Chance to train as a children’s social worker

Shropshire Council is offering six people the chance to train as a children’s social worker.

The successful applicants will get to train on the job, while studying for a degree in social work with University Centre Shrewsbury. Once they graduate they’ll be offered a job as a qualified social worker within Shropshire.

The recruitment will offer people the chance to embark on a new and rewarding career, make a difference to the lives of local children, and also help the council to save money by reducing its reliance on agency workers.

It follows the recruitment of eight trainees last year.

Full details, and an application form, can be found on the Shropshire Council website.

Ed Potter, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services, said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for the people of Shropshire to really make a difference to the lives of our local communities.

“We’re taking a really innovative approach to addressing the need for skilled and qualified social workers, ‘growing our own’ and investing in the workforce of the future. We’ll also be investing in the long-term future of the successful applicants, providing them with first class training at University Centre Shrewsbury.”

Karen Bradshaw, Shropshire Council’s director of children’s services, said:

“There is a national issue in recruiting  social workers – there are just not enough being trained to meet the increasing demand for trained and experienced staff. I’m delighted that Shropshire Council has joined forces with University Centre Shrewsbury on this innovative approach to meeting our future workforce needs and ensuring our future workforce is qualified, skilled  and experienced.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for six lucky people to embark on a career as a children’s social worker and to make a real difference to the lives of Shropshire’s children and families.

“We’re hoping that this opportunity will appeal particularly to local people, who will then opt to stay living and working within the county once they qualify.”

For more information, and to apply, visit the Shropshire Council website at careers.shropshire.gov.uk.

To read some frequently-asked questions  about the recruitment and training please click here.

Applications will close on 27 September 2020.

Applicants will need to have experience of working with children, and have at least English and Maths GCSE grade C or above, or equivalent, and must be able to drive.