Senior Practitioner - Family Support & Protection, North Essex, Tendring
Permanent, Full Time
£45,217 to £54,395 per annum
Location: Clacton on Sea
Working Style: Community-based worker
Closing Date: 30th January 2025
Interview Date: 11th February 2025
Essex County Council understands how important flexibility and wellbeing is for our colleagues working across children's Social Care and that we need to think differently. We have therefore developed a nine-day working fortnight for full-time frontline Social Workers within Children's services.
The Opportunity
The Children and Families service fosters a culture of collaboration, integrity, and compassion, focusing on the development and wellbeing of children, young people, and their families while protecting them from neglect and abuse. The service works with partners to provide early help, family support, and effective social work interventions to build resilience and enable a brighter future.
A Senior Practitioner manages complex caseloads, provides expert supervision and coaching to colleagues, and deputises for the Team Manager. This role involves leading the team, managing duty services, handling higher levels of risk, mentoring staff, managing performance, and delivering improvements. Building strong relationships with key partners and stakeholders is essential.
Accountabilities
Provide expert advice, professional supervision, and contribute to practice standards for social workers. Assess complex social care needs and develop support for vulnerable individuals, children, and families. Work within legal frameworks, policies, and guidelines to determine when statutory intervention is necessary. Manage complex caseloads, ensuring accurate and timely data, reports, and presentations. Lead in case conferences, meetings, and statutory reviews, offering a social care perspective. Conduct assessments and plan interventions to safeguard and promote children's welfare. Build strong relationships with Council, partners, and voluntary agencies to support community wellbeing. Deliver expertise in specific practice areas and lead their development. The Experience You Will Bring
Qualifications and Experience:
Recognised social work qualification (Diploma, degree, Masters, CQSW, CSS) with current registration with Social Work England. Evidence of continuing professional development aligned with relevant frameworks or statements. Significant social work experience with comprehensive knowledge of relevant legislation, regulation, and guidance. Experience mentoring Social Work students and staff, being an expert in professional practice. Experience chairing meetings with clients, families, carers, and multi-agency professionals. Desirable Skills:
Building strong relationships with partners, agencies, and the community to achieve joint objectives. Understanding value for money interventions balanced against need. Proven decision-making skills to manage and mitigate risks associated with interventions. The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential. Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Provide expert advice, professional supervision, and contribute to practice standards for social workers. Assess complex social care needs and develop support for vulnerable individuals, children, and families. Work within legal frameworks, policies, and guidelines to determine when statutory intervention is necessary. Manage complex caseloads, ensuring accurate and timely data, reports, and presentations. Lead in case conferences, meetings, and statutory reviews, offering a social care perspective. Conduct assessments and plan interventions to safeguard and promote children's welfare. Build strong relationships with Council, partners, and voluntary agencies to support community wellbeing. Deliver expertise in specific practice areas and lead their development. The Experience You Will Bring
Qualifications and Experience:
Recognised social work qualification (Diploma, degree, Masters, CQSW, CSS) with current registration with Social Work England. Evidence of continuing professional development aligned with relevant frameworks or statements. Significant social work experience with comprehensive knowledge of relevant legislation, regulation, and guidance. Experience mentoring Social Work students and staff, being an expert in professional practice. Experience chairing meetings with clients, families, carers, and multi-agency professionals. Desirable Skills:
Building strong relationships with partners, agencies, and the community to achieve joint objectives. Understanding value for money interventions balanced against need. Proven decision-making skills to manage and mitigate risks associated with interventions. The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential. Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
