Senior Practitioner - West Kent Children in Care Team

Doing the best for the children of Kent depends on a team effort. We celebrate our Senior Practitioners who work hard to foster a culture of excellence and collaboration - a place where all social workers are empowered to be creative, share ideas and advice.

And the right team needs the right managers. Ours have a well-deserved reputation for being supportive and giving regular, quality supervision. There are also many credible expert practitioners to learn from and you'll find them approachable and keen to help. Sharing knowledge is part of who we are. Together, our teams deliver strengthened services and improved outcomes for children.

The right time

There has never been a better time to join us. We have invested in every area of our service including the careers of outstanding people who share our commitment to improving young lives in Kent.

The right place

We are proud of our Ofsted rating of Outstanding and we are continuing to develop excellent services and ensure 'Children are at the centre of Kent County Council's culture and practice' (Ofsted 2022.) As one of the largest Children's Social Work Service in the country, we offer a comprehensive learning and development framework in Kent. And because one size doesn't fit all, we offer opportunities that can be tailored to individual, and team needs.

We can offer a wide variety of work that you're unlikely to find elsewhere. Kent is a large and diverse county, offering a broad range of opportunities to support children and young people from all backgrounds and circumstances. You will be able to work across a range of locations and environments, and to be seconded to or move to other teams.

Meanwhile, you will be free to develop professionally, building your area of specialist practice, and applying your knowledge to high profile and sensitive cases. At this level, you'll champion good practice and set performance expectations, acting as a Practice Assessor for ASYE and student social workers if required.

You'll also have the chance to share your expertise through assisted fieldwork, court attendance, case audits and reviews, and by chairing complex meetings. Through working groups and multi-agency forums, you'll contribute to the development of new initiatives.

About the role

The role is within the West Kent Children in Care Service based at Kings Hill, West Malling. West Kent covers the districts of Sevenoaks, Swanley, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge & Malling and Maidstone. This is a hybrid working role offering you the opportunity of a good work-home life balance.

You will, in addition to holding a caseload of (up to 15) complex cases, will be supporting a team of Social Workers providing high quality social work, in the Children in Care Service primarily to Children in Care and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking children from age 0-18. This will include holding sets of care proceedings.

Your role as a Senior Practitioner will require being able to manage a caseload of complex and difficult cases involving assessment, planning and implementation and evaluation of appropriate action to ensure resources are utilised effectively to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and their families. You will also be required to contribute to raising and maintaining standards of professional social work within a social work team, develop areas of specialist practice, offer expert advice to less experienced staff and supervise unqualified staff. You will be well motivated to support and understudy for your Team Manager to sustain and improve performance.

You must hold a degree in social work, CQSW, DipSW or equivalent and you must be registered with Social Work England. You should have substantial and varied post-qualification experiences of working with children and families. You will work within the Kent Practice Framework models, and you will need an in-depth understanding of legislative and policy frameworks, along with a willingness to learn and develop as a practitioner. Being a team player is essential in any social work team.

This role is subject to holding a Full UK Driving Licence - The Council is committed to making reasonable adjustments so whilst this job requires the jobholder to drive your application will still be considered if you are unable to drive due to a disability.

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wide operational area including travelling around the county of Kent and beyond to transport children and their belongings and be available to do so in an emergency. You should note that public transport is rarely a viable option as your role will involve you transporting people and equipment to venues in very rural areas, often with limited public transport.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring service and registration as a qualified Social Worker with Social Work England.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Work that works for you and us - let's talk flexibility!

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note - if you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.

We offer a competitive basic salary between £43,810 and £49,989 dependant on your experience (plus £3,000pa retention scheme & £2,000 car allowance). There is therefore the potential to earn up to £54,323 per year. In addition, there £8,000 relocation package (subject to eligibility) and excellent LA pension scheme.