Senior Practitioner (Assessment Teams)

North East Combined Authority; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 47,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

South Tyneside Council is seeking a Senior Practitioner for the Children and Families Service, Assessment Team 2. The role involves leading high-quality social work assessments and safeguarding investigations to support families in need.

You will work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment, mentoring staff and contributing to service development while building strong partnership arrangements to ensure effective support.

Qualifications

• Significant experience of working with children and families in a Safeguarding Service.
• Experience supporting practice development and staff with child protection enquiries.
• Delivery of safe and effective decision making for new social care contacts.

Responsibilities

• Support the Practice Manager with ongoing development of the service.
• Contribute to high quality social work assessments and short-term interventions.
• Lead safeguarding enquiries as required and build partnerships.

Job description

Senior Practitioner

(Children and Families Service, Assessment Team 2)

£51,928 pa (Inclusive of Retention Payments, Subject to Review March 2028)

This is a time of exciting change in South Tyneside and we are looking to a recruit highly skilled and experienced Senior Practitioner within one of our busy Assessment Teams.

The Assessment Teams are the first people to meet children and families and set the tone for a collaborative and supportive relationship. Working in the Assessment Team is fast paced but incredibly rewarding.

In South Tyneside our children and families are at the forefront of everything we do. We want every child and family to feel supported in times of need and empowered to make the right decisions. We take pride in our social work teams, where staff are valued and supported and where we work together to drive this vision forward.

Our June 2026 Ofsted inspection found that services for children and families have improved significantly, supported by a ‘child-focused, stable, skilled and consistent workforce’ committed to restorative and relational practice.

We are looking for someone who has significant experience of working with children and their families in a Safeguarding Service. The role will involve supporting the Practice Manager with the ongoing development of the service; conducting and supporting staff with child protection enquiries; the delivery of safe and effective decision making for new social care contacts; building on excellent partnership arrangements to ensure that effective support is provided to families; as well as ensuring the delivery of high quality social work assessment and support to families who are in need of short term intervention.

For more information you can contact Rachael MacLennan, Operations Manager: [e-mail] or Jordon Dockerty, Practice Manager: [e-mail]

We offer an excellent benefits package and further information is available here - www.southtyneside.gov.uk/workinghere

South Tyneside Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosure will be sought along with other relevant pre-employment checks.

We do not currently offer skilled worker visa sponsorship.

To view our Privacy Notice please visit: https://southtyneside.gov.uk/article/2780/Privacy-notice-for-job-applicants

Please note that if you apply for this role, all communication regarding your application will be sent to the email address that you have registered with North East Jobs, please ensure you check your junk mail.

Closing date: Noon, 9 October 2026

Interviews will take place week commencing 26 October 2026