Advanced Practitioner Social Workers

Lincolnshire County Council; Horncastle, Grantham, Gainsborough CP, Brighton, South Kesteven; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 49,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Contributory pension

Discount schemes

Cycle to work

Flexible working

Career progression

Annual leave

Job summary

Lincolnshire County Council is seeking an Advanced Practitioner for Children’s Social Care FAST Teams to work with the most complex cases and high risk plans, including court work. You will mentor, coach and share practice expertise with colleagues and may become a Practice Educator for Social Work students.

There are strong development and bridging-to-management opportunities. The role offers a competitive salary of £44,253 - £48,738 plus 15% FAST enhancement, a generous pension, flexible

Qualifications

• Experience working with complex child protection cases.
• Ability to mentor junior social workers.
• Experience with Signs of Safety and restorative practice is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Manage high-risk plans and undertake court work.
• Provide mentoring, coaching and practice expertise to team members.
• Support progression to management through bridging programmes.

Skills

Mentoring

Coaching

Practice Education

Court Work

High Risk Case Management

Job description

Job Title: Advanced Practitioner, Children’s Social Care (FAST Teams)

Salary: £44,253 - £48,738 plus 15% FAST enhancement

Location: Lincoln, Louth (East Lindsey North), Horncastle (East Lindsey South), Grantham (South Kesteven West and East), Gainsborough (West Lindsey)

Closing Date: 6th December 2026

Interviews: 16th December 2026

We are currently looking for experienced, committed and innovative social workers to join our East Lindsey North and South, South Kesteven East and West, West Lindsey and Lincoln teams. Please specify on your application form which post you are applying to.

Passionate Social Workers Required across Lincolnshire

Are you an experienced, committed and innovative Social Worker? Do you believe that “Putting Children First” is the key to successful outcomes for children and families? If you can answer yes to both questions, then Lincolnshire County Council may just be the place you belong.

Children's Social Work at Lincolnshire County Council

Our Children's Social Work teams are amongst the absolute best in the country. We have an overall Outstanding rating from Ofsted and in our recent inspection in April 2023 we maintained this judgement which we are very proud of. We are not about to let up on our progress and development though! As an organisation we are extremely proud of the work our teams undertake and this pride shines through from every member of the teams.

Our practice model is “Signs of Safety” and this is underpinned by a firm commitment to restorative practice, working in a way where the strengths of the family and their network are honoured and families are supported to develop their own solutions. Most importantly, we believe the voice of the child should be at the very heart of every plan.

About the Role of an Advanced Practitioner

As an Advanced Practitioner in our service, you will work with the most complex situations, managing high risk plans and undertaking a range of court work, including specialist assessments and interventions. As well as case holding, our Advanced Practitioners provide mentoring, coaching, support and practice expertise to other less experienced team members inspiring them in their social work career paths. They also often choose to take up the opportunity we offer to become a Practice Educator for Social Work students. If you wish to progress into a manager role, as many of our Advanced Practitioners have done, being appointed to an Advanced Practitioner post with us will absolutely provide you with the development opportunities you need to fulfil your ambition and our new bridging the gap programme will further support your development to step up into a management role.

About Our Offer

We believe that supporting emotional resilience is always important, but particularly so when you are working with the most complex and challenging of cases. You will receive monthly formal professional and case supervision, and take part in monthly group learning and team meetings with an annual team development day too. Our managers are always on hand, and our practitioners say that the informal, ad hoc supervision they receive, plus the support they get from colleagues to test out their thinking, is absolutely invaluable.

Your continued professional development will be as important to us as it is to you, and your learning and development will remain in focus, not just during your annual appraisal. Our offer of complimentary access to the Research in Practice online platform further demonstrates this. Alongside our excellent in-house training offer, you will also have the opportunity to complete fully funded PQ modules.

Alongside a competitive salary of £44,253 - £48,738 +15% for FAST, we also offer:

• A Contributory pension
• Comprehensive benefits package including excellent discount schemes and cycle to work
• Flexible working policies
• Career progression opportunities
• A generous annual leave entitlement plus the option to buy more

At Lincolnshire County Council, we believe our people are at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we offer a rewarding package designed to support your work–life balance, health and wellbeing, financial security, and career growth. Find out more about our offer to you in the attached brochure.

A relocation package may be considered for the successful candidate. More details relating to our Relocation Policy can be found here.

Please be advised that this position is subject to a criminal record check.

All candidates are advised to read the attached job information pack prior to making an application.

We operate a talent pool scheme whereby candidates who are not successful on this occasion may be considered for a period of up to 3 months for equal positions.

Lincolnshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Fluency Duty In accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 (Fluency Duty), the ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.

Our values – collaborative, adaptable, eco-conscious, supportive, and responsible – guide everything we do. We’re looking for candidates who share these values and bring them to life in their work, helping us build strong teams and make a real difference in the communities we serve.