Leaving Care Worker

Salary details: £ - £

Derbyshire Leaving Care Service are looking for a Leaving Care Worker to join our very passionate, inclusive and dynamic Erewash and South Derbyshire team based in one of our nationally renowned young persons hub.

You will be committed to corporate parenting and relationship-based practice as the driver of positive outcomes and transitions for young people.

Social Pedagogy and trauma informed approaches will be at the heart of your practice, with the ability to challenge and aspire colleagues and partners to ensure a genuine parenting approach and good accommodation options for older children in care and care leavers.

You will be joining an established, high performing service with excellent strategic agreements including a comprehensive Local Offer for Care Leavers, excellent EET opportunities, discounted water bills for care leavers, council tax reductions and thriving support groups. We are aspirational to build an even better service following on from our 2023 Ofsted Leaving Care Visit. Inspectors were humbled by the amazing strength’ of the council’s care leavers and found:

• A passionate and skilled workforce which is enabling care leavers to progress well and benefit from positive experiences
• The aspirations, wishes and concerns for young people leaving the council’s care are apparent and plans are ‘ambitious’ reflecting a ‘determination for care leavers to succeed in what they want to do.’
• A focus on effective transitions for young people between the ages of 16 and 18 with support to develop confidence and life skills to negotiate the opportunities and challenges of adulthood.
• Young people leaving the council’s care, value the service and said workers are caring and supportive and they felt they could contact their worker when necessary
• Accommodation needs are carefully considered so young people feel secure and their wishes around location are respected so they can maintain relationships with people who are important to them
• There is a clear focus on education, employment and training (EET) designed to help young people of all abilities choose the appropriate route to make the most of their opportunities when they leave care
• The council’s culture is ‘not giving up on a young person’ and this is embedded across the service

What you will be doing:

• Maintaining and promoting positive outcomes and our culture of never giving up on care experienced young people.     
• Working supportively with our care experienced young people, our partners and locality social work teams with an aspirational approach for young people’s futures.
• Maintaining a child centred approach whilst promoting young people’s transitions into interdependence.
• Representing the service locally and regionally.
•  Working with the statutory guidelines and expectations for care leavers and children in care.
• Effectively supporting a number of young people to achieve the best outcomes for them.
• Evidencing a determined commitment to corporate parenting
• Working in partnership with colleagues, locality social workers, housing and adult social care teams and other partner agencies.

What skills and experience you need to have:

• Experience of working with children in care and care experienced young people
• A real passion and commitment to do more and do better for our young people whilst guiding them to achieve interdependence
• Outstanding interpersonal skills with the ability to successfully interact with young people, workers, management and partners
• A strong advocate for care leavers and children in care

What we offer you: 

• Annual leave and sick pay
• Generous local government pension scheme
• Guaranteed incremental annual pay increases
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounts at selected county leisure centres
• A vibrant service culture with an existing strong, skilled and passionate workforce

Due to this post having access to children and/or vulnerable adults, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post, as all cases are judged individually according to the nature of the role and information provided. Click here to see our policy on criminal background checks.

Apply now and take the first step towards a fulfilling career with us! By joining Derbyshire County Council you will have access to a range of amazing rewards and employee benefits, including our generous annual leave scheme, excellent local government pension and fantastic employee discounts. To discover more detail about the rewards and benefits available to you, click here

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We welcome applications from individuals who share our values — being Collaborative, Innovative, Empowered and Accountable. These values describe who we are and what we stand for as a council. They help shape our culture, encourage consistent behaviour and guide how we work together to make a positive difference for both our employees and the residents we serve.