Head of Practice

Cafcass; United States; Hybrid; USD 86,000 - 119,000; Full time

Job summary

Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, invites applications for a Head of Practice to lead and inspire teams across Stevenage or Kent. Based at the chosen office, you will support service delivery across the area and drive high‑quality social work and safeguarding outcomes for children involved in care proceedings, adoption and parental separation.

You will be a qualified social worker with extensive court experience, capable of strategic leadership, practice

Qualifications

• Qualified social worker with extensive court experience in child protection.
• Proven ability to guide, influence and improve practice and service delivery.
• Experience at a senior level delivering strategic aims within a busy operational area.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support teams across Stevenage or Kent service areas to ensure high-quality practice.
• Set high standards and drive internal practice improvement and performance management.
• Collaborate with Service Managers and partners to achieve positive outcomes for children involved in care proceedings, adoption and parental separation.

Skills

Leadership

Influence others

Child protection

Social work

Court proceedings

Education

Qualified social worker

Job description

You will lead and support teams across either our Stevenage Service Area or our Kent Service Area, depending on your appointed location. Successful candidates will be based at either our Stevenage office or our Maidstone office, with responsibility for supporting teams and service delivery across the respective areas.

Let us tell you a bit more about the role… As a Head of Practice, you will draw on your considerable, professional Social Work experience to lead and inspire those around you to ensure the delivery of high-quality services and practice.

You will set high standards and combine this with high levels of support so the Service Managers you lead can create the conditions for our Family Court Advisers, who engage directly with children and families, to deliver exceptional experiences. Reporting directly to the Assistant Director - who has overall leadership responsibility for operational service areas that covers Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Kent you will lead on internal practice improvement as well influence local delivery partners while also working on a mix of strategic and operational matters. By ensuring Cafcass priorities, policies and plans are delivered to the highest possible standard, you and your teams will deliver positive outcomes for children and young people going through significant events including care proceedings, adoption and parental separation.

What we're looking for

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate their experience and capability as a highly effective Leader who guides, influences and inspires others to consistently fulfil their responsibilities and to identify individual and collective opportunities for professional improvement. You must be a qualified social worker with extensive experience in court proceedings and child protection. Also to be able to demonstrate a proven track record of working at a senior level in order to deliver the organisations strategic aims within a busy operational area. You will also thrive on the responsibility of ensuring quality of practice and service delivery across the operational area is not only sustained but continually improved. You will be motivated to achieve performance standards by supporting Service Managers to ensure strong, consistent performance management behaviours and processes are embedded.

Further information

Whilst you can expect to work remotely some of the time, reflecting the seniority of the role there is a requirement for some national travel. Similarly, as a Senior Leader, you will be expected to have a regular, visible office presence not only for formal meetings but to also model the importance and value of staff using office spaces to connect and collaborate. As a guide, it is reasonable to expect you may be in the Stevenage or Kent office - or other offices across the service areas - twice per week, on average. Therefore, whilst you don't necessarily need to live close to the office(s) this may be something for you to consider.

Please be advised successful applicants will be subject to a range of pre-engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). In accordance with the and our own policy, should an individual have a declared criminal offence an individual assessment will be completed. Further information on what the assessment covers can be found by viewing the .

We are Cafcass - the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service - and we represent children in family court cases in England. Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests, we speak up for over 130,0000 children every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures, ensuring their needs, wishes and feelings are heard.

Watch our video to find out we don't just listen to children's voices but we can be their voice.