Practice Development Lead

As part of a team of 7 Practice Development Leads, you will work alongside the Practice Development Service Manager and the Principal Social Worker to deliver a wide range of services that embed quality and reflective practice into the everyday lives of the children, families, and communities we serve. This includes the undertaking of;

• Quality Assurance activities which drive high standards across the board
• Supporting and mentoring students and practice educators
• Co-ordinating and delivering 75% of our learning and development opportunities in-house
• Leading Signs of Safety practice development and training
• Overseeing NQSW recruitment and support
• Elevating the voices of children, young people, and families through our participation strategy
• Playing a key role in workforce recruitment and retention
• Providing 1:1 and team-based support for practice development, as well as promoting staff care and wellbeing
Your Contribution Each Practice Development Lead is responsible for a specific area of practice, facilitating training, offering 1:1 support, conducting quality assurance, and serving as a key link for service improvement and development. This role allows you to help shape and sustain a culture of continuous learning, development, and excellence. It has taken us a long time to get here, but with dedicated, passionate staff who want to do their best for children and families we are now there. Are You the Right Fit? Do you also have a passion for empowering practitioners and managers to enhance their skills so they can deliver the best possible outcomes for children, young people, families, and carers?

Are you an experienced, knowledgeable, and empathetic professional? Do you thrive on helping others reflect, grow, and develop their practice? If you're someone who embraces high expectations, robust support, and thoughtful challenge, we want to hear from you.,
• You will hold a degree in Social Work - CQSW, DipSW or equivalent and be registered with Social Work England
• You will have demonstrable experience in relationship and strengths-based practice, working collaboratively with children, young people and families.
• You will hold a full driving licence and have access to a vehicle for work purposes.
• You will have knowledge and experience of Signs of Safety.
  
  After a long and dedicated journey, Medway is proud to be a place where children and families receive GOOD support.
Our success is built on the commitment and passion of our staff, who are driven to make a positive impact. A cornerstone of this progress has been the Practice Development Service, which serves as the foundation for support, learning, and quality assurance across all areas of Children's Social Care., Medway is a unitary authority in the South East of England, made up of the towns of Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham and more rural areas, including the Hoo Peninsula. Situated in Kent in the South-East of England, the area has plenty of green spaces, excellent facilities and easy access to the national motorway and rail networks, facilitating superb transport links to London. We provide all local Government services for a quarter of a million people, looking after education, environment, social care, housing, planning, business and much more - everything from frontline services such as rubbish collection and events like the Dickens Festival to work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure services in Medway run smoothly and cost effectively. Working at Medway Council means that you get to be part of this journey working alongside talented, professional colleagues to drive forward change to transform the lives of our residents and the communities they live in., Please visit http://www.mindfulemployer.net/ for information on how Medway Council put good practices in place to ensure employees and job applicants who declare mental health issues receive the right level of support.

We offer an excellent recruitment package, manageable workloads, and opportunities to access a range of professional development and support including -
• A basic salary of £48,696 to £52,959
• An annual market allowanceof £7,000 per annum (payable in monthly payments)
• A retention payment of £3,000. This is a fixed sum payable in April each year, following one years' service in Medway.
• Generous annual leave entitlement of between 27 - 30 days plus bank holidays
• Excellent local government pension scheme
• Essential Car user allowance with option to apply for a lease car after six months.
• Hybrid working - enabling you to work from home/office (a minimum of 2 days per week will be required in the office)
• Relocation package of up to £8,000