Senior Practitioner

Suffolk County Council; Bury St Edmunds; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Join Suffolk County Council as a Senior Practitioner within the Mental Health and Learning Disability service. This role offers an opportunity to impact the community positively while working in a supportive team. Qualified social workers with a commitment to holistic care are encouraged to apply. Enjoy flexible working arrangements and a supportive work environment focused on professional development.

Benefits

Up to 29 days annual leave (pro rata)

Local Government Pension Scheme membership

Travel, lifestyle, health, and wellbeing benefits

Training and career development opportunities

Flexible working options from day one

Qualifications

• Qualified, registered social worker with at least 2 years post-qualifying experience.
• Experience with legislation and commitment to community mental health.
• Ability to perform innovative strengths-based assessments.

Responsibilities

• Support local communities as part of the Mental Health West Team.
• Undertake strengths-based assessments and care planning.
• Work collaboratively with personal support networks.

Skills

Knowledge of legislation

Strong commitment to community support

Innovative assessment and care planning

Education

Qualified registered social worker

At least 2 years post qualifying experience

Job description

• Suffolk County Council - West Suffolk House, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 3YU - Hybrid
• £42,367 - £45,595 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• 37 hours per week - Flexible working options available
• Fixed Term or Secondment until 31st January 2026

Come and be a part of Suffolk County Council within our Mental Health and Learning Disability service, in the Adult Social Care, Mental Health West Team. Our staff are our greatest resource, and with you in our team, we can achieve the authority's priorities of enabling everyone to live long, healthy, fulfilling lives while safeguarding the most vulnerable people in Suffolk.

Are you looking for an exciting new challenge? Do you want to join a thriving, enthusiastic, and creative service?

We are looking to recruit a Senior Practitioner to our Mental Health West Team on a fixed term or secondment basis. We seek individuals who have a strong commitment to supporting their local communities and building links and networks for the people we work with.

You will need to:

• be a qualified, registered social worker
• At least 2 years post qualifying experience
• have good knowledge, understanding and experience of working with relevant legislation in practice.

You will have the ability and experience to undertake innovative strengths-based assessments and care planning with individuals, carers, and their personal support networks. You will also be open to change, innovative and confident with a focus on strengthening social work; be ambitious about what people can achieve and keen to explore ideas for positive outcomes.

It is an exciting time to join our service in Suffolk, we are striving to strengthen both our Learning Disability and Autism and Mental Health Social Work identity to provide a strong, recovery focused model for the people of Suffolk.

We promote personalisation through our practice model, Supporting Lives and Connecting Communities, and have adopted the Signs of Safety model throughout ACS (Adult and Community Services).

Partnership working is strong and through joint care planning we strive for a person-centred approach that supports people to be independent, resilient, and having choice and control. We are currently offering a hybrid model of working from home and the office.

We have a strong, cohesive, and supportive management team, who are committed to continuous professional development, and a reputation for changing services for the better.

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (docx) . If you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

Empowering Everyone

We're big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We're always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report

For more information

Please contact Caroline Latham for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling 01473296408 or emailing [e-mail] .

If you want to apply for a secondment, read the secondment policy first. Make sure you get permission from your current manager before submitting your application.

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (JPP) (docx).

Step 2 - Click Apply Now' to start your online application.

Step 3 - Upload asupporting statementanswering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the Supporting Statement template .

1. Can you share an example of how you have promoted a high-performance culture within your team? What strategies did you use to encourage continuous improvement
2. Can you describe a time when you had to lead a team through a significant change? How did you manage the transition and ensure that your team remained motivated and productive?
3. Describe a challenging situation where you had to respond to a crisis or significant problem within your team. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?

Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format. If you would like an adjustment to this process due to a disability, please contact us at 03456 014412 or [e-mail]

We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences. Applications suspected of being generated by AI may be rejected. We ask you to present your own work and ideas throughout the application process.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to the application process before the next selection stage, please contact our Recruitment Team by emailing [e-mail] or calling 03456 014412. If you are invited to the next stage of selection, you will have another opportunity to request adjustments for the next stages of the process.

Closing date: 11.30pm, 17 June 2025

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid

As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We're driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.

In return, you'll enjoy:

• up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days
• membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
• performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase
• training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
• a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
• diverse and active staff networks
• flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day

Plus lots more!

If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk) .