About the role
We're looking for previously registered social workers who want to return to the profession.
The Return to Social Work Pathway is a new supported programme for social workers who want to restore their registration and return to social work practice in Cambridgeshire.
Cambridgeshire is a fantastic place to re-start your social work career. We are passionate about recognising the strengths in our individuals and developing these to enable our Social Workers to thrive. Our Return to Social Work Pathway will be the first step on your development journey with Cambridgeshire. During the programme, in line with Social Work England (SWE) requirements, you’ll be supported on a 30-60 day placement to update your practice and knowledge. Once you’ve received your registration from SWE you’ll transition into a social work post within the team you’ve completed your placement in.
We have a range of Teams and locations available so apply today or for more information call Nathalie on 01223 699263 or email welovesocialworkers@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or visit our website for more information.
This is a rolling campaign, and we will review applications daily so please don't wait to apply, we want to speak to you now!
We know that your time is precious, so our interviews are generally held virtually, by Microsoft Teams, to provide the most flexible recruitment process. We may include a virtual assessment as part of this, but we’ll give you all of the relevant information ahead of time.
Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
What will you be doing?
On the Return to Social Work pathway, you’ll undertake a 30–60 day paid placement with us before restoring your registration (which takes up to 20 days) and transitioning into a social work role.
During your placement you’ll be based in the team you’ll take up your social work role in, building up your knowledge of the service and getting to know your new team.
You’ll received bespoke support from a practice educator and manager to enable you to update the knowledge and skills needed so you feel confident and supported. You’ll have access to training, shadowing, coaching and supervision and will receive feedback to support your practice development.
After you’ve completed your placement and restored your social work registration you'll continue to be supported by your team and our practice educators.
About you
If you enjoy making a difference in your local community, are curious and spot things that others might not see and enjoy building relationships, Cambridgeshire is the right place for you to re-start your social work career.
The Return to Social Work Pathway is for qualified social workers who want to return to social work practice in Cambridgeshire. You’re eligible to apply for the Return to Social Work Pathway and to Social Work England for restoration if you:
- have previously been registered as a social worker with the HCPC or Social Work England
- have not been automatically removed from the register as a result of a listed offence
- have not been subject to a removal order within the last 5 years or, if more than 5 years have passed since your removal order, you have not made an unsuccessful application to restore your registration within the last 12 months
- have not been convicted of a listed offence (see Social Work England Restoration guidance for further details).
More guidance and information can be found at: https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/registration/restoration-guidance/
Attached are two job descriptions and person specifications. The first (Adult Support Coordinator) covers the position you will occupy while you complete your return to social work programme and the second is that of a Social Worker, which is the role you will move into after successfully restoring your registration with Social Work England. We have also attached the Return to Social Work handbook which includes detail on the structure of the programme.
Our benefits
We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits:
- Flexible working
- Flexible Bank Holidays
- A comprehensive wellbeing package
- Our Cambs Rewards employee discounts
- A comprehensive pension scheme.
- IDEAL staff equality, diversity and inclusion network.
- Camweb our staff intranet helping to keep you informed
- An employee recognition scheme
On completion of the programme and re-registration with Social Work England you will then be entitled to our more specific Social Worker benefits like:
- Generous annual leave provision (28 days, plus bank holidays)
- A supportive management team that will champion your learning and development
- Employee Assistance Programme – access to free support 24 hours a day
- Payment for business mileage expenses (45p per mile)
- A pay progression scheme to enable our Social Workers to accelerate through the pay grade as you gain experience and skills.
- Scalable retention payments to loyal social workers in specific teams after the first full year of employment, starting at £900 which increases during the first three years of service
- A relocation package of up to £8000 for eligible candidates
- Plus, 6 days of protected time each year to enable our Social Workers to maintain their Continuous Professional Development.
About us
Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.
Our four values are central to our culture, driving everything we do.
We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we firmly believe benefits our colleagues, the organisation and our communities. If you don’t meet every single requirement in the job role but think this could be you, please don’t be put off. We are committed to building a workplace that is compassionate and inclusive as well as diverse, so if you think you could be a good candidate for this role please consider applying and speak to the recruiting manager if you have any questions.
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network 'IDEAL' and self-organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We fully support providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, as well as when you join us, and we encourage candidates to contact the Hiring Manager, whose details can be found in the advert, to discuss any adjustment needs. Some examples of adjustments could include additional time to complete an assessment or printing a document on pastel coloured paper with larger font size and line spacing. We would value talking about what might be possible to enable you to join us and thrive, so if there is something that would help you to do your best during your journey with us, please get in touch.
Visit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion.
Attached documents
