Age Assessing Social Worker
Home Office
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 8th December 2024
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About the job
Job summary
The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, fire, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.
The Customer Services Group brings together Asylum & Human Rights, Asylum Support and Dispersal, Asylum Accommodation Centres, Resettlement Group, Passports, Citizenship & Civil Registration, Customer Operations Support Services and UK Visas & Immigration. As a major operational arm of the Home Office, we play a vital role in supporting the economy and cultural life of the UK.
The National Age Assessment Board is recruiting up to six social workers who will undertake Merton compliant age assessments on age disputed asylum seekers. The role offers the opportunity for qualified and experienced social workers to join a national team conducting age assessments on behalf of local authorities across the UK, and to become experts in the field of age assessment, developing strong working relationships with a variety of stakeholders and partners.
The National Age Assessment Board was established in March 2023 as part of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and is still a relatively new age assessment function in the Home Office. Successful applicants will help local authorities to improve their ability to conduct age assessments for themselves and to drive up quality and standards.
There are 6 social worker posts in the following areas:
• Solihull – 4 vacancies
• Glasgow – 2 vacancies
The split of vacancies may adjust slightly at these locations due to changes in business needs.
Job description
NAAB social workers will work in pairs to conduct age assessments across the UK on behalf of local authorities and the Home Office.
Candidates will need to be qualified social workers and have up to date membership of Social Work England or the equivalent in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - an up to date registration number will need to be supplied.
Ensuring that the young people who are assessed are at the heart of what we do, social workers will undertake ‘Merton’ compliant age assessments on behalf of local authorities and the Home Office. The written assessments need to be robust enough to withstand scrutiny through legal challenge and completed within agreed timescales.
Responsibilities
NAAB social workers will:
• Develop an excellent working knowledge and understanding of the Merton age assessment process.
• Represent the Home Office in local authority settings across the UK to deliver a high-quality service through the completion of robust but fair age assessments. This could include engagement with local authority social workers, teachers, foster carers, and other professionals involved in the young person’s care.
• Support the Home Office response to legal challenges, where they arise, including preparing court statements and giving evidence in court.
• Use working knowledge of legislation and case law relevant to age assessment in all parts of the UK (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, where applicable).
• Develop and contribute to activity as part of the NAAB’s quality assurance framework.
• Adopt a child centred and trauma informed approach to working with young people and undertaking assessments. Provide the appropriate statutory response to any child protection or safeguarding concerns that come to light during the age assessment process.
• Adapt personal practice in response to feedback given through the quality assurance process.
• Contribute to the delivery of the NAAB’s engagement strategy.
• Drive up expertise and quality in the age assessment field, by contributing to and delivering high quality training to local authorities.
Travel
There will be a requirement for very frequent national travel at least once or twice a week, and you will occasionally be required to stay overnight in a local authority area. Where this is necessary the Home Office will pay for travel costs and other expenses.
When you are not conducting age assessments in a local authority setting there will be opportunities to either work from home or your nearest Asylum Support, Resettlement and Accommodation office.
Training
You will receive full training (Comprehensive Age Assessment and Level 2 Personal Safety Training) and support to do the job. Training takes place initially on-line and then continues on the job with a mentor who supports you until you are fully confident in the role. Even then you are never alone; you work as part of a team where there is always someone around for advice and support. Further information on what the training involves can be found on our website.
Working pattern
Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis. However, compressed hours are available.
Person specification
Essential criteria
• Qualified and registered social worker with Social Work England, or the equivalent in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• A successful track record with experience in a local authority and extensive experience of work with children in both statutory and non-statutory settings.
• Culturally sensitive with experience of working with service users from diverse backgrounds.
• Proven ability to conduct complex social worker assessments and complete high quality written assessment reports, robust enough to withstand legal challenge, within agreed timescales.
• To maintain up-to-date knowledge of research findings, legislation, statutory guidance, policy developments and case law relevant to age assessments and child safeguarding practice.
• Have significant experience of writing complex court reports and assessments.
Desirable criteria
• Experience of conducting Merton compliant age assessments.
• Have experience of managing interviews and working with an interpreter.
• Have strong planning and organisational skills, including proven ability to work independently and balance competing demands, ensuring that interviews scheduled maximise resources and minimise travel time and overnight stay.
Qualifications
Memberships
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
Benefits
In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
- In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
- 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
- Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
- Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.
- Application – by 8th December 2024
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
- Personal Statement (maximum 1000 words).
The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.
For guidance and information on how to construct your application (Personal Statement), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.
2. Sift – week commencing 9th December 2024
The sift will be held on the Personal Statement.
3. Assessment and Interview – week commencing 30th December 2024
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an assessment/interview that will be in 2 stages:
Stage 1 - w/c 30th December 2024
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to undertake a 1 hour written test, evaluating the Communicating and Influencing behaviour. This will be via a live MS Teams meeting. Candidates will need to have access to MS Word in order to complete the written exercise.
Candidates who pass the sift stage will be required to write a report from information provided to them. The report is to be written during a MS Teams meeting set up by members of the National Age Assessment Board. The NAAB team role will be to invigilate during the MS Teams call. You will have 1 hour to complete this task and will be required to submit the report at the end of the meeting.
If you pass the report writing stage you will be invited to interview stage 2.
Stage 2 - w/c 20th January 2025
- Behaviours (Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service & Working Together) and Strength based questions.
The interview will take place via MS Teams.
Further Information
Problems during the application process
If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.
If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter
References
Candidates successful to the role will require satisfactory references prior to appointment.
Location preferences
You will only be able to select a single location preference so please ensure this is a location that you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at your preferred location and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.
Reserve list
A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.
Reserve lists will be held for each location. Candidates will be appointed in merit order by location.
Standards
All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.
Additional Security checks
As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.
If you are invited to an interview, you will be required to bring documentation for the purposes of establishing your identity.
You will need to meet the nationality requirements for this role and obtain the necessary security clearance to take it up. For meaningful security checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. Learn more on our website. Security Checks - Home Office Careers
Visa sponsorship
We do not sponsor individuals via Skilled Worker Sponsorship / Tier 2 (General) work visas.
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
- Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
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Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Home Office Resourcing Centre (HORC)
- Email : HORCCampaignTeamHMPOandUKVI@homeoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
HORecruitment.GRS@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.
