Quality Assurance and Improvement Officer - Senior Practitioner

Birmingham Children's Trust; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave and holidays

On-site parking

Hybrid working policy

LG Pension scheme

Employee benefits scheme

Job summary

Birmingham Children’s Trust is seeking a Quality Assurance and Improvement Officer (Senior Practitioner) to support continual service improvement. The role involves undertaking and moderating practice evaluations, dip sampling, and analysing data to drive performance and practice change.

Based in Birmingham with hybrid working, you will collaborate with the research and QA team, managers, and social workers to implement improvements and embed quality assurance across services.

Qualifications

• A degree in Social Work and you must have completed your ASYE.
• Registration with Social Work England (SWE).
• Experience working with children and families in a social work setting for at least 4 years.
• Strong assessment and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• The ability to work effectively as part of a team and independently.

Responsibilities

• Undertake and moderate practice evaluations, dip sampling and closing the loop.
• Analyse a range of information and data, linking it to performance and practice.
• Deliver improvement activities using the Trust's practice model.
• Attend meetings to share findings and celebrate good practice across services.

Skills

Social work

ASYE completed

SWE Registration

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Teamwork

Independent working

Education

Degree in Social Work

Job description

• Are you a qualified and experienced social work practitioner (with at least 4 years post qualified)?
• Are you passionate about excellent outcomes for children, young people, and families?
• Do you have a flare for enabling the professional development of children services practitioners?
• Are you passionate about improving the quality of social work practice that children receive?
• Do you know what good looks like for children services?

• Are you a qualified and experienced social work practitioner (with at least 4 years post qualified)?
• Are you passionate about excellent outcomes for children, young people, and families?
• Do you have a flare for enabling the professional development of children services practitioners?
• Are you passionate about improving the quality of social work practice that children receive?
• Do you know what good looks like for children services?

Then we want to hear from you.

We are looking for SW Practitioners like you to join our Practice Hub within a permanent position to support our quality assurance and improvement activities across services, within the Trust and with partners.

Birmingham Children’s Trust is the largest children service provider in UK and Europe. The overall assurance position of our services to the city’s vulnerable children, young people, and families is GOOD. Rated 'Good' by Ofsted in 2023, our latest focused visit in 2024 highlighted the continued improvement with positive comments about our leaders and our social workers.

Quality assurance systems are being increasingly integrated across most Trust services. Regular practice evaluations, Trust Leadership Team (TLT) audits, thematic & diagnostic audits, and service audits are conducted. Managers and social workers appreciate the opportunity to reflect on their practice. The practice hub enhances practice evaluations by gathering direct feedback from children and families. Nevertheless, there is a need to increase both the number and frequency of these evaluations. Nevertheless, there is a need to continually embed and engage managers in QA activities across the Trust.

We are looking for a Quality Assurance and Improvement Officer (Senior Practitioner) to support our commitment to continual service improvement. The role will include undertaking and moderating practice evaluations, dip sampling, closing the loop, working alongside the research and QA specialist to analyse a range of complex information and data, link it to performance and practice, and delivering improvement activities using our excellent practice model.

This is a hybrid role based in Birmingham so you must reside within a suitable commutable distance around Birmingham and have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship.

About You

We are looking for a dedicated and compassionate individual who is committed to making a difference. The ideal candidate will be social work qualified and is passionate about giving the children and young people of Birmingham the best start in life. They will mentor and support others to recognise what good looks like, be professionally curious, apply relationship based and trauma informed practices to all aspects of work, have the ability to hold difficult conversations to improve practice, be enthusiastic, organised, and solution focused. The candidate will be expected to attend a variety of meetings to share findings from quality assurance and improvement work, celebrate great practice, have excellent written skills, can develop and sustain effective working relationships with colleagues across the Trust and has good communication skills across multiple disciplines.

We welcome applications from social workers or managers with extensive experience of auditing and practice improvement across the spectrum of children's social care. You must have:

• A degree in Social Work and you must have completed your ASYE.
• Registration with Social Work England (SWE).
• Experience working with children and families in a social work setting for at least 4 years.
• Strong assessment and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• The ability to work effectively as part of a team and independently.

Additional Information:

Interview:

Interview date to be confirmed, in person or via MS Teams,

Onboarding Process:

Please note as part of our onboarding process, the successful candidate will be required undergo a series of background checks with Experian including Experian DBS, Experian Right to Work, and Digital ID verification. These are essential pre-employment requirements.

Our Benefits:

• A generous annual leave package of 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 5 years of service and 35 days after 10 years of service.Free on-site parking at our offices on One Avenue Road (Aston) and Lifford House (Stirchley). We also provide onsite electric car charging ports which are free to use!
• Full access to our amazing internal employee benefits scheme including, Occupational Health services, Rewards Schemes, Benefits discounts (including the Blue Light Card), Health & Fitness and Personal Wellbeing support and much more!
• Flexible and hybrid working policy - we are well adapted to a hybrid model of working which includes a combination of time spent in the office and at home and we offer a variety of working patterns.
• Pension Scheme - You will receive a generous local government career average pension scheme in line with the local government pension scheme.

Help us to change children and young people’s lives!

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.

Why Join Us?

• Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
• Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
• Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
• Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.

Our Values

We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.

We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.

We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.

Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.

Safeguarding

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.

The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.

We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.

Please note that we reserve the right to close the job early should we reach the required number of applications, therefore please ensure you submit your application and supporting statement early to avoid any disappointment.