Children’s Social Work Teams
The Children’s Social Work Teams work with:
- vulnerable children in need
- children in need of protection, including those subject to pre-proceedings
- children who become cared for by us, either under Section 20 accommodation (The Children Act 1989), or through care proceedings where an interim care order is not in place.
What the Children’s Social Work Teams do
The Children’s Social Work Teams will:
- work with families, partners and communities to support children to safely remain within their families wherever possible
- develop clear, outcome-focused SMART plans to support progress and accountability
- carry out purposeful visits, including direct work with children and their families
- take timely statutory action where required to protect children, including child protection plans, pre-proceedings, court proceedings and care arrangements.
How the team is structured
The teams are led by 2 service managers, each have responsibility for 4 Children’s Social Work Team managers.
Each Children’s Social Work Team includes:
- a team manager
- an assistant team manager
- 6 qualified social workers
- a family worker
- dedicated administrative support.
We've strengthened the service with 2 additional roles:
- a Case Progression Manager, who checks that plans are moving forward on time and decisions are made when needed
- a Children in Need Reviewing Officer (CINRO), who independently reviews plans to make sure they are strong and help improve outcomes for children.
Our approach
There are 8 Children’s Social Work Teams across Medway. Practitioners hold varied caseloads and develop a broad range of knowledge and expertise across the social care system.
Teams work closely with families, communities and wider networks to build on strengths and support children to remain safely within their families wherever possible.
Support does not end when social care involvement reduces. The teams work in partnership with schools, Family Solutions and universal services to ensure ongoing and sustainable support for children and families.
Practice framework and development
We uses the Signs of Safety model to underpin our work with children and families, including within child protection conferences.
We also use a range of assessment and intervention tools tailored to identified needs, including:
- the Graded Care Profile
- parenting assessments
- direct work with children.
Our professional development offer supports continuous learning, including training in these approaches and the practice education of social work students.