C&F

Children and

Families

Children and Families’ main purpose is to improve the lives of all children and young people across Staffordshire. We’re using a whole system approach to enable children and young people to be happy, healthy, and safe and we’re investing an additional £5 million for practical measures, to boost oversight, increase support and reduce workloads. And what motivates, inspires and connects us as a team is knowing that the work we do every single day has so much impact!

So, whether it’s our social workers supporting families to stay together where possible or our SEND Keyworkers making sure all children get the best experience at school, or our analysts giving insights of areas for improvement – we’re all focused on making lives better in Staffordshire.

Meet some of the Children and Families team

Matt

Children and Families

Matt

As a Projects and Improvement Manager Matt drives positive change by improving our approach to children’s services.

Natalie

Children and Families

Natalie

As a Registered Manager, Natalie sees the positive impact she has on children and young people every day!

Michael

Children and Families

Michael

As a Social Worker in our Duty Team, Michael helps keep children and young people safe and supported.

Georgina

Children and Families

Georgina

Georgina ensures the voices of children are heard through her work as a Consultation and Engagement Coordinator.

Amy

Children and Families

Amy

As a Family Practitioner Lead in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Amy ensures extra support for the children that need it.

To get to know more about the different areas and roles in Children and Families and how they support Staffordshire County Council take a look below.

Children's Social Care
Children’s social care is where you’ll find our children’s social work teams so perhaps if you’re a qualified social worker you might be interested in roles such as:

Newly Qualified / Social Worker (Grade 9)

Advanced Social Worker (Grade 10)

Social Work Practice Lead (Grade 11)

Consultant Social Worker

Family Practitioner Lead

Or perhaps you’re looking for a management role such as:

Social Work Team Manager,

District Lead for one of our social work areas

Deputy or Registered Manager in our Residential Settings

However, if you’re wanting to start out in Children and Families and you have some experience of working with / or volunteering with children and young people you might want to apply for a:

Family Time Worker

Family Time Supervisor

Family Practitioner

SEND Keyworker

Education Welfare Officer

Education Inclusion Officer

Residential Worker / Resource Worker in our Children in Care settings

Wherever you are in your career journey, there are many different roles at different levels in Children social care where you can bring your transferable skills and have a positive impact. So, if you’re passionate about helping children and families and resilient in the face of a challenges, come and join our team.
Start a career in social work
If you want to become part of the next generation of social workers, there are many different routes you can take. Some are national schemes which require you to already have a degree and include:

‘Step Up’ to Social Work

Frontline programmes

You can find out more about Frontline and ‘Step Up’ to Social Work by clicking the links above.

Our Social Work Apprenticeship

We also run our own Social Work Apprenticeship in partnership with Staffordshire University. You don’t need a degree for our apprenticeship, you just need to:

Be employed with us for 1 year or more, working 30 hours + and in a permanent role

Have GCSEs or equivalent at C grade or above in English and Maths

Current social work vacancies – ASYE and Experienced

And if you’re about to or already qualified and looking to develop your social work career our social work progression pathway can ensure you have regular career milestones to track you all the way to management. You can check out our current social work qualified vacancies here.

Social Work Progression Pathway

Here at Staffordshire we have a comprehensive career pathway for social workers. From starting out as a Newly Qualified Social Worker through to becoming a Team Manager you will be fully supported and encouraged to develop your career with us.

Supervision and reflection

One thing you can rely on, whether you’re starting your Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) with us or you’re an experienced social worker, we value supervision and having space to reflect. This is a key part of our social work approach. It helps everyone to become their very best.

Through one-to-one and group supervision, you’ll have the space to reflect on your work and to learn from others. By focusing on the relationships we have with each other, we’re able to focus on the relationships we have with our children and families.
Education, Strategy and Transformation
In Education Strategy and Improvement, we collaborate with schools, elected members, local partners, and government bodies to ensure high-quality care and education for all children and young people.

Our responsibilities include working with partners to provide sufficient quality school placements, ensuring equitable access to education through services like school admissions, free school meals, and home-to-school travel. We also focus on promoting excellent school attendance and inclusion, catering to the education needs of children of compulsory school age regardless of their circumstances.

Our business unit efficiently handles various aspects, such as children missing education, elective home education, children in entertainment, and employment. We offer safeguarding guidance, support, and oversight for education providers, prioritising the welfare of children and young people.

We place special emphasis on supporting vulnerable children, including those with Special Educational Needs (SEND). Our virtual school champions education for care-experienced children, offering advice and support for all children with a social worker.

Roles within our unit encompass a range of positions, such as:

Elective Home Education Officers

Attendance and Inclusion Officers

SEND Officers,

Educational Psychologists,

Specialist Teachers,

Education Safeguarding Officers

School Admissions Officers
Wellbeing and Partnerships
Wellbeing and Partnerships work with communities and a range of partners and providers to make sure we have key services available such as: children’s centres, health visitors, school nurses, joint commissioning for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), emotional wellbeing support, youth services, the resettlement scheme and much more.

The work we do within Wellbeing and Partnerships really focuses on managing, developing, and improving the quality of the resources and services on offer in the community. This ensures that children have access to high quality support so that they can have the best outcomes.

Intelligence, Performance, Quality Assurance and Engagement Team

We are the data, analysis and insight arm of Children and Families, situated within Wellbeing and Partnerships. This department is invaluable in supporting teams to understand how we can best develop and improve outcomes for children and families. Using feedback from families, looking at trends and many other data sources they support us to spot opportunities to improve our services and support. This then leads to change in our practice and ultimately to improved outcomes for children and families in Staffordshire.

So, the roles you’ll find in Wellbeing and Partnerships are:

Family Hub managers

Family Coaches

Commissioning Managers, Officer and Support Officers

Placement Finders

Analysts

Performance and Improvement Officers
Our vision for children and families
Our vision is to establish a unified system that centres around children and their families. Support, when necessary, will be local, accessible, and impactful, with specialised services enhancing these offerings. Key themes shaping our approach include:

Family First: Our focus is on what benefits the child the most.

Whole System Approach: Collaborating closely with partners and agencies.

Integrated Pathways: Ensuring seamless structures and support.

Specialist Support: Available where it’s needed.

Local: Empowering children to stay in their communities with accessible family support.

Flexibility: We adapt to evolving needs, boasting a versatile workforce.

Issue Resolution: Identifying and implementing solutions that work better for children, families, and practitioners.

Quality Prioritization: Our unwavering commitment to practice quality and positive outcomes.

Evidence and Child-Focused: We rely on evidence and consider children and families’ perspectives.

We are dedicated to a system that truly places children and families at its core, making support accessible and effective while addressing current system issues.
Whole system approach and restorative practice

We’ve embraced a holistic approach to realize our vision and values, anchored by a Restorative Practice Model. This strengths-based approach fosters inclusion and support, enabling children to achieve optimal outcomes. Practitioners collaborate with partners, children, and families, making joint decisions, building resilience, and enhancing problem-solving.

Our goal is to keep children with social care needs within their families when safe and suitable, and to provide timely support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our district-based operating model ensures flexibility in resource allocation and equitable workload management.

Through our Place Based Approach, including SEND locality hubs, we engage communities, the voluntary sector, partners, and universal services to address needs early on.

Children and

Families

Meet some of the Children and Families team

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