Duty Senior Practitioner (Assessment Team South)

Essex County Council; Basildon; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Essex County Council is seeking a Senior Practitioner for Assessment & Intervention within Children and Families. You will oversee the Duty Tray, triage cases, and mentor staff while chairing strategy, need, and discharge planning meetings.

The role requires senior practice experience, driving mobility around Essex, and collaboration with police and partners. You will work with families of children from pre-birth to 18, focusing on CIN and safeguarding, with opportunities for professional

Qualifications

• Diploma in Social Work or equivalent required.
• Practice educator qualification required; mentoring ASYE experience.
• Registered Social Worker with Social Work England.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• IT/Word Processing skills required.
• Recent practice at experienced social worker level in Children Services.
• Experience in Child Protection work including section 47 investigations and assessments.
• Knowledge of CA1989, CJA1991 and related guidance.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the Duty Tray and allocations into the Team; triage cases and make threshold decisions with the Team Manager.
• Chair telephone Strategy Meetings and lead complex cases with less experienced social workers.
• Chair more complex Child in Need Meetings and Discharge Planning meetings.
• Provide leadership and mentoring to staff, deputising for the Team Manager as needed.
• Oversee review of child in need plans prior to closure and lead in a practice area.
• Opportunities for professional development and contributing to service development.

Skills

Mentoring ASYE's

Leadership

Mobility

Chairing meetings

Child communication

Education

Diploma in Social Work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent

Practice educator qualification

Social Work England Registration

Tools

IT/Word Processing Skills

Job description

Here in Essex, we continue to raise the bar about practice and our investment in our workforce is second to none. It's an exciting time to join us having received our 3rd Outstanding Ofsted rating in a row. Please take a look at our 'No Magic' Children & Families video Assessment and Intervention (A&I) These teams are the gateway through which children, young people, parents/carers and other agencies gain access to Children and Families services. Assessment and Intervention undertakes incoming assessments and short - term intervention work with families; working with children from pre- birth up to a child's 18th birthday. They focus on children in need (CIN) and their families, offering three months' intervention. They also deal with S47 child protection enquiries and work jointly with the police and other partners in assessing immediate risk for children that come to our attention. A&I primarily transfer cases into Family Support and Protection Teams should families require longer-term intervention, or if the children become subject to a child protection plan or come into care of the local authority. If following an assessment and brief intervention the family do not require a social work service, they could be stepped down to Family Solutions as part of our Early Help Offer., As a Senior Practitioner you will oversee the Duty Tray and allocations into the Team triaging cases and making threshold decisions alongside the Team Manager. Additionally Chairing telephone Strategy Meetings, co-working complex cases with less experienced social workers and chairing more complex Child in Need Meetings, and Discharge Planning meetings. You will provide leadership in the team, providing both support and mentoring to newly qualified or less experienced staff and deputising for the Team Manager when needed. You will oversee the review of some child in need plans particularly prior to closure and will have responsibility to lead in a practice area. There will be opportunities for your own professional development and for being part of developing our team and service. There is an ethos of openness to the development of new ideas, particularly to reinforce our relationship-based focus, both with our service users and within the staff group.

• Diploma in Social Work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent.
• Must have a practice educator qualification. Experience of supporting and mentoring ASYE's through their first year in practice.
• Social Work England Registration as a registered Social Worker.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• IT/Word Processing Skills.
• Evidence of recent practice at an experienced social worker level, supported by comprehensive working knowledge and experience within the field of practice in Children Services.
• Preferably with experience of Child Protection work including section 47 investigations and assessments since the implementation of the Children's Act 1989.Considerable, recent experience of communicating with children of all ages and working in partnership with parents and/or carers.
• Experience in planning activities and programmes for children, young people and parents.
• Experience of Court work in relation to Child Care matters and have an understanding of the legal process.
• Detailed knowledge of current legislation pertinent to Child Protection (e.g. CA1989, CJA1991), Guidance and Regulations.
• Knowledge and understanding of child development, relating theory and practice., 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.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we're committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in . With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you. Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying. Once you've secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs. At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the , including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone. As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to 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. If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email [e-mail]