Our Teams

We have 13 Children in Need teams who work with children and families on Children in Need and Child Protection plans and the initial work on care proceedings and s20. Each team is led by a Practice Manager and has Consultant Social Workers, Experienced Social Workers, Social workers and Newly Qualified Social Workers.

Social Workers in the CIN Team are the initial delivery point for statutory intervention. Social Workers complete assessments of families and where required, develop plans, support and provide intervention action and safeguarding. The teams support children and families who are in need of both support and protection. Achieving Best Evidence (“ABE”) trained Social Workers carry out child protection investigations under Section 47 of the Children Act.

These teams are complementary to the Children in Need Teams and work closely with them.  Early Help Teams are also led by a Practice Manager and have Family Support Practitioners, Education Welfare Officers, Specialist Youth Support Workers and other staff. Most of the work is done through the Common Assessment Framework and the Team around the Child Model. Consultant Social Workers provide advice and guidance on risk to Early Help teams.

There are 4 specialist LAC teams dealing with care proceedings, LAC and permanence.  Social Workers in the LAC teams are responsible for ensuring all children who are “Looked After” receive the support and services they need to allow them to grow up in stable, warm, healthy environments so they can reach their potential. Very importantly, these teams hold enormous expertise in the Court area and support or lead on cases within the court process and through the adoption process.

Social Workers in the Disabled Children’s teams deliver the same services as 0 – 19 CIN teams. What makes their role different is the very particular skills and knowledge they need to work with children who have physical or developmental challenges.

Families caring for disabled children have to develop additional skills to ensure their children are well cared for. Social Workers in disabled children’s teams work with families to support and assist them in gaining insight and skills.

The Fostering and Adoption team work together as one team with specific identifiable areas of responsibility:

Permanence Support Team offer support to children and their families that are living away from their birth parents in either, Adoption, Special Guardianship, Permanent Fostering or Link care.

Recruitment, Assessment & Matching Team is responsible for the county wide recruitment and assessment of foster carers and adopters.  We hold responsibility for matching children to adopters and permanent carers and supporting these new families throughout the initial months.

Fostering Changes for Children Team is responsible for delivering services to Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children; Privately Fostered children and their carers; and all Connected Person/Kinship Foster Carers.

Short term & Intensive Fostering Team provides support and supervision to mainstream fostering households who are caring for children in emergency, short term and short break placements.  The team also comprises of ‘Zipwire’ which is a therapeutic intensive support programme enabling children with a very high level of need to remain in a family foster placement.

Each team is led by a Practice Manager and has Consultant Social Workers, Experienced Social Workers, Social Workers and Family Support Practitioners.

The social workers in the CYP Sensory and Communication service provide front line support and direct work across the county with children who have a hearing, visual or multi-sensory impairment/loss.

Alongside all statutory duties and responsibilities we work with our specialist education colleagues in providing packages of support to meet the individual needs of children and young people and their families. The team also offers advice and guidance to parent/carers and family to reduce the impact of a sensory loss on a child’s development and social well-being.