Senior Social Work Practitioner - Placement Team

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council; Ebbw Vale; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council in Wales is seeking a senior social work practitioner to join our busy Placement Team. The role involves supervising both qualified and unqualified staff, overseeing reports and support plans, and coordinating services for foster carers and Special Guardianship Orders.

You will deputise for the Placement Team Manager, support court-ordered assessments, and contribute to planning processes with colleagues across teams to promote family resilience and safe,

Qualifications

• Degree (or equivalent) within Social Work and be registered with Social Care Wales.
• Substantial post qualifying childcare experience within a statutory children’s services team.
• Experience supervising staff and/or students desirable.

Responsibilities

• Supervise qualified and unqualified team members and ensure reports and reviewing of support plans are completed timely and to a high standard.
• Coordinate support services to build resilience in SGO placements and Family Time arrangements.
• Support the planning process for children alongside colleagues from other teams and disciplines.
• Provide guidance, support and leadership to qualified social workers and support workers involved in recruitment, assessment, training and support of foster carers and connected persons.
• Deputise for the Placement Team Manager to ensure smooth service delivery.

Skills

Leadership

Supervision

Report writing

Court reports

Education

Social Work degree

Job description

We are seeking a creative and motivated senior social work practitioner to join our busy Placement Team. The Placement Team has a wide remit including the recruitment, assessment, training and support of foster carers and kinship foster carers, the identification and quality control of placements in independent fostering agencies and residential provision, the assessment and support of those holding Special Guardianship Orders and the Family Time team, ensuring families are able to spend time together in a safe and secure environment.

The Placement Team will offer you the opportunity to build on your existing skills and knowledge by supporting us in two key areas:

You will focus on our important work supporting those applying for, and holding, Special Guardianship Orders in relation to children open to the team. You will supervise qualified and unqualified team members to ensure that reports and the reviewing of support plans are completed in a timely manner and to a high professional standard. You will have the opportunity to develop your skills in coordinating support services to ensure the building of resilience in S.G.O Placements.

The role will also allow you to develop your skills in supervising the Family Time Coordinator and overseeing the work of the Family Time Team, ensuing children and families enjoy family time in a safe and supportive environment. You will support team members to record accurately, information that is needed for ongoing court ordered assessments and ensure families are supported to develop their parenting skills. You will have the opportunity of helping the team develop its role in informing the planning process for children along with colleagues from other teams and disciplines.

As a senior practitioner in the Placement Team you will have the opportunity to support the many varied duties of the team, deputising for the manager and working closely with all team members to ensure the smooth running of the service.

We welcome applications from experienced senior practitioners and qualified social workers who feel ready to take the next steps in their careers. We look forward to receiving your application.

The principal responsibilities include providing guidance, support and leadership to qualified social workers and support workers who are involved in the recruitment, assessment, training and support of foster carers and connected persons. You gain skills in providing formal and informal supervision to members of the team under the guidance of the Placement Team Manager.

Alongside supporting staff members, you will be responsible for case managing a reduced caseload, often complex cases where you will be responsible for completing assessments of potential carers and providing targeted support to carers.

To be eligible for this role all applicants must have a degree (or equivalent) within Social Work and be registered with Social Care Wales. Substantial post qualifying childcare experience within a statutory children’s services team is also essential and experience of supervising staff and/or students is desirable.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. A comprehensive pre-employment screening process will be undertaken which will include anEnhanced Disclosure with Child and Adult Barred List.

A full UK driving license and access to a vehicle for work purposes is a requirement of the role.

For information on the re-employment and re-engagement of former employees please refer to the Council’s Pay Policy.

About us

At Blaenau Gwent, we are passionate about the work we do and the impact we have. We empower our staff to make meaningful changes and take action to enhance our services.

Closing Date

Thursday 8th October 2026 at midnight

Interview Date

TBC