progress and flourish - from social work apprenticeships and newly qualified social worker posts through to senior social workers, service managers and senior leadership roles. We also recognise that progression is much more than becoming a manager – it’s also about developing new skills and knowledge so we have a varied training programme and encourage social workers to apply to become practice educators, best interest assessors, approved mental health professionals or take on research opportunities, such as part-time PhD programmes and contribute to the work of the West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership.
There are lots of reasons why you should choose Wolverhampton as a place to develop and further your social work career.
- Ofsted ‘GOOD’ rated for Children’s Services
- Supportive ASYE programme
- Fantastic learning and development offer including access to Research in Practice and regular social work briefings and conferences
- A Social Work CPD / Career Pathway which will support you to progress and develop
- Permanent social workers are able to claim back their Social Work England fees annually
- Reimbursement of Blue Light discount card membership fees
- Additional payments for practising Practice Educators
- Supportive and flexible working arrangements
Our social workers may work with children, young people and families as well as adults with care and support needs and carers.
Children’s Services:
The Children and Young People service is responsible for a range of services to keep children and young people safe and improve their life chances. This includes targeting effective early help and support to vulnerable families at the earliest point to strengthen families where children are at risk and working together to keep children safe.
At the City of Wolverhampton Council, we use a Restorative Practice approach, investing time in building strong relationships and making connections to help find long-lasting solutions with our children, young people and families. This is an approach not just used in Children’s Services but has been embedded across the whole council.
Our vision for the Children and Young People’s Service is:
- To develop respectful and empowering relationships with children, young people and families
- To ensure children are at the centre of everything we do
- High aspirations, high expectations
Adult Services:
Predominantly, Adult Social Work teams in Wolverhampton work with people over the age of 18, but also support young people who may already be known to children’s services as part of preparing for adulthood.
We use a Three Conversations© approach to help us make sure we are keeping people at the heart of everything we do in the city. Three Conversations© encourages us to focus on having a meaningful conversation, rather than filling in lengthy forms and automatically thinking that formal services are the answer.
This way of working helps us to think about what matters to people, their important relationships and looking first at what’s strong in someone’s life, rather than just focussing on what’s wrong (also called taking a “strengths-based approach”).
Our vision in Adult Services is that the individuals we support will be at the centre of everything we do. We are committed to celebrating uniqueness and promoting independence and wellbeing. We will do this by:
- Empowering people by providing the right information and advice to help make decisions and lead their idea of a good life
- Enabling people to get the right support at the right time to keep or regain their independence
- Encouraging people to continue to use what is strong in their families and communities whilst ensuring choice and control
- Supporting people to think about their future and possible changes needed to live the life they want to
Adoption@Heart
Adoption@heart is a regional adoption service working with four local authorities (Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton) to provide adoption services on their behalf. Working in partnership means we are able to work together to improve the quality of the service offered to children and adopters. The service is made up of a multi-disciplinary team including clinical psychologists, play therapists, social workers and many others with specific skills and qualifications.
To find out more about social work in Wolverhampton, why not take a look at our website: www.wolvessocialworkjobs.com
