Qualified Childrens Senior Practitioners

Hertfordshire County Council; Greater London; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

An established authority in children's services is seeking a Qualified Children's Senior Practitioner to join their innovative team. This role offers a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of social work practice, delivering vital support to vulnerable children and families. You will manage complex cases, guide junior staff, and participate in a culture of continuous improvement and professional development. The organization values diversity and inclusion, ensuring a supportive environment for all employees. If you are passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and families, this position is perfect for you.

Benefits

Monthly Market Enhanced Payment

One-off £1k Welcome Payment

Lease Car Scheme

Up to £6 relocation expenses

5 Days additional annual leave

SWE Registration Fee paid

Qualifications

• Qualified and registered social worker with 2+ years post ASYE experience.
• Strong communication skills and knowledge of relevant legislation.

Responsibilities

• Lead on complex cases and support less experienced staff.
• Conduct assessments and manage diverse caseloads.

Skills

Social Work

Communication Skills

Knowledge of Legislation

Assessment Skills

Driving License

Education

Social Work Qualification

Registered with Social Work England

Tools

Microsoft IT Packages

Job description

Job Number HCC26072 Location Hertfordshire Directorate Childrens Services Salary Range £41,511 pa progressing to £45,718 pa Contract Type Permanent Full Time/Part Time Full Time

Job Title: Qualified Children's Senior Practitioner
Starting Salary: £41,511 per annum + £6,243 pa market enhanced payment progressing to £45,718 per annum + £6,084 pa market enhanced payment PLUS £1k one off welcome payment*
Hours: 37
Location: Base locations in Stevenage and Apsley. Each team has a geographic area they cover which will require regular access to a vehicle for travel to meetings.
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Childrens Services

About the service

At Hertfordshire County Council, we believe that the children and young people in our care deserve the best. This means ensuring the social workers who work alongside them are trained, supported, and highly motivated.

As an innovative authority, we are committed to developing motivational social work practice. You will work at the forefront of best practice to deliver first-class support to vulnerable children and families, managing complex and diverse caseloads.

By changing our approach to families, we are managing to keep more children at home safely with their families. With a dedicated Diversity & Inclusion strategy, we promote diversity and inclusion across our services and workforce.

We will offer a stimulating working environment, regular supervision meetings, and training opportunities to help you reach your full potential with the assistance of our specialist L&D teams.

About the role

Each Team consists of a Team Manager, Consultant Social Worker(s), Senior Practitioners, Social Workers, Children's Practitioners, and Family Practitioners.
We are looking for experienced Senior Practitioners to join one of the following teams:

• Family Safeguarding
• 0-25 Disability Service
• Assessment (1 year secondment/FTC)
• Specialist Adolescent Service Hertfordshire (SASH)

As a Senior Practitioner, you will have highly developed specialist knowledge of Social Work practice. Your advanced expertise will help you lead on complex cases within the department.

This is a varied and challenging role where you will share responsibility for leading less experienced staff and play a key role in researching and sharing up-to-date social work practice.

About you

It is essential that all Senior Practitioners who apply have the following:

• Qualified and Social Work England Registered
• At least 2 years post ASYE experience
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Knowledge of legislation, guidance, policy, and procedures
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft IT packages
• Full UK Driving Licence
• Regular access to a vehicle

In addition, below outlines team-specific essential criteria:

Family Safeguarding:

• Significant senior level frontline experience in a safeguarding team.
• Recent experience of case work in Assessments, Child Protection, Children Looked After, and Care Proceedings.
• In-depth knowledge of relevant childcare legislation.

0-25 Disability Service:

• Ability to complete robust assessments & assess risk.
• Ability to work in a relationship-based way.
• Experience of care planning, assessments, and reviews.
• Track record of working alongside challenging families.

Assessment:

• Significant experience in assessing children’s needs and undertaking statutory Child Protection enquiries.

SASH:

• In-depth knowledge of child development and adolescence, social, emotional, behavioural, and mental health needs.
• Demonstrable awareness of risk factors associated with offending, mental health, neurodiversity, exploitation, poverty, and social disadvantage.
• Experience of managing high-risk child protection, children in need, and complex children.
• Experience in court work and detailed report writing.
• Experience in managing a high and complex workload.
• Experience in supervising is desirable.

This job role is within the Health and Social Care, level 11 job profile.

Recruitment timeline

We review all applications regularly with interviews arranged on an ad hoc basis - please check your emails for updates.

Additional Benefits for Social Work roles include:

• Monthly Market Enhanced Payment
• One off £1k Welcome Payment* (terms & conditions apply)
• Lease Car Scheme
• Up to £6 relocation expenses
• 5 Days additional annual leave entitlement
• SWE Registration Fee paid

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps) and includes any training/qualifications. Include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert/job profile to allow the panel to fully recognize your skills and abilities.

Secondment
This position is open to secondments. If you work for HCC or any other Local Authority and wish to be considered for a Secondment contract, please complete the Secondment Form as part of your application. If you do not, your application will be considered as a Fixed Term Contract only.

Additional information

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role requires a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Driving required
You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for this post.