Advanced Practitioner

Leicestershire County Council; Glenfield; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in England is seeking an Advanced Practitioner to support its Practice Excellence Team, enhancing the practice of colleagues in Children's Social Care. This role involves providing 1:1 support, organizing training programs, and fostering a positive environment for practitioners. Ideal candidates will be qualified social workers with experience in child protection and a commitment to equality and diversity.

Qualifications

• Registered with Social Work England with extensive experience in children's social work.
• Ability to apply Signs of Safety methodology in practice.
• Experience in coaching/mentoring and supporting others.

Responsibilities

• Provide 1:1 support to practitioners in children's social care.
• Support PODs using group supervision processes.
• Deliver and organize Signs of Safety and trauma-informed practice training.

Skills

Qualified social worker

Experience in children's social work

Knowledge of Signs of Safety methodology

Coaching and mentoring skills

Experience in training others

Strong relationship building

Education

Social Work qualification

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Practice Excellence Team as an Advanced Practitioner. This role is a key part of our offer to support and develop the practice of colleagues working within Children's Social Care. You will be working within a team including the Principal Social Worker, Learning and Improvement Managers, and other Advanced Practitioners.

Leicestershire values creating an environment where good practice can flourish, and a vital part of that is having a responsive and supportive team such as Practice Excellence to support practitioners and managers across the service in their everyday practice. You would be a link to our Locality-based teams and will:

• Provide 1:1 support to practitioners across teams in children's social care - this could include reflective discussions, helping to develop safety plans, supporting on challenging visits, or supporting in chairing network meetings.
• Support PODs across children's social care teams using the group supervision process to reflect and explore ways of working with children and families, promoting an environment of curiosity.
• Support the wellbeing and retention of a skilled and dedicated workforce.
• Take part in the delivery and organisation of our Signs of Safety training offer - this includes the 2-day core training and also half-day workshops.
• Take part in the delivery and organisation of our trauma-informed practice training offer - including the 1-day foundation training and then specific workshops.
• Take part in supporting newly qualified social workers via the ASYE program and international social workers.
• Take part in other key activities, such as annual conferences, virtual practice forum events, recruitment activity, and quality assurance activity.

An enhanced DBS check is required for this post. We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council.

To be successful in this role, you must:

• Be a qualified social worker registered with Social Work England and have a high level of experience in children's social work, with substantial breadth of practice and depth of experience across a range of areas in children's social work, including child protection, complex care, or risk management.
• Have demonstrable skilled application of knowledge and understanding of the Signs of Safety methodology, with the ability to describe how practical application of the tools and disciplines are used to affect change.
• Have evidence of coaching/mentoring and supporting workers to develop their practice and confidence.
• Have experience of training others.
• Have experience of challenging inadequate practice to support improvement.
• Have extensive knowledge of key areas of social work practice, including safeguarding children and managing risk.
• Have the ability to proactively develop strong and productive relationships with a wide range of colleagues.

You must also have an understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity, and inclusion. In addition, we expect you to share our commitment to our values and will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the interview process. We are a Disability Confident employer and will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job.