The city council celebrates World Social Work Day, as more than 200 children’s services staff have been recruited over the past eighteen months

The city council celebrates World Social Work Day, as more than 200 children’s services staff have been recruited over the past eighteen months

On today, World Social Work Day, Stoke-on-Trent City Council is celebrating children’s social workers and the immense difference they make to children and young people’s lives across the city.

For the past eighteen months a campaign has been underway to recruit social workers and other children’s services workers at the city council.

The campaign called Shape Stoke’s Future aims to recruit permanent members of staff to jobs where traditionally there is a shortage.

Since the campaign began in August 2020, 207 people have started in a role within children’s services, 120 of theses in roles that require a social work qualification (these figures include internal moves).

Roles available through the campaign include residential care workers, a range of social work roles, care managers as well as care and quality workers.

As part of the approach, a dedicated website has been set up to showcase the jobs and outline why now is a great time to join Stoke-on-Trent City Council. Extensive social media advertising targeting potential candidates working both in the city and surrounding areas up to 45 minutes commuting distance from the city alongside other advertising and media activity has been ongoing to attract applications.

Benefits for people joining the organisation are outlined in full with new employees getting:

• A true opportunity to help and support children in the city
• A way to make their mark by shaping practice and next steps in an exciting local authority
• An immediate chance to gain significant experience at pace
• An ability to be part of the Stoke-on-Trent story that is interesting, diverse and challenging
• Professional development through the newly formed Children’s Social Care, Learning & Development Academy
• A chance to work in a city that was voted the kindest in the U.K and most recently has secured £56m in Levelling Up funding, one of the largest government investments in Stoke-on-Trent in many years

Cllr Dave Evans, cabinet member for children and young people at Stoke-on-Trent City Council said: “Social workers do what they do because they care about children and I can truly say our social workers are extremely dedicated to children in the city. Our social workers have continued to provide extensive support and guidance throughout the pandemic and feedback from our most recent Ofsted monitoring visit shows we are making discernible progress, this is down to the sheer hard work of what our social workers do on a daily basis.

“Here in Stoke-on-Trent, we have been undergoing a huge transformation to improve our children’s services. It’s an exciting place for individuals to come and help to shape Stoke-on-Trent’s future. As a city, we are the litmus test for the Government’s levelling up agenda. And children and young people are the council’s number one priority to benefit from the investment and positive change this will bring. There are a range of jobs on offer and we want people to want to come and work with us.

“It’s a hugely competitive marketplace but we know that if you come to work here, you’ll have an amazing experience. We’d urge you to take a look and see if the jobs we’ve got on offer are right for you. You’ll have an opportunity to really shape the future for a generation of children and we know that’s what dedicated workers really want to do.” 

Find out more about the children’s social work jobs on offer at: www.shapestokesfuture.co.uk