Barking and Dagenham is a borough in East London, with a population of over 210,000; the borough is richly diverse, with a mix of cultures and backgrounds.
Barking and Dagenham is known for its rich history and heritage, including the ruins of Barking Abbey, which date back to the 7th century. The borough also has a number of parks and green spaces, including Barking Park, which is one of the oldest in the country, and the award-winning Parsloes Park.
There are many cultural attractions in the area, including Eastbury Manor House and the Broadway Theatre, which hosts a range of performances throughout the year. Transport links in Barking & Dagenham are strong, with the District Line running through the Borough, as well as a number of National Rail stations; the A13 road runs through the borough and provides access to the M25 motorway.
Our borough is vibrant and diverse, and this is something we are proud of. We value the diversity of people who live, work, and visit Barking and Dagenham and it is our vision to create a place where people understand, respect, and celebrate each other’s differences.
There has never been a more exciting time to join us at Barking and Dagenham Council – we have achieved Gold Investors in People accreditation and been shortlisted for PPMA Excellence in People Management Awards 2022, demonstrating our investment in and commitment to our staff. We are always on the lookout for Social Work applicants who are eager to achieve more.
We are putting the heart back into social work, and supported by our relational practice model, we ensure the child’s lived experience takes centre stage. We need committed individuals to support us in the delivery of these aims and to become part of our team to make a difference to our children and families.
The Council recognises the value of flexible and dispersed working in maximising the productivity of our workforce, and in enhancing the work/life balance for our staff. This covers flexibility in the way people work, in the workspaces we provide, and flexibility in working patterns. We provide the necessary IT and equipment so staff can work from any location that meets the needs of the vulnerable people we support.
We have a career progression framework, to assist Social Workers in developing their professional competence and pay grade giving a clear route for progression and how to reach career aspirations and goals.
Whatever your role with Barking and Dagenham, you can be sure that you will learn lots whilst growing and developing professionally.
In Barking & Dagenham we are developing our current career progression offer so that all internal staff and those wishing to join us know what to expect. Similarly to the journey of the child, we term this the journey of the worker. Below are some of the things we have as part of this offer:
a career progression handbook and matrix for all social workers, YOS practitioners and other non-social work roles
a bespoke offer of mentoring/coaching for all Team Managers from Service Managers as part of their progression
a bespoke offer of coaching for staff by the Principal Social Worker
a corporate mentoring offer available to all staff
shadowing and internal transfer opportunities for all staff so that a culture of internal movement between services can be promoted as part of retention
a robust ASYE programme as part of the NE London partnership with bespoke training schedule and plan
a potential post ASYE offer
fortnightly lunchtime share and learn practice sessions for all Assessment, Prebirth and MASH staff
a CSW forum for all Consultant Social Workers, to give a focus on development into management
a monthly management development forum focusing on oversight
a corporate leadership development course for all frontline managers and aspiring staff
a Child Practitioner Council for staff wanting to step up into representing their service to the Director of CS
free subscriptions to Research in Practice and other service-related forums for e.g., CORAM and LASC
Qualified Social Worker roles will also receive a recruitment and retention allowance of £2,500 with your first salary payment and an annual £2,500 retention payment (terms and conditions apply). We have a range of other there are a range of other benefits available to Barking & Dagenham employees, including:
flexible working (including “condensed hours”, flexi-time, part and term-time working)
up to 32 days annual leave
Local Government Pension Scheme
support for employees with caring responsibilities
support for employees who are members of the armed forces reserves or adult cadet volunteers
workplace adjustments for employees with a disability or long-term medical conditions
employee assistance programme
health and wellbeing support (including health checks, mental health and “revitalised” programme)
individual health risk assessments as appropriate
Occupational Health
EASE (Disability)
Graduates and trainees
LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender)
Maternity
Menopause
STARE (Standing Against Racism and Exclusion)
Womens’
Trade unions
appraisals
learning and development opportunities
mentoring
credit union membership
cycle purchase scheme
discounted gym membership
retail, holiday and travel discounts with our Wider Wallet scheme
season ticket and travel loans
If you have any questions regarding children's social work in Barking & Dagenham, please contact us via email socialcarereruitment@lbbd.gov.uk