How long have you been in your job and what did you do before?
Before working in social care I worked in a variety of settings such as retail, factory and bar work. Prior to attending University, I was a qualified childcare worker and worked in a school setting with Special Educational Needs children. It is working in this field that led me to pursue a career as a social worker.
I have been working in my current team (Miskin) for three years, prior to this I worked as a social worker in an Intensive Intervention Team. I worked in this field for two years.
What does your job involve and what is a typical day like?
My current role involves working with teenagers aged 11-18; inhibiting placement breakdowns and preventing children from becoming looked after.
My case load predominantly involves working with young people whose names have been placed on the Child Protection register. I also provide parenting work to parents and support young people who have witnessed either high levels of DV, substance misuse or CSE.
A typical day for me can range from attending Core Group meetings such as CASP meetings, CLA reviews or attending strategy discussions in a multi-agency setting. I also undertake visits to families providing therapeutic direct work to help support young people or their parents with a variety of issues or incidents.
All of the work undertaken is fed back to the frontline social worker who I work closely with, sharing information to safeguard children and their families from significant risk of harm.
What’s the best thing/s about your job?
Working with young people and parents, achieving change and positive results.
Helping children and young people remain with their parents and/or maintaining placement stability.
I also enjoy liaising and working with other professionals in a multi-agency manner; working together to achieve the best outcomes for the families we work with.
What attracted you to apply for a job with RCT Council?
I live in the RCT area and wanted the travel distance to work to be minimal.
I had colleagues working for the authority who helped me train as a social worker so already had strong links to staff who worked within RCT social care.
I was also aware that Social Workers are afforded the opportunity to attend the first year in practice which protects you from Child Protection cases and provides an intense training development course in the first years of practice.
What positives have you experienced in your career with RCT Council? (e.g. any highlights, career progression, training/learning and development)
Over the past 5 years I have been afforded the opportunity to attend and develop my knowledge in the social care training development programme; accessing a variety of trainings days around Domestic Violence, CSE, Substance misuse, ASD, FAS, and many more learning/development courses.
I have also had the opportunity to attend university to complete the CPEL course.
What is the best thing about working for RCT Council?
- Training development programmes are well developed and utilised.
- Good supervision and support from management.
- Excellent pay scales.
What would you say to someone thinking of applying for a job in social care at RCT Council?
I enjoy working for the Authority. If you were to apply for a role here you would work in teams that I believe support one another. It is a busy authority to work for; however team morale allows you to pull together to face challenges together which drives case progression and helps attain positive results for children and families.