Senior Social Care Officer, Strathmoor House

£26,483 - £29,215 (29.6 Hours per week)
Strathmoor House, Perth

An exciting opportunity has arisen in Services for Children, Young People and Families to be part of our COPE team. COPE stands for:

C – Children and family support service for
O – Open cases to Services to Children, Young People and Families providing
P – Planned intervention during
E – Evenings and weekends

COPE provides planned input and support to children, young people and families who are working with our service. In line with 'The Promise' we have listened to children, young people and families’ requests for support to be available to them at times when they need it.

COPE staff work during the evenings and weekends to meet this need. COPE staff work closely with the Lead Professional to do directed pieces of planned work which may include providing parenting support for families, spending individual time with a child or young person and completion of any other suitable tasks identified within their Child or Young Person’s Plan. Alongside planned pieces of work, COPE workers respond to the urgent needs of children, young people and families as required in conjunction with our Out of Hours Service. A shift system is in place to cover late afternoons into evenings and weekends and these will be the primary working hours.

Staff may also be required to attend Children’s Hearings, Child Protection and Child/Young Person’s Plan meetings. There is the potential for this post to increase to 34 hours per week, subject to approval.

Perth & Kinross Council Values and Behaviours

At PKC our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of the Perth and Kinross Offer. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours. Find out more about PKC and you could soon be joining our team!

The Individual

You will have experience of working with children, young people and families who are experiencing significant difficulties in their lives and require sensitive and non-judgmental support.

You will be qualified to at least SVQ Level III in Social Services (Children & Young People).

You must be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills; the capacity to work independently and as part of a team and to manage competing demands successfully.

You must be flexible in your approach and able to think quickly and on your feet in situations.

You must be able to demonstrate a positive attendance record at work and high levels of reliability and punctuality.

Relationship-based practice is key to positive interventions with children, young people and families and it is important that you have the skills and qualities to provide nurturing support whilst being able to be honest and transparent with families about risks and concerns. Having a strengths based approach will be beneficial so that you are able to help families identify their strengths and how to build on them. It would be helpful if you have experience of undertaking home visits and working with children, young people and families in their own communities.

You should be familiar with Getting it Right for Every Child and the My World Triangle and SHANARRI indicators. Children, young people and families may be experiencing multiple adversities such as poverty, addiction, domestic abuse and mental health issues and therefore being able to work collaboratively with other agencies is essential.

You must be able to drive, have a full, clean driving licence and have access to a car as you will need to travel to see families as part of your role.

For further information about this post please contact Lesley Whyte, Team Leader on 01738 454321 or 07788 362886.

When completing your application for this post, please ensure that you provide contact details (including e-mail addresses) for two referees. One should be your current or most recent employer.

Please APPLY ONLINE. Facilities are available at all public libraries in Perth and Kinross. If you have a disability and require reasonable adjustments, please call 01738 475555 to discuss.

As part of our safer recruitment measures, Perth & Kinross Council carries out rigorous checks on the right to work in the UK, qualifications, employment history, including references, and fitness to undertake the post.

A healthy work life balance is important to Perth & Kinross Council and we provide supportive management and flexible working arrangements to help you achieve a healthy work life balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

Some jobs may have been traditionally carried out predominately by one gender, but we would encourage you to apply if you meet the requirements, irrespective of your gender.

Perth & Kinross Council welcomes applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.