Gloucestershire West Team

Social workers support up to 18 children; depending on their level of experience, and will assess, intervene, plan and review with families to create sustainable change to improve outcomes for children. 

Social workers build relationships with children and families, working collaboratively to enable and empower change. 

We seek to provide the right support, at the right time, and at the lowest level of intervention proportionate to the needs and risks.

Where we are based

Gloucestershire West covers the areas of Forest of Dean and Gloucester. Two very different and interesting areas of the county.

Our Forest office is based in Cinderford; co-located with the Early Help Team and Adult Services. The office has plenty of parking, plenty of desk space and is a welcoming place to be based. The Forest of Dean is a beautiful part of the county, with stunning scenery. 

Our Gloucester office is based in Shire Hall, right in the centre of the city very close to the cathedral and within walking distance of the Quays, shops and cafés. We have parking available and agile working arrangements with spaces for teams to be together each week.

Gloucester is co-located with early help, and many of the countywide services which enhances our working relationships, including our front door, children in care teams, child protection chairs, IRO’s, edge of care and disabled children’s service.

Who we are

There are 14 teams supporting children and families in Gloucestershire West. Four in the Forest of Dean and 10 in Gloucester.

Each team has five social workers, an advanced practitioner and a team manager; supported by one business support administrator per team. 

Two group managers oversee the 14 teams. 

Gloucester has a multi-agency team, called GMAT (Gloucester Multi Agency Team) who are co-located in the office, comprising of family mental health nurses, substance misuse, domestic abuse, adult education, youth support and housing workers. This helps us with excellent multi agency working and the sharing of knowledge and learning about each other’s areas of expertise.

We have a workforce with a huge amount of experience and diversity, and are proud of how we welcome and support new people joining our service.

Skills you'll need

You will need to be a qualified Social Worker, or Social Work graduate who is passionate about working with families to progress plans which aim to reduce risk to children. You will need to be resilient, empathetic, dedicated, have good communication and written skills, and be child and family focused. You will have an interest in child protection and have a strong desire to improve the lives of the children living in the Forest of Dean and/or Gloucester.

We are looking for qualified social workers who are passionate about keeping children at the heart of everything that we do.

Social workers need the ability to build relationships with children, families and professionals and work openly and honestly with them.

Working respectfully with children and families, recognising diversity and working with families to create change.

We need social workers who can create analytical assessments with children and families; capturing the child and family’s voice, drawing together information about the child’s life to understand the strengths, needs, risks, complicating factors and what impact they have.

We want social workers who can bring families together to create plans with families, that address the most important needs for the child and the family so we only step into their lives for the shortest amount of time.

Social workers need to have great organisational skills, and we will support you to develop your resilience and help you take of your emotional and physical well-being.

Why you should join us

• We care about our workforce as well as the children and families we work with.
• We are child focused, committed, supportive, and create great opportunities for career development and learning.
• We are on an exciting journey to ensure that all children and families receive a good or outstanding service from us.
• We offer flexibility and create autonomy but expect high standards for the children and families we work with.
• We use systemic practice, and our social work academy is a great resource available to all. 

Here's what our staff say

“I love how well the teams work together in Gloucester; everyone is supportive, get on well, and can bounce ideas off one another. Everyone goes above and beyond to help one another. The office is a positive place to be”.
Tuchana, Social Worker

 “I am extremely lucky to have such amazing support, but that support does not end with my advanced practitioner. I had the best placement and feel truly blessed to be a member of the dream team, all members of the team are amazing and that’s all held together by the team manager”
Linsey, Newly Qualified Social Worker

“I have remained in the same team for 6 years, which is testament to how I have found it a nurturing and positive environment where I have happily settled for ages. I have always had my specific interest and areas of focus supported and nurtured. I like working in Gloucester because I like the available network of services and support, and relationships with other agencies. I have also found the changes of senior management have been positive and not had a detrimental impact because it has been changes of face with people who have mainly been long established and are familiar. Which is good because they have that understanding and insight into the way the teams work and frontline working”
Kelly, Social Worker

“I started in Gloucester as a student Social Worker and have not left due to the high level of support from managers and leaders. There are lots of opportunities to grow, develop and progress with support. We have access to the Gloucester multi-agency team which is a real asset when working collaboratively with children and families. My experience has been that my voice, as children's social worker is valued and listened to”. 
Amy, Advanced Practitioner

Get in touch

We'd love to tell you more!

✉ Email: CSWrecruitment@gloucestershire.gov.uk