Social work in Wandsworth

There are over 60,000 children and young adults currently living in Wandsworth. In October last year, 1,731 were in need of specialist children's services.

Following a recent Ofsted inspection there is confidence the council has the capacity and commitment to improve services for children and young people as well as building on existing strengths such as the outstanding Residential Parenting Centre and Children Looked After in Care Council (CLICK). PLO work is commended by both Ofsted and the Courts.

We have some difficult challenges ahead of us, but we are an ambitious, united and driven team who are working together to protect the borough's most vulnerable children. It is with this resolve, with this determination to do the right thing, that we are inviting experienced Social Workers to join us.

If your talent is matched with a real passion for providing children with the right services, at the right time – you could be the perfect addition to our team.

Our achievements

What we have accomplished:

• We have been praised for following Best Practice models, and commended for our achievements in court
• We are using Signs of Safety and AMBIT in Wandsworth to support practitioners with a framework and practice tools to build relationships with children, young people and families, utilising practitioner expertise and developing local practice excellence
• We are also proud to be an active champion for the role of fathers in social care, which is particularly innovative in this field

About Wandsworth

Facts about our borough:

• One of the largest Inner London boroughs, Wandsworth covers over 3,200 acres and has a population of more than 308,000
• We are a collection of many different communities, each with its own distinct character and a wide ethnic and cultural diversity
• We have large inner city housing estates, leafy suburbs, five vibrant town centres and some of London's very best parks and commons. Our diversity is our strength, and makes Wandsworth an exciting and dynamic place to live and work

Our vision

Our vision puts families first. We have invested in our services over the past two and a half years, in terms of expanding capacity and ensuring that we have the right roles, skills and focus to support children and their families at every stage of the child’s journey.

Our growing emphasis is on prevention and early intervention and we are implementing an Early Help Strategy to achieve this. Developments include a single front door and an enhanced early help pathway to support families who do not meet the care threshold. We are strengthening our focus on early permanence and we have ensured that managers have the tools and capacity to provide supportive oversight and supervision. It has been fast-paced journey but we are already reaping the benefits.

The resources available to families within the borough are second to none, which means you will be empowered and able to help them make long-term positive changes. It’s with this resolve – and with our determination to do the right thing – that we’re inviting experienced Social Workers to join us.

Social work, as a profession, continues to face challenges. We are, however, creating an ambitious, creative and aspirational team who are listening to ideas, making suggestions, and acting on feedback. We really are working together to protect the Borough’s most vulnerable children. So, if you became a Social Worker to make a positive change for the lives of others, we want to hear from you.

If you would like to discuss our current opportunities informally and in confidence, then please do contact Katarzyna Prosniak at Hays Social Care for more information. Her number is 020 7259 8715 or email Katarzyna.Prosniak@hays.com.

Thank you very much for your interest in working with us and we look forward to receiving your application.