About the job

Job summary

This exciting opportunity is located within the Office of the Chief Social Work Adviser, and is responsible for delivering a programme of tailored implementation support and training, aligned to the . This involves supporting social work leaders and their workforce to embed trauma enhanced approaches into their services, systems and practice, in line with the

 

The Office of the Chief Social Work Adviser (OCSWA) is the key source in Scottish Government for professionally informed advice across the range of government policy and delivery related to social work and social care. The T workplan, developed in partnership with key stakeholders, includes actions to embed trauma knowledge and skills into social work education, improve access and build sustainability to training, and provide implementation support to develop trauma responsive social work services. The Partnership Delivery Group reports directly into the and the .

 

Reporting to the Programme Lead, you will lead a small team who will support social work service providers to adopt organisation and system wide change and embed trauma responsive social work practices across children’s, adult and justice social work services in Scotland. The team work closely with the partners of the NTTP, including colleagues at NHS Education for Scotland, the Improvement Service (IS) and Resilience Learning Partnership.

The team provide advice to other policy areas on trauma responsive social work activity and are delivering on multiple Scottish Government priorities including and

 

We actively encourage applications from those with lived experience of trauma and social work services.

 

This role is for a full time Fixed Term Appointment (with Fair and Open Competition) for a period of 23 months, with the possibility of extension up to 47 months. Two-year secondment opportunities will also be considered, as can alternative working hours and patterns.

Job description

•Lead a small team to deliver a programme of workforce support for the social work workforce, including support for operational middle and front-line social work leaders
•Lead in providing implementation support, consultancy and coaching to a range of social work services in children’s, adult and justice social work
•Coordinate team resources to ensure day to day delivery of high quality trainings for the social work workforce that include a programme of leadership support, focus on developing trauma responsive services, systems and workforces, understanding and working with those affected by complex trauma in a social work context, relationships based practices and recovery approaches, safety and stabilisation skills, power sharing with people with lived experience, understanding mental health in the context of trauma and supporting worker wellbeing and reflective practice approaches
•Provide direct line management to Implementation and Learning Practitioners
•Identify suitably experienced and skilled social work practitioners capable of accessing training for trainers, in order to build capacity across Scotland’s social work services
•Deliver train the trainers programmes for the social work profession, in line with the
•Keep up to date with current, innovative and evidence-based approaches to developing trauma informed and responsive services, systems and workforces, to embed trauma enhanced practice that aligns with the
•Contribute to evaluation processes and work with key partners to share learning as part of the National Trauma Transformation Programme.

 

Person specification

1. Demonstrate and evidence a high level of competence, effectiveness and extensive experience in trauma enhanced practice, with direct experience in providing advocacy, therapeutic support or interventions, taking account of trauma reactions and reducing risk of re-traumatisation, or management of these services (in line with the Transforming Psychological Trauma: A knowledge and Skills Framework for the Scottish Workforce and The Scottish Psychological Trauma Training Plan)
2. Experience in supporting the professional development and capabilities of others through coaching, education and training delivery, and staff management
3. Leadership experience in a social work role, including influencing and managing organisational change
4. Demonstrating a high level of self-awareness, with knowledge and skills in reflective practice approaches and its application in social work.

 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,141, Scottish Government contributes £15,428 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

TBC

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.