Senior Practitioner - Children with Disabilities Team

Thurrock Council; Grays; Hybrid; GBP 46,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Generous annual leave

Disability Confident Employer

Job summary

Thurrock Council's Children with Disabilities (CWD) team is seeking an experienced Senior Social Worker to lead complex safeguarding work, manage a varied caseload including CIN, CP and CiC, and chair statutory reviews.

You'll provide professional leadership, mentor junior social workers, and work across partners in health, education and social care to deliver outcome-focused support for children with disabilities and their families.

Qualifications

• Experience in children's social care within a statutory setting.
• Proven ability to manage CIN, CP and CiC cases.
• Strong assessment and care planning skills.
• Mentoring and coaching of junior staff.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-quality assessments and care plans.
• Chair CIN reviews and oversee safeguarding.
• Provide professional leadership and supervision.
• Develop multi-agency partnerships.

Skills

Child protection

Complex case management

Mentoring

Court experience

Interagency collaboration

Education

Social Work Degree or equivalent

Social Work England registration

Job description

Job Description

Job Title: Senior Practitioner - Children with Disabilities

Salary: £45,624 - £52,038 per annum plus £6,000 per annum Market Supplement*

*Market Supplement is subject to annual review

Grade: F

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Hours:: 37 hours per week

The Children with Disabilities Team (CWD) is a specialist service supporting children and young people with disabilities and their families. We work in partnership to deliver high-quality, child-centred services that safeguard and promote welfare and improve outcomes.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced, energetic, and passionate qualified social worker with experience in a statutory setting. You will be a collaborative team player, able to motivate, support, and empower the staff you supervise. You will think creatively and work effectively in partnership with colleagues and multi-agency professionals.

As a Senior Social Worker within the Children with Disabilities (CWD) team, you will manage a complex and varied caseload, including Child in Need, Child Protection, Child in Care, and safeguarding responsibilities for children and young people with additional needs. You will play a key role in leading high-quality assessments, developing effective care plans, and chairing and contributing to statutory CIN reviews, ensuring that interventions are outcome-focused and tailored to the specific needs of children with disabilities and their families.

You will provide professional leadership within the team by supporting, mentoring, and guiding less experienced social workers, helping to build confidence, capability, and reflective practice. As a senior practitioner, you will offer clear practice direction and maintain high standards of social work, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, local policies, and best practice guidance.

Working collaboratively with team managers, you will contribute to the effective delivery and development of the service, supporting decision-making and promoting a culture of continuous improvement. You will also establish and maintain strong multi-agency partnerships, working closely with health, education, and other professionals to ensure coordinated and holistic support for children and their families.

In addition, you will play an active role in quality assurance processes, including auditing, group supervision, and service development initiatives, helping to drive improvements in practice and outcomes. This is an opportunity to influence positive change, champion the needs and rights of children with disabilities, and ensure they receive the highest standard of care and support.

What We're Looking For

• Significant experience in children's social care, including substantial work within a Children with Disabilities (CWD) setting, with a strong understanding of the needs of children and young people with a range of complex disabilities and additional needs.
• In-depth knowledge of relevant legislation, statutory guidance, and safeguarding frameworks, including the Children Acts, Working Together to Safeguard Children, and SEND reforms, with the ability to confidently apply these in practice.
• Proven experience of managing complex and high-risk cases, including Child in Need, Child Protection, and Children in Care, with the ability to make sound professional judgements in challenging situations.
• Strong court experience, including preparing high-quality reports and statements, giving evidence, and representing the local authority effectively; experience of Deprivation of Liberty Orders and associated legal frameworks is highly desirable.
• Demonstrable experience of mentoring, coaching, or supporting less experienced staff, students, or newly qualified social workers, and contributing to a positive learning and development culture.
• Highly developed assessment and analytical skills, with the ability to produce clear, evidence-based assessments and outcome-focused care plans that reflect the lived experience of the child.
• Confident and effective decision-making skills, with the ability to balance risk, prioritise workload, and respond appropriately in fast-paced and complex environments.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong, trusting relationships with children, families, and multi-agency partners, and to manage sensitive or challenging conversations professionally.
• Experience of effective multi-agency working, with the ability to collaborate with health, education, and partner organisations to deliver coordinated and holistic support.
• A strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, with a clear understanding of anti-discriminatory practice and a passion for promoting the rights, voice, and participation of children with disabilities and their families.

Essential Qualifications

• Social Work Degree or equivalent
• Social Work England registration

DBS Requirement

Enhanced DBS check including Children's Barred List required

Important Dates

Closing Date (Internal & External): 27th September 2026

Interview Date: Week commencing the 12th of October

Additional Information

If you have any questions about the role or interview process, please contact:

Sarah Hurley

[e-mail]

Why Thurrock?

Working at Thurrock Council gives you the opportunity to join an organisation that is changing at pace, one where you can make a real difference to the lives of the people we serve.

Thurrock Council is moving towards a new community leadership approach which involves linking with local partners and communities as we shape our improvement for the years ahead.

This is an exciting time to join us, to shape the future success of our changing organisation and to have a positive influence on our borough.

Our location

Thurrock is located on the north bank of the river Thames. Our urban centres are a vibrant mix of established towns and new young communities, with a diverse and growing population of around 160,000 residents.

We are an emerging cultural and arts centre, home to the production centre for the Royal Opera House and the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills. We have excellent retail and leisure opportunities, including Lakeside Shopping Centre, country parks, forests, and marshes.

Thurrock is just half an hour journey away from the centre of London by train and well connected by road.

Staff benefits

We offer lots of staff benefits, including a generous annual leave entitlement and hybrid working. We champion flexible working and job share applications are welcome.

Further information can be found here Employment benefits | Working for the council | Thurrock Council

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Thurrock Council is committed to equal opportunities. As a Disability Confident Employer, disabled people will be offered an interview where they meet all essential criteria on the person specification.

We serve a diverse community where people are different yet equal. Diversity underpins everything we do.