Specialist Practitioner, ROYAL BOROUGH OF KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA

Guardian Jobs; London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading team as a Specialist Practitioner in Kensington and Chelsea, where you'll support families and mentor social workers. This role offers autonomy, a clear development pathway, and the chance to make a significant impact within the community. Your expertise will be valued, and you'll work in a culture that fosters innovation and collaboration.

Benefits

Supportive team environment

Clear pathway for development

Opportunities for innovation

Qualifications

• Experience managing complex cases across children's services.
• Confident in sharing knowledge and leading discussions.
• Ability to work independently and bring fresh thinking.

Responsibilities

• Work directly with children and families facing complex challenges.
• Mentor and coach social workers across the team.
• Lead on practice development and contribute to service-wide projects.

Skills

Communication

Analytical Skills

Mentoring

Systemic Practice

Education

Qualified Social Worker

Systemic Practice Training

Job description

Help families thrive - and support the colleagues who care for them.

At the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, we know how important the right guidance is - not just for families, but for the professionals who support them. As a Specialist Practitioner, you'll do both. You'll work directly with children and families facing complex challenges, while also mentoring and coaching social workers across the team.

Working Style:

You'll be based in the Borough for five days a week, playing a key role in serving the local community. Whether you're working on the frontline or behind the scenes, you'll be part of a dedicated team making a real difference to residents' lives.

What you'll be doing:

You'll hold a small but complex caseload, working closely with children and families in need, on child protection plans or in care. Alongside this, you'll play a key role in supporting other practitioners - from joint work on challenging cases to mentoring, advice and reflective group sessions.

You'll lead on elements of practice development, helping the team stay up to date with new research, patterns in local need and changes in legislation. You'll contribute to service-wide projects, bringing your insight to areas like quality assurance, policy development or systems improvement.

Your mix of hands-on experience and specialist knowledge will help ensure families receive the support they need - and that practitioners feel confident and empowered in their roles.

For further details, please review the Job Description and Person Specification

What you'll bring

You'll be a qualified social worker with experience managing complex cases across the full spectrum of children's services - from early help to adoption. Ideally, you'll have completed Year 1 of systemic practice training or have equivalent experience applying systemic and relationship-based approaches in your work.

You'll be confident sharing knowledge, leading discussions and supporting others to reflect and grow. Strong communication and analytical skills are key, as is the ability to work independently and bring fresh thinking to longstanding challenges.

Most importantly, you'll be someone who cares about getting it right for children and families - and about creating a culture of learning and support within your team.

Why join us

You'll join a supportive and highly respected team where your expertise will be valued and your growth encouraged. This is a role with real autonomy - where you'll have the chance to shape how you work, bring your interests into the job and make a visible impact across the service.

There's a clear pathway for your development, whether you want to deepen your specialism, progress into management or apply your systemic training in therapeutic settings. You'll also be part of a service that values innovation and collaboration - where every voice matters.

About us

Kensington and Chelsea is home to diverse communities, thriving businesses and unique local places. Everything we do is focused on supporting our residents, strengthening our approach and creating a fairer borough.

As a competent and caring Council, we take pride in our work every day, ensuring our services are delivered with care and competence. We listen to our residents, act with integrity and work together to build a borough that is greener, safer and fairer for all.

In this role, you'll help ensure children and families get the right support - and that our practitioners are equipped, confident and supported to deliver their best work.

Interview Details and Role Requirements

Interviews will be held on 14th and 15th July 2025

This role requires an Enhanced DBS check with Children's and Adult's Barred List.

You will also be required to be a qualified social worker.

Ready to join us?

We're all in - are you? If you share our values and have the skills to contribute, we'd love to hear from you.