Senior Practitioner - Leaving Care

Peterborough First group; Peterborough; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 25 days

Cycle to Work scheme

Home & Electronics scheme

Car lease scheme

Paid volunteering hours

Professional development opportunities

Recognition awards

Job summary

Peterborough City Council's Leaving Care Service is seeking a Senior Practitioner to manage a caseload of care leavers and provide senior practice support across three teams.

You will apply leaving care expertise, support Personal Advisers, and drive improvements in outcomes and multi-agency working, with a focus on safeguarding, housing and progression to independence.

We offer a supportive environment with development opportunities and a strong commitment to equality and inclusion.

Qualifications

• Qualified Social Worker with significant experience supporting children in care and care leavers.
• Strong knowledge of leaving care legislation, safeguarding, and pathway planning.
• Experience providing reflective challenge and practice leadership.

Responsibilities

• Manage a complex caseload of care leavers and young people transitioning from care.
• Provide practice guidance and support to Personal Advisers.
• Support quality assurance, performance monitoring and service improvement.
• Advise on safeguarding, housing, mental health, exploitation, homelessness and transition planning.
• Promote pathway planning and Local Offer for care leavers.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners.
• Contribute to training and continuous improvement.

Job description

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Senior Practitioner to join Peterborough City Council's Leaving Care Service. Working within Corporate Parenting, you will hold a caseload of care leavers while providing senior practice support across a service of three teams.

You will use your expertise in leaving care, transitions to adulthood and statutory responsibilities to support young people, Personal Advisers and colleagues, helping improve outcomes for care-experienced young adults.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a complex caseload of care leavers and young people transitioning from care.
• Provide practice guidance, mentoring and support to Personal Advisers.
• Support quality assurance, performance monitoring and service improvement.
• Advise on complex issues including safeguarding, housing, mental health, exploitation, homelessness and transition planning.
• Promote effective pathway planning and the Local Offer for care leavers.
• Work collaboratively with internal and external partners.
• Contribute to training, development and continuous improvement across the service.

About the Service

Peterborough's Corporate Parenting Service supports children in care, young people preparing to leave care and care leavers moving into adulthood. We are committed to helping young people achieve positive outcomes in independence, education, employment, relationships and accommodation through relational, strengths-based and child-centred practice.

About You

You will be a qualified Social Worker, with significant experience supporting children in care and care leavers. You will have strong knowledge of leaving care legislation, safeguarding, pathway planning and multi‑agency working.

We are looking for someone who:

• Has experience managing complex cases and supporting colleagues.
• Demonstrates strong assessment, analysis and communication skills.
• Can provide reflective challenge and practice leadership.
• Is committed to improving outcomes for care-experienced young people.
• Brings resilience, emotional intelligence and a solution-focused approach.

Key Knowledge Areas A sound understanding of relevant legislation, including the Children Act 1989, Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000, Children and Social Work Act 2017, safeguarding guidance, housing legislation and corporate parenting responsibilities is essential.

Our Benefits

We value our colleagues and have developed a number of benefits in addition to our generous annual leave starting at 25 days + bank holidays, sick pay and local government pension scheme…

• Access to a range of benefits via our Employee Benefits Platform, including in-store and online discounts as well as our Cycle to Work and Home & Electronics schemes
• Buy up to 10 days additional annual leave (pro-rat)
• Access to car lease scheme
• Take your bank holidays flexibly to better suit your personal circumstances
• Make Additional Voluntary Contributions (Shared Cost AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings
• Access to development opportunities including apprenticeships to support your personal and professional growth
• Paid volunteering hours each year so you can make a positive impact on our community during your normal working day
• Access to our equality, diversity and inclusion network
• Opportunities to receive Employee Recognition Awards

Our Commitments

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to fostering diversity, advancing equity, and building an inclusive workplace for everyone. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and particularly encourage those from underrepresented groups, including disabled people, care leavers, and individuals from minority ethnic communities. Your unique perspectives and experiences are encouraged and valued and will play a vital role in our success.

We are committed to making our recruitment process as accessible as possible. If you are a person who has or considers yourself to have a disability and you require reasonable adjustments to the application or interview process, please contact [e-mail].

Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you've already applied and completed the recruitment process for this position within the last three months, there's no need to reapply. We really appreciate your interest and thank you for considering us