Children's Family Practitioner - Fostering South and West

Job description

Job description

An exciting opportunity has become available within our Fostering South team for a full-time Family Practitioner.

This is a fixed-term role for 12 months.About the role

We are looking for a Family Practitioner to work alongside our supportive and friendly team of Social Workers to provide targeted support and guidance to foster carers and the children they care for in South Devon.

This is a dynamic and diverse role where you will be a vital in the development of strong, positive relationships between children and young people, foster carers and the fostering service to ensure homes are safe, nurturing and children can thrive. Our aim is to provide as much stability for our children in care as possible and our FP's are part of supporting this to happen.

About You

You will be confident at liaising with foster carers and doing direct work with children to provide practical hands-on help and support.

You will need to be trauma informed and therapeutic in your approach with the ability to support the fostering team with matters relating to the needs of foster carers and their children. Building, trusting and positive relationships will be at the heart of the way you work.

You will need to be confident in safeguarding and able to respond to emergency situations and prioritise workloads. You will be supported by an advanced social worker in our team to do this. You will need to be able to occasionally work outside of normal office hours.

Devon is a mostly rural county, and as our localities cover a large area our candidates can be expected to travel some distance between visits. In some areas, candidates will not be able to rely on walking, cycling or public transport to make visits. We therefore require candidates to have access to their own suitable transport, subject to reasonable adjustments that may need to be made in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Fostering, Supervision & Support in Devon

Our Fostering service plays an integral part in Devon County's role as a corporate parent by ensuring that all homes for children and young people in Devon are safe, nurturing and therapeutic. Comprised of three teams, Exeter & East, North & Mid and South, our Fostering Service works with appropriate regard to National Minimum Standards for Fostering, Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011, and other relevant legislation to provide support, advice and supervision to foster carers throughout the county.

We're extremely proud of our dedicated and talented workforce within the Fostering Service, and what they are achieving for children and families in Devon. We embrace the improvement journey that all childrens services in Devon are on. We are committed to providing the best possible outcomes for children and young people by continuing to embed restorative practice and relational ways of working.

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What we can offer you

In return for the vital contribution that you make, we have some fantastic employee benefits available, including:

• Generous annual leave, & the ability to purchase additional annual leave
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities
• Free onsite parking.
• A confidential Employee Assistance programme and a wide variety of employee well-being services for when you may need some support
• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Discounts at over 900 national & local high street retailers through our benefits platform
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice scheme

For more information about Working for Devon please visit our Working for Devon page .

For any queries or an informal discussion about this role, please contact the Fostering South Team Manager Melinda Heaver [email protected].

Applications close on 20 September 2026 and applicants will be contacted to arrange interview dates upon shortlisting.

Internal Applicants: If you are an existing DCC employee, please use your iTrent Employee Self Service (ESS) details to log in and apply.

Interviews may take place throughout our recruitment campaign, therefore we encourage you to apply early to avoid disappointment as we may close the advert early.

Additional Information

• This role requires an enhanced DBS disclosure.
• This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
• DCC embraces the positive benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to providing an environment that is inclusive and safe. We welcome applications from people who share our commitment to stop discrimination, challenge inequality and promote diversity across Devon. More information can be found on our Equality and Diversity webpages .
• Happy to Talk Flexible Working The Council offers flexible working arrangements in terms of when and where people work e.g. hybrid working, part-time, condensed hours etc.

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REQ010518 - Children's Social Care