We’re passionate about doing things the Rochdale Way and this drives everything we do. We work with the aim of investing in our people to strengthen families.
By choosing to work for us here at Rochdale Council you can expect:
- Supportive senior management and Council Members and the latest technology to support agile working, including a mobile phone and laptop.
- Comprehensive training, CPD and education programme including secondment opportunities across all Children’s Social Care services.
- Highly competitive starting salaries for all grades and clear career progression, including a support and mentoring programme to develop and promote managers.
- Manageable caseloads to allow time to effectively assess and reflect on cases and provide quality practice, ensuring better outcomes for children.
- Effective early help and MASS (Multi-Agency Screening Service) team and an award-winning dedicated child sexual exploitation team (the Sunrise Team) with positive links and strong partnership working between key partner agencies.
- Reflective supervision policy in place, which sets out that this must be regular, reflective and include professional development as well as case management.
- Home/work life balance is a key priority to ensuring the wellbeing of staff within the council, allowing staff to be innovative with their time with facilities to work from home and other locations where necessary.
If you’re thinking of applying for a job in our children’s social work, read the following guide to the extensive support package we offer:
Learning, development and progression
We are committed to supporting our staff in their continuous professional development and we will work with you to ensure you are placed in the best team to meet your skills and preferences. Our staff and managers have also co-designed a new workforce development programme to promote intervention-led practice across the whole service in 2017.
Our Strengthening Practice Programme is a 14 month programme that we have commissioned for all practitioners. It is based on strength based approaches and ensuring the practitioners have access to a range of tools and different ways of working to help improve outcomes and make a real difference for children and families. This is a significant investment in all our staff and a pioneering initiative in the region.
We’re leading the way
We are at the cutting edge of service redesign, where professionals from every agency share information, expertise and work together to ensure the best possible outcomes for the children and young people in the borough.
Our child sexual exploitation innovation programme, the Sunrise Team, is just one part of an award-winning partnership in tackling CSE and Ofsted has recognised both our strengths as a learning organisation and our commitment to improving the service at every level.
We have organised our service to follow a child’s journey and this includes having an effective early help and MASS service at the point of entry, dedicated court and child protection teams as well as an integrated cared for children service.
Our success is underpinned by passionate, skilled and empathetic social work teams at the forefront of best practice. We believe that working with you is critical. We actively listen and act on what our staff say in a variety of forums, including working groups and staff briefings.
Effective management and caseloads
We encourage our managers to take up a range of development opportunities. When they put that learning into practice and share their knowledge it improves the whole team.
Supervision is important to us and enables managers and staff to capture progress, development needs and effectively manage any issues.
We understand how important a manageable caseload is so we ensure they are set at the right levels.
Technology
You’ve got have the right tools in order to do the job. We get that so we’ve made sure that you’ll have modern, mobile working solutions along with the appropriate software and training to ensure technology helps you perform to the best of your ability.
Staff Benefits
- Work in award-winning council offices, overlooking the River Roch with first class facilities including: showers, rest areas, roof top terrace, coffee bar and hi-tech equipment
- Offices located next to the transportation hub for buses and trams which provides a key link to the local surrounding areas and the Greater Manchester region
- Excellent learning and development opportunities
- Embedded regular supervision including reflective supervision
- Flexible working scheme
- Agile working
- Purchase additional annual leave
- Child care vouchers
- Reduced car parking charges
- Cycle to work scheme
- Public transport travel to work scheme
- Health and wellbeing initiatives and promotions
- Leisure centre within a 5 minute walk, with reduced charges for 'active workforce' sessions
- Free employee assistance programme for council staff, plus their immediate family.
- Designated work space
- An excellent pension scheme
Still need convincing? Here’s some quotes from our staff;
“Everyone is approachable and there is always someone around who you can seek advice and support from. This is the best part about Rochdale and is one of the main reasons I have stayed.”
“Really welcoming, supportive environment for starting your career in social work – lots of opportunities for learning and developing skills and knowledge.”
Come and lead the way with us.