Practitioner

Kent County Council; Dover; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 53,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

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Job summary

Kent County Council Dover Social Work Service is seeking a dedicated Senior Practitioner to join our Dover-based team at Dover Discovery Centre. You will lead practice in safeguarding and work with complex families to deliver high-quality support for children and families.

Travel across Kent may be required to support vulnerable children in care or assess cases beyond Dover/Deal. You will provide coaching to social workers, deputise for the Team Manager, and ensure adherence to our practice

Qualifications

• Social Work degree or equivalent with professional registration.
• Extensive post-qualifying experience in children and families.
• Experience with Care Proceedings and safeguarding procedures.

Responsibilities

• Lead social work practice and deputise for the Team Manager when required.
• Coach and mentor social workers within the service.
• Work with complex families to safeguard and support children and young people.
• Conduct thorough Child and Family Assessments and Section 47 investigations.

Skills

Professional registration

Experience with complex families

Leadership capability

Education

Social Work degree or equivalent

Job description

The successful candidate will be welcomed into one of our four teams based at Dover Discovery Centre in Dover. You will be responsible to the Team Manager and will work closely with other Senior Practitioners, Social Workers in your team to ensure the highest quality support is offered to children and their families. For this role, you will need to meet the conditions of the Job Description and Person Specification but will also be highly organised, flexible, and able to work in a fast paced and child focused environment. This role will also require you to be mobile throughout a wide operational area including travelling around Kent and beyond to support our children and young people. The majority of your day‑to‑day work will be within the Dover and Deal area however, you will at times, be required to travel beyond this area for children in specific circumstances, such as residing with extended family and/or becoming children in care. You will model high quality social work practice and have an extensive understanding social work knowledge in line with our practice framework. You will work with our most complex families alongside providing coaching and mentoring to social workers within the service. You will champion social work values and be committed to supporting the service in delivering high quality social work to children and young people. You will have leadership skills in order to deputise in the absence of the Team Manager. The Team Join Dover's Children's Social Work Service - Where Your Expertise Makes a Difference Dover Social Work Service is a dynamic and supportive frontline service compromising of 4 dedicated teams led by experienced Team Managers and our workforce includes Social Workers and Senior Practitioners - all are committed to delivering high‑quality support to children and families. We work with families from the point of referral, conducting thorough Child and Family Assessments and Section 47 Investigations to identify the most effective ways to safeguard and support children. Our service continues to work alongside families requiring ongoing Child in Need and Child Protection plans, supporting them through to resolution - whether that be stepping down to Early Help, case closure, private law proceedings or progression through the Public Law Outline to initial court proceedings. In Kent we have a dedicated Child In Care Team, whom take over case responsibility for children and young people following them becoming looked‑after., This post is considered by KCC to be a customer‑facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Your Social Work degree or equivalent will be supported by professional registration and extensive post‑qualifying experience. This experience should include, working with complex families, including experience of Care Proceedings, working with agencies to support positive outcomes for children and supporting other Social Workers within your team to deliver outstanding social work practice. You will have an in‑depth knowledge of safeguarding procedures and legislative frameworks and social work theories relating to children's services.

We are proud of our strong and often exceptional services in Kent, and we are continuing to ensure 'Children are at the centre of Kent County Council's culture and practice.' Following our most recent Ofsted inspection, we remain committed to delivering high‑quality support that makes a positive difference to the lives of children and families across the county. As one of the largest Children's Social Work Services in the country, we offer a comprehensive learning and development framework to support your career journey., Work that works for you and us - let's talk flexibility! KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

In return, we offer an attractive benefits package, a competitive salary and a range of professional development opportunities., We want the best for the children of Kent, and this can only be delivered as a team effort with everyone playing their part, so we're creating a culture that fosters excellence and collaboration - a place where social workers are empowered to be creative and share ideas and advice. Our Offer

• Starting salary: £47,990
• Annual Retention Premium: £5,000
• Golden Hello: £3000 one off payment for new joiners