Senior Practitioner - Help & Protection - Birmingham

Eden Brown Synergy; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Eden Brown Synergy is seeking an experienced Senior Practitioner to join a busy Help and Protection service for children, young people and families in Birmingham. You will provide skilled practice, leadership and safeguarding across a challenging caseload, leading high-quality assessments and reviewing child protection plans.

You will mentor colleagues, contribute to care proceedings and draft evidence-based court reports while ensuring children’s voices and best interests are central to every

Qualifications

• Recognised Social Work qualification and current registration with Social Work England.
• Substantial post-qualification experience in children’s social care, including child protection, safeguarding or children in need services.
• Sound understanding of relevant legislation, statutory guidance and court processes.
• Ability to analyse complex information and make proportionate, defensible decisions.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills; resilient in demanding circumstances.
• Experience supervising or mentoring social workers is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Undertake high-quality assessments, develop and review child protection plans.
• Ensure children’s voices remain central to decision-making.
• Collaborate with families, schools, health, police and partners to identify risk and achieve outcomes.
• Contribute to care proceedings, permanency planning and evidence-based court reports.
• Support colleagues through case discussions, reflective supervision and mentoring.
• Promote high social work standards, risk assessment, direct work and threshold decision-making.
• Maintain accurate records and meet statutory timescales.

Skills

Child protection expertise

Safeguarding

Assessment & decision making

Mentoring & supervision

Court reports

Education

Social Work qualification

Job description

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Senior Practitioner to join a busy Help and Protection service supporting children, young people and families. This is an opportunity for a qualified social worker to provide skilled practice, professional leadership and effective safeguarding across a varied and challenging caseload.

You will undertake high-quality assessments, develop and review child protection plans, and make sure that children’s voices, wishes and feelings remain central to all decision-making. You will work collaboratively with parents, carers, schools, health professionals, police and other partner agencies to identify risk, strengthen families and achieve positive outcomes. Where required, you will contribute to care proceedings, permanency planning and evidence-based reports for court.

As a Senior Practitioner, you will support the development of colleagues through case discussions, reflective supervision, mentoring and practice guidance. You will promote consistently high standards of social work, contribute to service improvement and help embed effective approaches to risk assessment, direct work and threshold decision-making. The role will also involve managing competing priorities, maintaining accurate records and ensuring that statutory responsibilities are met within required timescales.

Applicants must hold a recognised Social Work qualification and current registration with Social Work England. You will have substantial post-qualification experience in children’s social care, including work within child protection, safeguarding or children in need services. A sound understanding of relevant legislation, statutory guidance and court processes is essential, together with the ability to analyse complex information and make proportionate, defensible decisions.

You will be a confident communicator with strong relationship-building skills and the resilience to work effectively in demanding circumstances. We are looking for someone who is organised, reflective and committed to anti-discriminatory practice, improving outcomes for children and supporting families with compassion and professionalism. Experience of supervising or mentoring social workers would be an advantage.