Hear from our staff
To discover the fulfilling, interesting and diverse roles on offer in Children's Services you can view our current vacancies. Don't just take our word for it, here's what some of our staff have to say about their work:
Simon Homes, Principal Social Worker
"The Isle of Wight is a fantastic place to work; I have worked on the Island all of my professional career and am proud of the team here on the Isle of Wight. We work hard to ensure the right environment for staff to carry out their roles and believe that our practice and work models should be mirrored in terms of shared values, support, and strengths. Social work teams have manageable caseloads which allows for meaningful direct work with the people we serve. We have recently introduced Agile working which has enabled staff to be less focussed on returning to an office, providing them with the technology to work remotely across the Island and being more efficient with managing assessments and reviews whilst giving staff the flexibility and work life balance. We deliver a quality training package which is not only tailored to the individual’s needs but one which is aligned to our key strategy care close to home. Staff are engaged in best practice forums which enables them to come together regularly, the forum content is driven by staff and enables discussion and debate on best practice, new policy, themes and topics. The voice of the workforce matters and so do our values, staff are engaged, and morale is good, we invest equally in our staff as we do the people we serve. Come and join our shared vision of excellence in an organisation who is passionate about ensuring person centred delivery, strength-based approaches, and outcomes which make a difference to the lives of the people we serve."
Senior Practitioner, Disabled Children's Team
"I have been a social worker for over ten years and I am currently a senior practitioner in the disabled children’s team. I always remember people talking to me about ‘burn out’, but I have never felt remotely close to this. Yes there are definitely some difficult days, and almost every day will be filled with a variety of challenges, but never once I have I ever been bored, or felt like giving it all up for something else. I’ve never looked back and have never regretted being a social worker.
The Isle of Wight is a beautiful therapeutic place to live and work, even after a really hard day at work you can head to the beach and jump in the sea! There is consistency here with clear policies and procedures, a good system of regular supervision and you will always be supported by anyone at work, including our approachable and supportive managers. The thing I love the most is working directly with children and families and fortunately we get the space to do this here on the Isle of Wight. Everything we do is about moving forward, creating positive change. There will always be someone that knows something you don’t, no matter how experienced you are, and you will never stop learning, never stop being challenged, and hopefully never stop feeling passionate about what you do. Whatever has happened in a child’s life and unfortunately sometimes really bad things do happen, you can make a difference."
Newly Qualified Social Worker
"I am a newly-qualified social worker nearing the end of my assessed and supported year in employment with the Isle of Wight Council’s adult services. I became a social worker, foremost, to work with individuals who require support. As I progressed through my first year in practice, I was able to utilise my knowledge and skills to empower individuals to become an agent for change in their own lives. Working for the council on the Isle of Wight has allowed me to put my studies into practice enabling individuals to recognise the role they have in achieving their own outcomes. I received support with my ASYE year from the workforce development team. Support has been tailored to my needs as a practitioner to develop skills and enhance knowledge as required. They have enabled and encouraged me to continually use reflection as a tool to inform my practice and maintain my values, which I feel has allowed me to develop in the role I do. Regular peer supervision sessions provide a platform to discuss challenges with colleagues from both adults and children’s services – invaluable as a newly-qualified worker. In my working environment there is always someone around to provide support where it is required. The Isle of Wight is a unique place to live; we have an eclectic mix of workers and this is also true for those we serve. Working as a social worker here allows you to work towards improving wellbeing for those we work for, and provides the opportunity to enhance your own personal wellbeing. Sandy beaches provide some time for reflection; there is a wealth of history to explore, which ranges from the keep at the castle, to the field of dreams at the Isle of Wight festival. I came to the Isle of Wight at a young age and I’ve not yet found a reason to leave."