Tower Hamlets lies on the north bank of the river Thames immediately east of the City of London, and includes much of the redeveloped Docklands area.
Tower Hamlets offers the best of London in one borough.
We are a vibrant and developing part of East London and home to over 310,00 people, our population has grown by 22.1 per cent since 2011. In 2021 the population aged 5-15 was 38,333 and there were a further 6,768 residents aged 16 and 17 – this means we have one of the youngest populations compared to any local area in the UK.
Tower Hamlets has a rich history of diversity, equality and inclusion and there are more than 137 languages spoken in our borough today. We are proud of Tower Hamlets’ long tradition of immigration and welcoming new cultures – a tradition which started in the 17th Century with the arrival of Huguenot refugees and has since included Irish, Ashkenazi Jewish and Bangladeshi immigration – each new community bringing with it traditions and culture that have contributed to the fantastic and exciting tapestry that is present day Tower Hamlets.
The mix of old and new, combined with award winning parks, internationally renowned cultural destinations, world class learning institutions and one of the UK's largest economies makes Tower Hamlets one of the most popular places to live, work, study and visit.
While Tower Hamlets represents a young, vibrant modern city, our history comes from being the hamlets of the Tower of London. Whether you are in Wapping, Isle of Dogs, Spitalfields, Mile End, Bethnal Green, Canary Wharf, St Katharine Dock, Stepney, East India, Whitechapel or Poplar, every area is a cornerstone of London’s history
We have fantastic transport links –Tower Hamlets Town Hall is directly opposite Whitechapel Station. Whitechapel is an interchange station and the best-connected transport hub in London – it serves the Hammersmith & City, District and Overground lines, with quick access to Central DLR and Jubilee lines. We also have the new Elizabeth line with links to Canary Wharf, Shenfield/Abbey Wood/Heathrow and Stratford.
Tower Hamlets town hall is the Grade II-listed former Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. A historic building that is once again at the heart of community life. Our borough is home to historic attractions including the Tower of London, Young V&A and the Museum of London, Docklands, and Tower Bridge.
Our borough has over 120 parks including Victoria Park, voted London’s most loved park, and part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
We hold major music festivals and events such as All Points East, In the Neighbourhood and the London Marathon. Our cultural offer also includes 22 art galleries including the Whitechapel Gallery, along with amazing street art and venues such as Wilton's Music Hall and Rich Mix. Tower Hamlets is also home to world-famous markets including Spitalfields, Columbia Road and Petticoat Lane. Brick Lane is a melting pot of food and culture, it has everything from renowned curry houses and Jewish beigel shops to the Old Truman Brewery vintage clothing markets.
Our international business districts generate the third highest economic output in the UK. Canary Wharf is London's central business district, it boasts many towering office buildings and luxurious residential properties overlooking the river Thames and many of the city's most notable landmarks. City Fringe includes Whitechapel, Aldgate and Spitalfields. It is being developed to support London’s financial sector, the growing digital creative businesses in Tech City and has plans for a world-class life science centre.
At Tower Hamlets we believe the best place for children is to be raised within their own families, immediate or wider, wherever it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Social Workers are at the core of our work with children and families. Our approach is about enabling social workers to build relationships and strengthen families by working with people in a compassionate and understanding way.
We are ambitious for children and families in Tower Hamlets and endeavour for every child and young person to be healthy, safe and successful.
Our Better Together Practice Framework is based on the ideas and concepts which underpin Restorative Practice and draws from other strength-based approaches, such as Systemic and Trauma Informed Practice
Our C-Change approach sets out “6 Cs” for our work with children, young people their parents and carers, and each other:
Connect
Curious
Community
Co-produce
Collaborate
Check
Tower Hamlets is a progressive and ambitious place to work. We place children and families at the heart of everything that we do and are relentless in our pursuit of positive outcomes for all.
Tower Hamlets is hugely diverse with a large Bangladeshi and Somali population as well as a number of smaller ethnic groups with their own cultures, beliefs and languages. As an inner London authority, we have many of the challenges that you would expect including high levels of child poverty and significant deprivation. We also have incredible opportunities and work very hard to maximise these to ensure the best for our residents.
We have strong working relations with our partner agencies - Police/Health/Community and Voluntary services and other specialist services linked to children with special educational needs and disabilities.
We are committed to excellence in social care and to achieving the best for our children and families.
We are very proud of the progress that we have made in ensuring the support and services we provide to children and families meets their needs effectively. Our most recent Ofsted inspection rated us Good and this has been followed up by a focused visit which highlighted numerous areas of strength.
“Children in care in Tower Hamlets benefit from committed social workers who build positive relationships with them and understand their needs and wishes well”Ofsted
“Children in care in Tower Hamlets benefit from committed social workers who build positive relationships with them and understand their needs and wishes well”
Ofsted
Ofsted has highlighted a number of key strengths including:
Children’s needs are being met well and they are helped to progress and improve their experiences.
Staff felt well supported through the pandemic and valued by the organisation. Social workers are highly positive about the leadership and organisational culture in Tower Hamlets.
Children are enabled to build effective and supportive relationships with committed, skilled and highly motivated social workers.
Leadership has clear understanding of our services and our improvement priorities.
Political leaders and senior officers share strong ambition and aspiration for our children, and political leaders are committed to ensuring resources are available to drive ongoing improvement.
Read Ofsted’s published report in full
Our flexible approach to working has continued post pandemic, and Tower Hamlets offers genuine remote working to social workers. While working arrangements are agreed between practitioners and their team manager, most practitioners work from home at least twice a week.
Many of our services are award-winning and in 2022 we were shortlisted for MJ’s Council of the Year.
We are determined to continue our journey of improvement and deliver outstanding services for children and families of Tower Hamlets.
We've been working hard to make Tower Hamlets a great place to practice social work. We are committed to developing excellent Social Work practitioners and making Tower Hamlets an employer of choice.
We know how important learning and development is particularly right at the start of your career – this is why we have invested in creating a leading ASYE and post-ASYE learning and development programme, called Steps to Success. Steps to Success is an innovative three-year programme designed to support Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSW) across their first three (post-qualifying) years of practice. It focuses on building skills and practice experience, ensuring all NQSWs are prepared for frontline practice and able to achieve a rewarding career in social work. Steps to Success starts with the ASYE, however, it is possible for NQSWs to join Steps to Success in their 2nd and 3rd year post-qualifying (if they have already completed the ASYE in a different local authority).
The Learning Academy also provides learning opportunities to support the ongoing development of experienced practitioners. We provide bespoke training focused on our Better Together practice framework which encompasses restorative, systemic and trauma informed practice principles. We will help you to develop excellent social work practice and achieve career advancement at a pace that is right for you.
Our training offer includes core, elective and specialist learning pathways. Also included are clinical supervisions, bespoke staff support, as well as clear development pathways for every stage of your social work career.
Our offer to staff includes:
The opportunity to work in a richly diverse, challenging and supportive inner London Borough
Competitive remuneration package
Investing in the workforce with end-to-end career support
A manageable and diverse caseload and good quality reflective supervision
Steps to Success, coaching, and bespoke learning and development support from the Learning Academy to develop your practice, with a clear framework for career development and progression into leadership.
Travel card/season ticket loan, Cycle to Work scheme, Local Government Pension Scheme
Opportunities for agile/flexible working
Discounted gym membership, access to free eye test, rent deposit scheme and & You at Work discounts as well as many other benefits
Generous annual leave package and wellbeing service
Smarter Working with new modern technology
Interested in working for us? For more information and detail about working in Supporting Families click HERE
If you have any questions about applying for roles within children's in Supporting Families at Tower Hamlets, please contact Project Officer Nazma Rabbani: Nazma.Rabbani@towerhamlets.gov.uk
If you are interested in having an informal discussion about working in Supporting Families at Tower Hamlets please contact: Sam Nair-Principal Social Worker/Head of Learning Academy: Sam.Nair@towerhamets.gov.uk