Senior Practitioner - Children in Care - North Essex

Job description

Senior Practitioner - Children in Care - North Essex

Permanent, Fll Time

£48,5 to £57,988 Per Annm

Location: Clacton on Sea

Working Style: Commnity-based worker

Closing Date: 4th October 6

Essex Conty Concil (ECC) is one of the largest and most dynamic local athorities in the K, serving a poplation of million residents, and has a very sccessfl track record of delivering transformational change. ECC anticipated change was needed in the pblic sector and has worked to deliver better qality at lower cost. We have an ambitios transformation agenda - one with the scope to reach every part of the concil. We are changing the way we think, the way we work, and the ways in which we deliver or services. We are committed to becoming a place where individals, partners and commnities feel prod to play their role and geninely want to belong. We're immensely prod of or flexible working options.

The Team

Children in Care teams work with children and yong people p to the age of 18 who are in care - they're nable to live at home and are either placed with foster carers or live in residential homes. They work with children and yong people to ensre their experiences in care is a good one and that the work ndertaken prepares them for their transition into leaving care or retrn home to family. The CIC Teams receive cases in proceedings after the first hearing, they visit children and yong people in placement, develop permanency plans which inclde SGO and adoption, ndertake life-story work to enable a child to nderstand the reasons for being in care and also spport children to retrn home to birth family. The teams are all committed to high qality work and engagement with all children in care to maximise yong people's potential. Like many other areas across Essex, they believe in working collaboratively with agencies inclding Health and Edcation to ensre that care plans spport the otcomes for the child.

To read more abot or bsiness area, please visit: Children & Families

Please take a look at or 'No Magic' Children & Families video

The Role

The Senior Practitioner role provides leadership in the team, providing both spport and mentoring to newly qalified or less experienced staff and deptising for the Team Manager when needed. They will spport less experienced social workers at cort, panel attendance and complex meetings and will have responsibility to lead in a practice area. There will be good opportnities for their own professional development and for being part of developing or team and service. There is an ethos of openness to the development of new ideas, particlarly to reinforce or relationship based focs, both with or service sers and within the staff grop.

Job Prpose

The sccessfl candidate will be expected to bring skill and high standards of social work to their own caseload as well as providing modelling, advice and spport to colleages. They will be committed to systemic, relationship based social work, providing effective, innovative interventions and with the ability to bild good partnerships, both with or external partners and within the organisation.
Key Accontabilities

Responsible for complex cases, seeking management spport and accessing spervision as reqired.
• Responsible for providing professional gidance to colleages and spport and feedback to the team manager.
• To maintain an p to date record of activity on case files, prodce reports, attend cort and give verbal presentations as reqired. To participate actively in case discssions, legal case discssions, Child Protection conferences, Stattory Reviews, etc.
• Represent ECC in cort proceedings
• Participate in qality assrance processes, for example ndertaking case file adits and diagnostic exercises.
• Critically appraise the qality of own/others practice and challenge this within identified forms.
• To maintain a crrent and active interest and knowledge in legislation and policy changes, research findings and practice developments, from a wide field, as are relevant to the development of interventions and spport to service sers.
• Responsible for own professional development inclding training and other development opportnities.
• To act as a sorce of expert advice and consltation for staff within Schools, Children & Families, on professional isses relating to children in care proceedings and assessments of risk to the child or yong person affected.
• Chair strategy meetings and team arond the placement/child meetings
• Participating in and/or chairing team meetings and deptising for the Team Manager in the day-to-day rnning and informal spervision of the team when necessary.
• Any other dties commensrate with the grade that may, from time to time, be reqired.
• To ndertake occasional evening work and be available for very occasional weekend activities as reqired by the Schools, Children & Families Directorate.

Skills and knowledge

Diploma or degree in social work, CQSW, CSS or eqivalent and registration with Social Work England as a registered Social Worker.

Qalified Practice Edcator or the willingness to train as a Practice Edcator

Evidence of contining professional development

IT/Word Processing Skills

Evidence of recent practice at an experienced social worker level, spported by comprehensive working knowledge and experience within the field of practice in Children Services

Preferably with experience of Child Protection work inclding section 47 investigations and assessments since the implementation of the Children's Act 1989.Considerable, recent experience of commnicating with children of all ages and working in partnership with parents and/or carers.

Experience in planning activities and programmes for children, yong people and parents.
Experience of Cort work in relation to Child Care matters and have an nderstanding of the legal process.

Detailed knowledge of crrent legislation pertinent to Children in Care and Child Protection (e.g. CA1989, CJA1991), Gidance and Reglations.

Knowledge and nderstanding of child development, relating theory and practice.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic K local athorities, Essex offers a stimlating pblic service environment. Covering over 1,4 sqare miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we're committed to transformational change and delivering better qality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for prodctivity, we ensre everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focs on innovation, whether yo are looking to develop yor career or contribte to the local commnity, Essex is the ideal place for yo.

In March 6, the Government annonced that concils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new nitary athorities from April 8. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devoltion priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined Conty Athority. Yo can read more abot these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on or careers site.

Essex Conty Concil is prod to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply nder or Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimm reqirements of the job. Please speak to or Recriters if yo reqire any reasonable adjstments dring the process. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimm reqirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once yo've secred yor role within Essex Conty Concil yo will receive many great employee benefits, inclding spport for npaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex Conty Concil, we vale integrity and ethical behavior. We kindly ask that yo embrace or code of condct and the Nolan principles, inclding throghot the recritment process. Yor commitment to these standards helps s maintain a positive and respectfl workplace for everyone.

The role reqires yo to be mobile throghot a wider operational area inclding travelling arond the conty of Essex and beyond, transporting service sers and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car is essential.

As part of employment with Essex Conty Concil (ECC) shold yor role reqire a DBS check yo will be reqired to register with the DBS pdate service. The DBS pdate service ensres all registered DBS certificates are kept p to date and allows athorised parties to view the stats of yor certificate. This is an annal sbscription, and yo will be responsible for ensring this is maintained. For frther information on the DBS pdate service please go to https://www.gov.k/dbs-pdate-service

Essex Conty Concil is committed to safegarding and promoting the welfare of children and vlnerable adlts, and expects all employees and volnteers to share this commitment.

If yo wold like to be kept p to date on other relevant opportnities, blogs, news, events and indstry related news at Essex Conty Concil, please join The Essex Talent Commnity

If yo have qeries on this role or reqire anything frther, please email [email protected]

Follow s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Frther details can be fond on or careers page.

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