Jobs

Come and start your social work career at an Ofsted rated ‘good’ Children and Families Service.

We are recruiting newly qualified social workers looking to take their first steps into a career in social work.

Our teams are area based, meaning you work within local communities so will be able to build links with families and partner agencies. It is really important to us that Westmorland and Furness is a great place to be a child and grow up; a place of opportunity where young people are able to live happy and productive lives and a place where young people will want to live and work in the future.

We firmly believe that all children in Westmorland and Furness deserve the best start in life, and we're looking for the right people to help make that happen.

The role:

Current ASYE opportunities are available in our Support and Protect and Cared For children’s teams across the council.

Support and Protect: working with children and families on a short- longer term basis, completing assessments and working across the thresholds of Child in Need and Child Protection. Also, for some children where concerns escalate, working in the legal framework of pre-proceedings or within the court arena.

Cared for: supporting children and young people who are cared for by the local authority on a longer-term basis, helping them to achieve their ambitions.

About Westmorland and Furness:

Westmorland and Furness Council was officially formed in April 2023, which means this is an extremely exciting time to join us, we have made great progress in our journey to deliver innovative and impactful services.

In July 2024, our Children and Families Service received a rating of “Good” overall following their first routine Ofsted inspection since replacing the former Cumbria County Council.

Despite the positive inspection result, we are determined to continue our improvement journey in children’s services and achieve our ambitions and objectives for every child in Westmorland and Furness.

At Westmorland and Furness, we recognise that a permanent and stable workforce is an essential part of improving outcomes for children and young people. So, we make it our priority to ensure all our workers have the guidance, support, culture, environment, and tools to be able to do this work well. We are proud of the culture that we have created, our staff tell us they enjoy working for the organisation, it is important for us that staff continue to feel valued and want to work for us. Our workforce are highly skilled, compassionate and committed to making a difference to our children and their families.

At Westmorland and Furness, we are committed to providing a robust package of support to guide you through the initial stages of your social work career, to develop your confidence, skills and expertise at a pace that is right for you.

As part of our Children's Social Work Academy, you will receive:

One to one reflective supervision each week for the first six weeks by your practice educator, fortnightly for the next 6 months and then monthly until the completion of your ASYE. Alongside this you will receive monthly personal and professional supervision from your team manager.

A reduced caseload that will gradually increase as your experience does, at a pace that is right for you.

Shadowing opportunities in other teams to understand how the service works together for our children and families.

Extended training opportunities by our dedicated Practice Improvement Lead, on top of our already robust training programme for social workers.

Monthly Group Supervision with the ASYE cohort.

Time to learn; 2 days each month of protected time for you to study, research, or access any work experience activities that will support you in your ASYE year.

To apply please click the Apply Now link below.