Support Worker - Exploitation and Missing Young People's Team

We have an exciting opportunity for experienced Support Workers to join our growing Exploitation and Missing Young People's Team, where we champion the rights of children to have a childhood without harm outside the home.

These roles will help us further develop our vital work around our welfare return conversations, when a young person returns from a missing episode and contribute to the continued development of the exploitation strategy within the borough.

We currently have two new vacancies for direct workers to work with children and young people. This will also include some work with our children and young people who go missing in completing Return Home Conversations.

As a key member of the Exploitation and Missing team, you will attend multi agency missing triage meetings, undertake welfare return interviews and carry out direct work with parents and children who have been subject to criminal or sexual exploitation or have been missing from care or home.

You will work alongside multi agency partners, developing strong partnerships, to identify and reduce exploitation together within communities and across Local Authority borders.

You will have experience of working effectively and sensitively with children, young people and their families in complex situations, in addition to your developed understanding of the impact of the trauma they have experienced.,

• Level 3 qualification in a relevant field (e.g. Children, Young People & Families Practitioner) or substantial experience in a similar role.


• Experience of development work and/or capacity building with organisations and informal groups.


• An ability to build strong relationships with other team members and colleagues from other agencies.


• Experience of effectively assessing children in need, using standard assessment tools, whilst continuing to review outcomes for children and young people.


We would also welcome applications from those with experience of working with children and young people who have been subject to sexual or criminal exploitation or have been missing from home or care, however, this isn't essential, as on the job training and support will be provided where necessary to support your transition into this highly rewarding area of work.

You will be joining a growing and supportive team who are truly committed to safeguarding children so that they can be supported to be happy, healthy and safe.

If you want to make a real difference as an important part of our borough wide multi-agency response to young people who go missing from home or care and to wider exploitation, we would love to hear from you., This post is covered by the Fluency Duty, as outlined in the Code of Practice on the English language requirements for public sector workers.

About Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

Solihull is regarded as a popular and vibrant place to live in the UK. As one of the most prosperous towns in the Midlands, almost two thirds of our borough is designated as green belt. We have over 1,500 acres of parks across the borough, with 16 Green Flag Awards. Solihull is very well connected, with great transport links such as the M40, M42 and M6 all close by, and an excellent rail network, plus, of course, an international airport. We are home to the award-winning Touchwood Shopping Centre, National Exhibition Centre, Resorts World Birmingham, and the Resorts World Arena.

It is an exciting time for Solihull, although we are a relatively small local authority (c. 6000 employees), we still have ambitious plans including the development of UK Central and HS2.

Here at Solihull Council, we want to ensure that all our citizens have an equal chance to share in Solihull's success. We do this by putting our customers at the heart of everything we do.

We recognise that our employees are the key factor in achieving our vision and as such, we are always on the lookout for talented individuals, who want to make a real positive difference to people's lives and can help us to continue building on our success.

Both Smarter Ways of Working and Employee Wellbeing are key Council Priorities.

The transition to Smarter Ways of Working has presented us with the opportunity to re-think how and where we work. With the option to access portable technology, dependent upon the requirements of the role, a lot of our people are not bound to a single workplace or traditional ways of working, with many choosing to spend a good proportion of their week working from home.

Our people told us that they value flexibility, and that choice enables them to have a better work-life balance, manage family responsibilities, enhance their personal wellbeing, and continue to deliver excellent outcomes for the residents of Solihull.

Our people are our number one asset, and our aim is to have a healthy, happy engaged and thriving workforce.

Wellbeing is at the heart of our employee offer and we are a bronze accredited West Midlands Combined Authority Thrive at Work employer. This recognises our commitment and action in support of employee wellbeing; we are currently working towards silver accreditation.

Unpaid carers carry out a key role within our community and know that this can be challenging when combined with employment. Our Carer's Policy and the ongoing support we give to our employees has resulted in us winning Employer of the Year 2022 at the Carer Friendly Awards.

We also offer:

• Flexible working, including flexi leave up to 24 days per year and a hybrid approach to working arrangements


• Generous annual leave entitlements with opportunity to buy up to 10 days additional leave per year


• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme - a 24 hour independent, free and confidential advice and support service


• Family and carer friendly policies


• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme


• Employee benefits including subsidised travel passes, Cycle 2 Work Scheme and a staff discount card.


Please note, there may be a requirement to work after school hours on occasions.

This post carries essential car user status, therefore applicants must be able to drive, have a driving licence and be a car owner/have access to a vehicle, however for disabled applicants, reasonable adjustments will be made where required.,
• Competitive salaries including, for those at the top of their scale, the opportunity to receive a non-consolidated lump sum;


• A range of flexible working options;


• Annual leave starting at 25 days and rising to 30 days after 5 years' service in addition to public holidays with an opportunity to purchase up to 10 additional days' holiday per year;


• A generous flexitime scheme (available for most roles);


• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme;


• A wide range of learning and development opportunities;


• A range of family friendly policies;


• Employee benefits including subsidised travel passes, Cycle 2 Work Scheme, confidential Employee Assistance Programme and staff discounts.


Solihull Council is proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit.

As users of the Disability Confident Scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who demonstrate they meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.

Solihull Council has a responsibility for, and is committed to, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk, and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

For roles eligible for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check this will be indicated in the advert and supporting recruitment documents. Where the post involves working with children, other vulnerable groups or in a position of trust it is exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Further guidance is available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/945449/rehabilitation-of-offenders-guidance.pdf

Please note, where sufficient numbers of applications are received, we reserve the right to close a vacancy before the advertised closing date. We therefore advise that you submit your application as soon as possible.