Job Description

Contract Type: x2 Permanent and 1 Fixed Term until September 2024

Hours: 37 per week

You already know you want to be a Social Worker, you have done the training, you have the skills, but have you considered WHERE you want to be, to make a real difference?

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest and second-most populous island in England. It is in the English Channel, between two and five miles off the coast of Hampshire, separated by the Solent, 11 minutes by Hovercraft. The island has resorts that have been holiday destinations since Victorian times, and is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery, and landscapes of fields, down land, and chines. The island is designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and over half is designated an area of outstanding natural beauty.

However, hidden behind all this beauty, many families really struggle, and we have areas of socioeconomic deprivation and child poverty. Parts have a low paid rural economy reliant on tourism and agriculture, now further affected by the covid pandemic. However, we also have dynamic international high-tech companies, national and local investment, and world class sporting events; making the Isle of Wight a great place to live and work.

Our market supplement provides up to an additional \xc2\xa34k a year as you progress. You have 32 days annual leave a year to enjoy all what the Isle of Wight has to offer. In a recent poll with social workers across the Southeast, work life balance was their top priority when deciding on a job. We will invest in you and your career by providing you with five extra days for you to take to focus on your professional development with our support. We operate a nine-day fortnight which means you get an additional 26 days\xe2\x80\x99 time off in lieu a year.

Our Council has invested further in children\xe2\x80\x99s social care. We are now recruiting to permanent social workers in our Children with Disability Team. You will have a social worker personal assistant to help you your administration and organise your diaries, visits, and recording.

We have a positive, supportive culture and working environment. We work to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight model which is a strengths-based, multi-disciplinary approach focussed on building resilience in individuals, families, and communities, whilst managing risk and safeguarding children.

Ofsted have rated us as a GOOD children\'s social care across all areas following our last inspection.

Ofsted found that:

\'Children\'s lived experience is at the centre of social work practice on the Island.\'

\'Aspirational and highly competent leaders have a clear and shared vision for children\'s services.\'

So, as a social worker, is it important to you that children\'s lived experience is at the centre of your social work practice? To be part of a team that supports you, with a manager that you trust and respect. Do you want to work with aspirational and highly competent leaders, who have a clear and shared vision for children\'s services?

If yes, then please get in touch and to continue your career on the Isle of Wight.

For further information or an informal discussion, please contact or by calling on 01983 821000.

When you join #TeamIWC you\'ll receive our staff benefits package, including:

- Annual leave entitlement of 32 days p/a PLUS public holidays!

- Local Government pension scheme

- Discounted Solent ferry travel

- Island bus network discount

- Cycle to work scheme

- Staff parking permit scheme

- Discounted island sports & leisure gym membership

- National and local discounts & benefits schemes

A relocation scheme of up to \xc2\xa38,000 may be available to new employees specifically relocating to the Isle of Wight to take up a role with us. If you choose to commute to the Isle of Wight daily, you may be eligible get your travel costs reimbursed. Further details are available upon request.

Find out more about working for the Isle of Wight Council and living on the Island .

The Isle of Wight Council protects its employees from discrimination and this is supported by the , and . We actively promote the diversity of our workforce and we provide flexible working options (where appropriate) to support the different needs of our employees.

The Isle of Wight Council is an equal opportunities employer, who is proud to encourage applications from all cultures, backgrounds and abilities to better reflect the diversity within our local community. In addition to this, we are also a . Along with a number of other areas of commitments, this means that providing you meet the basic essential requirements of the advertised role and have declared yourself as disabled, you will be offered an opportunity for an interview within the council.

This council and its schools recruit according to the council\xe2\x80\x99s Recruitment, Policy and Procedure and are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.

This role falls within the strategic partnership between the Isle of Wight Council and Hampshire County Council. The employer will be the Isle of Wight Council and employment is on Isle of Wight terms and conditions. Hampshire County Council has delivered, on behalf of the Isle of Wight Council, all of its children\xe2\x80\x99s services functions and will continue to do so until 2023. The original five-year partnership arrangement under direction of the Secretary of State finished in 2018 but has been extended voluntarily by both local authorities for a further five years.

The management reporting line for this role is ultimately through Hampshire County Council Children\xe2\x80\x99s Services Director/Assistant Director and managers who take operational responsibility for children\xe2\x80\x99s services.

The Isle of Wight Council is committed to supporting all newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) through the implementation of a robust post graduate competency framework referred to as the Assessed and Supported Year of Employment (ASYE). The ASYE is intended to be the first stage of the continuing professional development for Registered Social Workers, and the framework will be closely allied to the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF). You will be therefore, be required to satisfactorily complete the ASYE programme within a 12-month period (or 18 months if part time).

If you have difficulty completing your online application or if you need further information about how to apply, telephone 01983 823134 or email . Please note only applications completed and submitted online by the closing date will be accepted.

We often receive a high volume of applicants for our vacancies. If you do not hear from the recruiting manager within three weeks of the closing date, we regret that your application will not have been successful on this occasion. If unsuccessful, we actively encourage you to revisit our job pages and apply to alternate posts that may be suitable.

Closing Date: 6 October 2023

Interview Date: 13 October 2023

Isle of Wight Council