Social Worker - Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children’s Team (UASC)

This is an exciting time to be joining Dorset Council, we are investing and strengthening our service to meet the needs of all unaccompanied children in and beyond our care. A new, dedicated team of Social Workers and Personal Advisers is being created. This opportunity is now available for social workers who are interested and passionate about offering the best service to unaccompanied children.

Social workers will support children to receive a warm Dorset welcome, as they come into our care. Settling into homes where they can be offered the stability, care, and safety they need to adjust to living in the UK, develop their skills and transition into adulthood. 

You will deliver the full range of statutory responsibilities for Children in Care, under the Children Act 1989, as well as working within the Leaving Care Act 2000 and alongside Personal Advisors, when a child reaches 16.

You will be working collaboratively with multi agency partners to identify and assess each child’s needs and reflect these and their individual strengths and aspirations within all aspects of care planning. There will be a particular focus on their health, education, and social needs, which will include supporting cultural links within communities and advocating for them to receive the best care and support.

You will be aiming to achieve permanence for our children ensuring triple planning is started early and clear to our children and those supporting them. In this role you will work closely with our legal service and the Home Office to progress our children’s asylum applications promptly.

About you:

• You will have a Social Work qualification, be registered with Social Work England and be able to fulfil the travel requirements of the post. This post has a significant travel requirement, both locally and nationally, and you are contractually required to have a vehicle (or transport deemed to be suitable by the council) available for use as required.
• You will need experience of working to meet competing demands and be able to adapt to changing situations and respond appropriately. 
• You will need to be an effective communicator, be creative in your work and use reflective thinking to inform your practice.
• Experience in working with unaccompanied young people is desirable but not essential.
• Due to the current need, applications can only be accepted from candidates who already have the right to work in the UK.

At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future.

We:

• provide essential services that support over 300,000 residents
• work in partnership to make a real difference
• value every role and the impact it has on our communities
• support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive

You will:

• be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset
• have access to a range of benefits and support
• receive training and development opportunities to help your career progress

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible, if you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application.

This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement.

If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us.

Find out more about how to apply.