Advanced Practitioner (Two Posts Available) Shepton Mallet (Mendip)

Somerset Council; Taunton; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Hybrid working model

30 days annual leave

CPD learning and development programme

Career progression opportunities

Finish 4:30 pm on Fridays

Job summary

Somerset Council in Taunton is seeking a Senior Social Worker/Advanced Practitioner to join the Family Safeguarding Team. You will manage a caseload of complex family cases, mentor colleagues and contribute to strategy discussions within a supportive, relationship-based practice framework.

The role offers a hybrid working model, ongoing CPD, and clear progression opportunities within Somerset. A rewarding post with a strong focus on safeguarding and child welfare.

Qualifications

• Have significant post Social Work qualification experience in Safeguarding.
• Able to develop and grow strong and supportive working relationships with children and young people, parents and carers and professional agencies.
• Strong problem solving skills and ability to manage unexpected situations calmly.
• Able to manage and prioritise workload and competing demands.
• Registered with Social Work England.

Responsibilities

• Hold a caseload of complex Child in Need, Child Protection and pre-proceedings/court work.
• Engage in multi‑agency working to ensure plans meet identified needs and are implemented.
• Attend Advance Practitioner meetings and contribute ideas to build knowledge and skills.
• QA of care planning in the area teams.

Skills

Post-SW safeguarding experience

Relationship-based practice

Problem solving

Workload management

Education

Registered with Social Work England

Job description

• Flexible working available, using a hybrid model - working from home and your contracted work base.
• 30 days annual leave
• A commitment to your CPD through a bespoke learning and development programme
• Great opportunities for career progression in Somerset
• Permanent 37 per week, finishing at 4:30 pm on Fridays.

Job Description

Some key information

• Flexible working available, using a hybrid model - working from home and your contracted work base.
• 30 days annual leave
• A commitment to your CPD through a bespoke learning and development programme
• Great opportunities for career progression in Somerset
• Permanent 37 per week, finishing at 4:30 pm on Fridays.

What will I be doing?

Your day-to-day work will involve working within the Family Safeguarding Team in Taunton working alongside dedicated and child focused social workers and Family Safeguarding adult workers who specialise in supporting parents and carers who have experienced domestic abuse, mental health support needs and substance misuse issues. The foundations of all of our work is relationship-based and strengths-based practice and we pride ourselves on doing this well.

As a Senior Social Worker/Advanced Practitioner in the team, you will hold a caseload of complex work, but also support the team in other ways, including practice educating students, co-working, and mentoring less experienced colleagues, and chairing planning meetings and Strategy Discussions.

You will work closely with the Team Manager and the other AP's in the team to manage the balance of the different parts of the role flexibly, so that it suits you, your colleagues, and the families you support. We will encourage you to develop practice specialisms and link with colleagues countywide and partner agencies, to build your expertise so you can share it with the team.

• Case holding complex Child in Need, Child Protection and pre-proceedings/court work
• Positive and supportive multi-agency working to ensure plans meet identified needs and are implemented at the right level for the family
• Attendance at Advance Practitioner meetings and contributing ideas to build strong social worker knowledge and skills.
• QA of care planning in the area teams

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We Offer Ongoing Support, Training And Guidance To Help You Be The Best You Can Be. But It Will Really Help If You

• Have significant post Social Work qualification experience in Safeguarding
• Are able to develop and grow strong and supportive working relationships with children and young people, parents and carers and professional agencies
• Have strong problem solving skills and are able to manage unexpected situations in a calm way
• Are able to manage and prioritise your workload and any competing demands.
• Are registered with Social Work England.

What's in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

At Somerset Council, we are proud to support our frontline workers with access to innovative AI technology. Our greatest asset is our dedicated workforce, and we need to ensure we evolve with technology and new ways to invest in them. We’re currently utilising Magic Notes, which has proven to help social workers reduce the amount of time spent on administrative work, allowing them to focus on using their skillset and creativity to support our shared vision of improving the life chances and outcomes for children in Somerset.

Benefits

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

Anything else I should know?

The salary range for this role is £40,476 to £44,711 per annum

A Bit More About Somerset Council

DBS information

In this role you will require a criminal background check via Disclosure and Barring Service.