Why join us?

Since the last ILACS inspection in July 2023, where St Helens Children's Services were rated GOOD by Ofsted, with services for young people leaving care rated OUTSTANDING, we have continued to develop and improve outcomes for the children and families of St Helens.

Ofsted conducted a focused visit in April 2024, and found:

• Children are seen regularly by skilled and committed social workers who know the importance of showing patience, kindness and understanding in engaging and building relationships with those whom they work.
• Social workers know their children and families well and understand the complexities of social work in St Helens.
• The management oversight of frontline practice is strong.
• Records of supervision evidence clear oversight of social workers' work with children.  Most supervision records are reflective, and issue are thoroughly explored.
• Strong corporate support has enabled strategies to be implemented that attract and retrain social workers in St Helens./  This is improving workforce stability and children and families are having fewer unplanned changes of social worker as  a result.
• Senior leaders and management take care with the language they use in a way that is sensitive and considered.  They are developing a culture of practice that is understood by the workforce and is reflected in their work with children and families.

This is an exciting time to join St Helens Children’s Social Care, we are ambitious as we continue "Being Brilliant at the Basics and Beyond", as we now work towards becoming outstanding in all areas. 

We have an increasingly stable workforce, and are looking to recruit to a limited number of vacancies. If you are passionate about children and making a difference, we would like to hear from you.

The child’s voice is central to all our work and we know to achieve this we need well-supported, low-caseload, happy staff!

We test whether we are getting this right with health checks – the most recent survey results are below.  Don't just believe the numbers - watch the videos our staff have made about what it's like to work in St Helens.

We are committed to making a difference to the lives of our children and young people.  We have many opportunities across the service that range from Social Work Apprenticeships, ASYE and ASYE+1, Practice Educators, along with the development of our Family Hubs, we are looking to recruit more people who share our values and can see how they can contribute to moving us forward.