Childrens Advanced Practitioner Assessment & Support

Hoople; Hereford; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority is seeking a Children’s Advanced Practitioner in Herefordshire to enhance outcomes for children and families. The role offers a salary range of £40,777 – £45,091 plus market supplements, with support for professional development and a welcoming environment fostering collaborative practice. If you’re passionate about social work and improving lives in your community, this could be the opportunity for you.

Benefits

Welcome Payment of £10,000

Up to £10,000 relocation package

Professional development funding

Membership fee payment

31 days annual leave (pro rata)

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Passionate about making a real difference for children and families.
• Skilled in analysis, planning, and decision-making.
• Committed to collaborative and inclusive work with families and agencies.
• Confident in managing complex situations.
• Thrives in a fast-paced team environment.
• Registered with Social Work England.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance and support to Social Workers and practitioners.
• Contribute to team growth and service improvement.
• Ensure families receive timely help from social care.
• Mentor and develop frontline practice.
• Drive positive changes for children and families.

Skills

High-quality assessments

Early intervention

Analysis

Planning

Decision-making

Collaborative working

Creativity

Resilience

Reflection

Professional judgment

Teamwork

Education

Recognised Social Work qualification (Degree, DipSW, CQSW)

Job description

About The Role

Job Title: Children’s Advanced Practitioner – Assessment & Support

Salary: HC09 £40,777 – £45,091 (plus £5,000 market rate supplement per year £45,777 – £50,091)

Welcome payment: £10,000 (see attached guidance)

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 37

Location: Multiple locations – Ross-on-Wye, Leominster and Hereford

Relocation package of up to £10,000 available

Closing date: 30/11/2025

Introduction

Our Assessment and Support service is made up of three teams, which work out of three locality offices: South Locality (Ross-on-Wye), North Locality (Leominster) and Central Locality (Hereford). Each Team comprises a Team Manager, Senior Practitioner, Social Workers, and Family Support Workers. Locality working gives you the opportunity to stay connected, meet new colleagues, and easily access support.

We are proud of our restorative approach to social work—a way of working that is firmly embedded in our team culture and management style. Collaboration and reflection are at the heart of how we practice: senior managers are always available for guidance and support, especially when navigating complex cases.

Curious about what it’s really like to be a Social Worker with us?

Want to know what it really feels like to work with our passionate and dedicated Social Work teams? This short video gives you a glimpse into the heart of our service and shows why Herefordshire Council could be the perfect place for your next career move.

https://youtu.be/FSjU-FV5uic

The Role

Join Us on Our Restorative Journey of Improvement – Achieving the Best for Children and Families in Herefordshire. We’re looking for an inspiring Advanced Practitioner to join our dynamic Assessment and Support Service in Herefordshire. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in shaping practice, developing others, and improving outcomes for children and families.

You’ll provide guidance, mentoring, and support to a diverse team of Social Workers, ASYE practitioners, and students, helping to build confidence, consistency, and excellence in frontline practice. Working alongside Team Managers, you’ll contribute to the growth of the service, strengthen links with Early Help, and deliver learning and development opportunities across our workforce and wider partnerships.

As a skilled practitioner and collaborative leader, you’ll help ensure families stepping down from children’s social care receive the right help at the right time, making lasting positive changes. If you’re passionate about developing others, driving improvement, and making a genuine difference – we’d love to hear from you.

Herefordshire is on a journey, and we would like you to be part of our next chapter. This is an exciting opportunity to have a genuine impact on the local authority and help improve the lives of children and young people across our communities.

To arrange an informal discussion, or ask any questions about the role, please contact [e-mail]

About You

• Passionate about making a real difference for children and families through high‑quality assessments and early intervention.
• Skilled in analysis, planning, and decision‑making, ensuring every child’s needs are clearly understood and effectively met.
• Committed to working collaboratively, inclusively, and creatively with families and partner agencies to achieve the best outcomes.
• Resilient, reflective, and confident in managing complex situations and exercising sound professional judgment.
• Thrives in a supportive, fast‑paced team environment, contributing to a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Registered with Social Work England and holding a recognised Social Work qualification (Degree, DipSW, or CQSW).

We Offer

• Salary range of £40,777 – £45,091 per annum
• Market rate supplement: £5,000 per annum
• Welcome Payment: £10,000 (see attached guidance)
• Retention payment: £2,000 – £4,000 depending on team.
• Relocation packages: support of up to £10,000
• Professional development: protected time and budget to develop yourself and your career
• Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Career progression: clear pathways to progress
• Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum during the request period.
• Flexible working: including the potential for job‑sharing, part‑time hours and agile working.
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
• Payment of professional membership fees (based on role requirements)
• Pick your perks: our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits – this includes savings, cash back and discounts.

Why Choose Us?

Herefordshire is a beautiful, historic county on the Welsh border, one of England’s most rural and unspoilt areas, with vibrant market towns and a strong sense of community.

Our priority is clear: to keep children safe and give them the best start in life. We do this through passionate, dedicated professionals who build strong relationships with children, families, and partners to make a lasting difference.

It’s an exciting time to join us. We’re investing in our people and our relational practice approach, working alongside our improvement partner, Leeds City Council. You’ll be supported by experienced managers, continuous professional development, and a genuine team ethos that values collaboration and care.

If you’re committed to helping children and young people thrive, come and join the journey in Herefordshire – where your work truly matters.

Herefordshire Council Plan

The Council plan sets out how we will make our contribution to achieving a better and more successful Herefordshire. Please see the link below to find out more: Herefordshire Council Plan 2024‑2028.

Reasonable Adjustments

Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: [e-mail].

If you’re shortlisted for interview and require any reasonable adjustments, our Children & Young People Recruitment Team will be happy to support you.

Creating an inclusive workplace

We encourage our employees to feel empowered and to use their voices to help embrace diversity, promote inclusivity and shape our organisation. We have eight employee network groups, collectives of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and offer support and community. They also play an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.

For more information on our Employee Network Groups please view our dedicated recruitment website: www.spiritofherefordshire.com.

Commitments, Covenants and Statutory Obligations

The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:

• Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the ‘Disability Confident’ scheme.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.

We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check and further pre‑employment checks.

How to apply

To apply for a position, please upload an up‑to‑date CV and complete the application form demonstrating your experience, skills and abilities for the role.

Be sure to include reference to the job description and person specification or role profile! If you are successfully shortlisted, the C&YP Recruitment Team will contact you via email to arrange your interview and/or assessment. They will confirm the date, time and location of your interview, so please keep an eye on your email inbox – check your spam/junk folder too.

Good luck, we’re looking forward to meeting you!

**Please note:** the council is currently unable to offer overseas visa sponsorship for Social Worker roles in Children & Young People. Overseas prospective candidates that require sponsorship to work in the UK should not apply for these roles. We appreciate your interest in Herefordshire Council and would encourage you to consider other opportunities with us that may be open to sponsorship. A full list of current vacancies can be found here: https://spiritofherefordshire.com/children-young-people/jobs/.