Senior Social Work Lead Practitioner - Family Help (South)

Birmingham Children's Trust; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Incentive payment £1,000 (first month)

Retention bonus £5,000 per year

Relocation allowance up to £8,000

SSW England registration fee paid

DBS fee and update service paid

Pension scheme

Generous annual leave

Car salary sacrifice scheme

Free on-site parking

Hybrid working

Employee benefits scheme

Job summary

Birmingham Children’s Trust is seeking a Senior Social Work Lead Practitioner to lead early help and complex safeguarding work within Family Help. Hybrid role based in Birmingham, with multi-agency collaboration at its core and a focus on trauma-informed practice to support vulnerable children and families.

You will coach colleagues, lead needs-led assessments, present to conferences and panels, and maintain high standards of case recording while driving outcomes for children and young people.

Qualifications

• A recognised Social Work qualification.
• Current Social Work England registration.
• Significant post-qualifying experience within children’s social care.
• Experience working within Family Help and managing complex safeguarding issues.
• Strong knowledge of relevant legislation, statutory guidance, and child development.
• Excellent assessment, analytical, and decision-making skills.
• The ability to coach, mentor, and support colleagues to develop their practice.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• A commitment to achieving outstanding outcomes for children and young people

Responsibilities

• Act as the lead professional for children and families in need of help and support.
• Undertake needs-led assessments and lead the creation and delivery of multi-agency support plans.
• Facilitate Early Help and Child in Need meetings and establish a ‘Team Around the Family’.
• Prepare and present assessments and reports to conferences, courts, and panels.
• Build strong relationships with children and families, promoting their development, safety, and wellbeing.
• Use trauma-informed, relationship-based practice to engage families.
• Maintain high standards of case recording and contribute to multi-agency partnerships.
• Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of your work.

Skills

Lead practitioner

Child welfare

Multi-agency collaboration

Coaching

Mentoring

Assessment

Trauma-informed practice

Communication skills

Legislation knowledge

Equality and inclusion

Education

Social Work qualification

Job description

Are you ready to make a meaningful impact in the lives of children and families across Birmingham? Birmingham Children’s Trust is seeking a passionate and experienced Senior Social Work Lead Practitioner to join our Family Help service Team. We have vacancies available in our South Family Help teams. (Selly Oak, Northfield and Edgbaston districts)

We are committed to Working Together to make Birmingham the greatest city to grow up in. Our mission is to deliver excellent social work and family support services for the city’s most vulnerable children and families. Every member of our team plays a vital role in achieving our shared goals.

We have been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, following a 2023 inspection. This is a fantastic achievement for Birmingham Children’s Trust, with many positive highlights focusing on areas including the quality of staff leadership, partnership working, safeguarding and corporate parenting.

This is a hybrid role based in Birmingham so you must reside within a suitable commutable distance around Birmingham and have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship.

As a Senior Social Work Lead Practitioner, you will:

• Act as the lead professional for children and families in need of help and support.
• Undertake needs-led assessments and lead the creation and delivery of multi-agency support plans.
• Facilitate Early Help and Child in Need meetings and establish a ‘Team Around the Family’.
• Prepare and present assessments and reports to conferences, courts, and panels.
• Build strong relationships with children and families, promoting their development, safety, and wellbeing.
• Use trauma-informed, relationship-based practice to engage families.
• Maintain high standards of case recording and contribute to multi-agency partnerships.
• Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of your work.

We’re looking for someone who has:

• A recognised Social Work qualification.
• Current Social Work England registration.
• Significant post-qualifying experience within children’s social care.
• Experience working within Family Help and managing complex safeguarding issues.
• Strong knowledge of relevant legislation, statutory guidance, and child development.
• Excellent assessment, analytical, and decision-making skills.
• The ability to coach, mentor, and support colleagues to develop their practice.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• A commitment to achieving outstanding outcomes for children and young people

Our Benefits:

• An incentive payment of £1,000 paid in full in your first months’ salary (T&C’s apply)
• Retention bonus of £5,000 per annum paid in monthly instalments (T&C’s apply)
• Relocation Allowance of up to £8,000 (T&C’s apply)
• We pay your Social Work England registration fee
• We pay your DBS application fee and reimburse your update service fee
• A generous annual leave package of 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 5 years of service and 35 days after 10 years of service.
• Salary Sacrifice Car Scheme which gives you the chance to drive a brand-new car for an affordable fixed monthly amount as part of a salary sacrifice initiative. With no deposits or credit checks required a range of all-inclusive driving packages
• Free on-site parking at our offices on One Avenue Road (Aston) and Lifford House (Stirchley). We also provide onsite electric car charging ports which are free to use! Full access to our amazing internal employee benefits scheme including, Occupational Health services, Rewards Schemes, Benefits discounts (including the Blue Light Card), Health & Fitness and Personal Wellbeing support and much more!
• Flexible and hybrid working policy - we are well adapted to a hybrid model of working which includes a combination of time spent in the office and at home and we offer a variety of working patterns, to support the needs of the Trust and to ensure a positive work/life balance for our employees
• You will receive a generous local government career average pension scheme in line with the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Discounted gym memberships with Pure Gym and Nuffield Health

Help us to change children and young people’s lives!

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.

Why Join Us?

• Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
• Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
• Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
• Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.

Our Values

We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.

We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.

We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.

Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.

Safeguarding

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.

The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.

We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.