Senior Practitioner

Bridgend; Wales; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Bridgend County Borough Council is seeking a Senior Practitioner within Foster Wales Bridgend to lead recruitment, assessment and ongoing support for foster carers, including the new Step-Down service. The role supports service development, wellbeing and learning initiatives for carers and care-experienced children.

The post operates under a hybrid working policy, with a requirement for a valid driving licence and DBS checks as part of safeguarding responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Senior Practitioner role within Foster Wales Bridgend.
• Experience in recruitment, assessing and supporting foster carers.

Responsibilities

• Support the Team Manager in the General Fostering Team to manage, co-ordinate and develop the team.
• Recruit, assess, review and support General Foster Carers including the Step-Down project.
• Collaborate with the Care Experienced Team, 15+ team, Kinship and Permanence Team and external providers.
• Develop and embed the Step-Down Service and other service development opportunities.

Job description

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Job details

Contractual hours 37

Basis Full time

Job category/type Social Work – Adults/Children

Date posted 05/11/2026

Job reference 19307

37 hours per week

Fixed Term for 2years

An exciting opportunity for a Senior Practitioner who enjoys working within a challenging, fast paced service has arisen within Foster Wales Bridgend. The is a 2-year fixed term contract to support service development, including an exciting new scheme recruitment, assessing and supporting foster carers for a Step-Down service.

This Step-Down Service recruits, assesses and supports foster carers to care for children whose care plan is to step down from residential placements to fostering placements. The service will provide an enhanced package of support and learning and development opportunities to carers involved in the step-down service.

The role will also involve the support and development of other areas of service development such as the implementation of the new First Year in Practice / Induction Framework, the Learning and Development framework for foster carers, developing the Fostering Wellbeing Programme within the General Fostering Population in Bridgend. The Service is also further developing Parent and Child foster placements and Support Care.

The Fostering Team are part of the Cwm Taff Region and as part of our approach to recruiting additional foster carers we have a regional front door to ensure a timely response to any new enquiries.

We are looking for a dynamic, enthusiastic and knowledgeable Senior Practitioner to assist the Team Manager in the General Fostering Team in the management, co-ordination and development of the team and services, in recruiting, assessing, reviewing and supporting General Foster Carers including the step-down project.

The successful candidate will work closely with the management team to develop and ensure an efficient and effective service for foster carers, care experienced children, fostering households and support networks in line with the current policies, best practice, legislation, procedures and reporting systems.

The successful candidate will develop and embed the Steo Down Service along with other service development opportunities, recruit, assess and hold a small number of step-down carers and complex cases, provide support / supervision

to some team members, taking a lead role in the developing and implementing designated areas of good practice and service development.

The role will involve collaborative working across all the Childrens teams within the Local Authority, in particular the Care Experienced Team and 15+ team who support children looked after and external providers. We also work closely with the Kinship and Permanence Team who support connected persons foster carers and Special Guardians.

We are a small and friendly team with great learning and development opportunities for staff to progress their career aspirations. The team provides a trauma informed approach to the support and retention of foster carers. The wellbeing of the staff team is a key priority for the team and the team plan for the year ahead is around team and service development and building further resilience and support within the fostering community.

Bridgend has embedded the Signs of Safety model of practice and experience and understanding of this model would be beneficial, however full training is provided.

Bridgend County Borough is a great place to live and work. It occupies an enviable position between Swansea and Cardiff and stretches from the scenic valleys to our beautiful coastline – presenting easy access to urban centres as well as picturesque rural and coastal settings. With excellent schools, affordable housing and excellent public services, there is something for everyone here, and plenty to do all year round to support work/ life balance.

Protecting children, young people or adults at risk is a core responsibility of all council employees.

An Enhanced Children and Adults Barred list criminal records check by the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) is a requirement for this post.

The council’s Hybrid Working Policy applies to this post. This provides a framework for establishing how you will undertake working hours between your home and the office.

A valid driving licence is requirement for this post.