Senior Practitioner - Care Leavers Team

Leicestershire County Council; Leicester; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government council in Leicester is looking for a senior social work practitioner to lead and mentor new workers in the Care Leaver Team. The role involves working with complex family situations and supporting young people transitioning into adulthood, all while fostering a reflective and inclusive work culture. Ideal candidates will have relevant qualifications and experience in children's services.

Benefits

Well-regarded employee counselling services

Free car parking

Cycle to work scheme

Paid SW registration

Lease car scheme

Option to purchase additional leave

Discounts at high-street stores

Special offers on leisure activities

Qualifications

• Energetic and enthusiastic worker with a good understanding of supervision.
• Experience of statutory children’s services.
• Interest in research and evidence for practice.

Responsibilities

• Support skills of newly qualified workers through mentoring.
• Lead group supervision sessions.
• Develop collaborative practices with families.

Skills

Supervision

Relationship-based social work

Creative problem solving

Collaboration skills

Education

MA, DipSW CQSW or equivalent qualification

Job description

About the Role

We have the opportunity to join our skilled and supported workforce. We have a vacancy for a senior social work practitioner in the Care Leaver and UASC Service as part of the Care Leaver Team.

As a senior social work practitioner, you will work with families under complex and challenging circumstances. Your role will be to develop and support the skills of newly qualified workers through mentoring and supervision for Personal Advisors. You will lead on facilitating our regular group supervision POD sessions and provide support to the team manager.

As an organisation, we are committed to a strong and skilled workforce providing high quality services to the children and families of Leicestershire following our relationship-based Signs of Safety practice approach.

If you are interested in a post with us read on…

About Us

At Leicestershire County Council we are committed to doing our very best for vulnerable children and families; working to make a positive impact on their lives so they can achieve their potential and flourish.

We are proud of our Road to Excellence Plan which sets out our key values, behaviours and ambitions. We have embedded the Signs of Safety approach throughout our services and this approach mirrors our values of Aspiration, Being Curious and Collaboration. We are focused on working with families and the networks of family, friends and professionals around children, to work in collaboration to achieve shared goals.

As Children and Family department we are committed to our vision of becoming a trauma informed responsive department where we believe we are “stronger together” and where our culture is one of partnership. We strive to create a safe, compassionate, healing environment demonstrated through relationships based on trust, respect, hope and empathy. We will nurture curiosity, understanding, and provide hope for growth and recovery.

We are committed to supporting and empowering our staff to be the best workers they can be, and to providing the support and resources needed to work in collaboration with children and families. We are focused on being an inclusive department that values equality, diversity and inclusion and challenges discrimination at every level. We welcome applicants from BME communities, disabled people and LGBT communities, as diversity enriches the service we offer our Children and Families.

We aim to create a culture where practice excellence can flourish, with a learning organisation mindset. We offer opportunities for reflection, learning and development and support for practitioners.

• Annual conferences for staff to reflect and learn
• Monthly team learning time
• Regular, reflective supervision and group supervision
• Senior leaders observe practice and gather feedback twice a year
• Social Work England registered workers have three extra CPD days per year
• Valued training offers and career progression programs
• Practice Excellence support including coaching, mentoring and reflective case discussions
• Practice Development Group for practitioner collaboration
• Critical Incident Response service providing independent therapeutic support within 48 hours
• Wellbeing Service with ongoing events and support

In all service areas you are expected to work closely with colleagues across team and agency boundaries to ensure families receive appropriate support. Managed workloads with regular monthly supervision and experienced management support are provided.

We operate a hybrid model of working, with office and home-based elements. Equipment including a laptop and smartphone are provided to enable you to perform your role. Flexible working policies support staff in flexible circumstances.

A DBS enhanced check for a regulated activity is required for this post. An equality, diversity and inclusion commitment is expected.

About You

Care Leaver and UASC Service (based centrally at County Hall). The Care Leaver and UASC service works with Care Leavers, 16+ homeless young people, and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children. The teams include senior practitioners, social workers, personal advisers and support workers.

To apply for this post, you must respond to and evidence the following seven essential criteria within your personal statement. This should be no more than 1,000 words.

• Appropriate social work professional qualification such as MA, DipSW CQSW or equivalent
• Energetic and enthusiastic worker with good understanding of supervision and performance management
• Experience of statutory children’s services and understanding of helping young people transition into adulthood
• Evidence of creative, innovative, relationship-based social work in collaboration with families and professionals
• Support a culture of reflection and learning
• Interest in research and the evidence base for practice and how it informs practice
• Ideally confident in applying the Signs of Safety methodology or value relationship-based social work

Benefits

• Well-regarded employee counselling services
• Free car parking
• Cycle to work scheme
• Paid SW registration
• Lease car scheme
• Option to purchase additional leave
• Discounts at high-street stores and supermarket shopping
• Special offers on leisure activities and gym memberships

You must also have an understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion. You will be expected to evidence these values as part of the selection process. Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability.

Flexible Working

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. We will consider flexible working arrangements where possible. For discussion of options, please contact the person named below. This may include term-time, part-time, compressed hours, flexible start/finish times, or home/remote working.

Every role has a defined working style; the worker category is detailed in the advert. More information is available on our career site.

Contact and How to Apply

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Louisa Kelly - Team Manager

Telephone: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

How to Apply

Leicestershire County Council is an inclusive organisation. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities. Applicants with a disability who meet the criteria will be offered an interview under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme. To apply, click the apply button and upload a supporting statement addressing the criteria above. The How to Apply section on our career site provides more information.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient applications are received. If you have technical issues applying, contact our Employee Service Centre at 0300 3030222 (option 2) or via emss support.

By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.