Senior Practitioner - Children's Records

Newcastle City Council; Newcastle upon Tyne; Remote; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Newcastle City Council is seeking an experienced Senior Practitioner for the Children's Records Team. You will lead reviews of complex records, assess risks, and determine lawful disclosure while guiding practitioners and managers in decisions that protect children's rights.

You will collaborate across Children's Services and Information Governance to maintain timely, proportionate processes and deliver high-quality information services to families, care-experienced adults and contributors.

Qualifications

• Must have recognised Social Work qualification and current Social Work England registration.
• Significant post-qualifying experience working with children, young people and families.
• Strong knowledge of children's social care legislation, safeguarding and statutory guidance.
• Excellent analytical, assessment and decision-making skills.
• Experience of working with complex, highly sensitive and confidential information.
• Confidence in providing professional advice, guidance and constructive challenge.
• Experience of supporting and developing colleagues.
• Excellent written communication, recording skills and attention to detail.
• A commitment to relational, restorative and child-centred practice.

Responsibilities

• Lead the review of complex children's social care records.
• Assess potential risks and make defensible, proportionate decisions about information disclosure.
• Provide professional consultation, advice and guidance to practitioners and managers.
• Work collaboratively to ensure requests are completed effectively and within statutory timescales.
• Support and mentor colleagues, including trainee and unprogressed social workers.
• Contribute to quality assurance, service development and the improvement of local guidance and processes.
• Ensure children, families and care-experienced adults remain at the centre of decision-making.

Skills

Social Work England registration

Children & families experience

Analytical and decision-making

Handling confidential information

Mentoring colleagues

Written communication

Education

Social Work qualification

Job description

Our vision is for Newcastle to be a great place to grow up, where every child and young person is safe and loved, healthy and happy, and ready for their next steps.

We're looking for an experienced and passionate social worker to join our specialist Children's Records Team. This is a unique opportunity to use your professional expertise, judgement and understanding of children's social care to support children, young people, care-experienced adults and families to access information about their lives. Through this work, you'll play an important role in promoting children's rights, supporting identity and life-story work, and ensuring people can access information safely and compassionately.

About the Role

The Children's Records Team manages requests from individuals seeking access to records held by Children's Social Care. The information within these records can form an important part of a person's story, helping them understand significant events, experiences and relationships throughout their life.

As a Senior Practitioner, you will lead on the review of complex and highly sensitive records, using your social work knowledge and professional judgement to make balanced, lawful and proportionate decisions about disclosure. You will work closely with colleagues across Children's Services, Information Governance and partner agencies to ensure requests are managed effectively and within statutory timescales.

This is a specialist, practice-focused role. You will provide professional advice and guidance, support colleagues, contribute to quality assurance and service improvement, and help shape the ongoing development of this important service. The role reflects our commitment to transparency, restorative practice and keeping the rights and experiences of children and families at the centre of decision‑making.

Who We're Looking For

• A recognised Social Work qualification and current Social Work England registration
• Significant post-qualifying experience working with children, young people and families
• Strong knowledge of children's social care legislation, safeguarding and statutory guidance
• Excellent analytical, assessment and decision-making skills
• Experience of working with complex, highly sensitive and confidential information
• Confidence in providing professional advice, guidance and constructive challenge
• Experience of supporting and developing colleagues
• Excellent written communication, recording skills and attention to detail
• A commitment to relational, restorative and child-centred practice

What You'll Do

• Lead the review of complex children's social care records
• Assess potential risks and make defensible, proportionate decisions about information disclosure
• Provide professional consultation, advice and guidance to practitioners and managers
• Work collaboratively to ensure requests are completed effectively and within statutory timescales
• Support and mentor colleagues, including trainee and unprogressed social workers
• Contribute to quality assurance, service development and the improvement of local guidance and processes
• Ensure children, families and care-experienced adults remain at the centre of decision-making

Why We Think There Is Nowhere Better

At Newcastle, we're committed to creating a culture where people feel supported, valued and able to do their best work. Through our Families First transformation, we're building services around relationships, strengths and partnership working. We invest in our workforce, value professional expertise and encourage innovation, reflection and continuous learning.

Working with us includes:

• A dedicated 5-day induction
• Generous annual leave in addition to Bank Holidays, with the ability to buy additional leave annually
• A range of flexible working options, including opportunities for part-time working
• A generous Flexi Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme offering confidential advice and support
• Access to a generous, defined benefit pension scheme
• Access to a home electronics scheme and vehicle leasing scheme

If you're looking for a specialist social work role where your experience, judgement and values can make a lasting difference, we'd love to hear from you.

We are committed to protecting and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all staff to share this commitment. This post is working in regulated activity. If you are successful we will undertake additional recruitment checks which will include a check to see if you have had any criminal convictions, a check of police information and we will check the barred list(s). It is a criminal offence for a barred individual to apply for a job in regulated activity.

For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Amy Furniss, Social Care Assurance and Qulaity of Practice Lead [e-mail].