Senior Practitioner - Canterbury Children’s Services

Role Responsibility

Kent’s Children’s Services rated as Outstanding by Ofsted in 2022

We have an opportunity for a Senior Practitioner to join our dynamic team in the beautiful East coast area of Kent. The opening is based in Whitstable which encompasses the City of Canterbury, the coastal and rural areas of Herne Bay and Whitstable. 

We are looking for a passionate Senior Practitioner in our Children's Social Work team. You will be joining a management team that is committed to providing high quality social work services to children, young people, and their families, working closely with our multi agency partners.  

We will look to you to provide a comprehensive, effective, and highly responsive integrated social work service that meets the needs of children and their families. You will work with your colleagues to assess need, plan, and deliver focused intervention to safeguard children and promote positive outcomes. 

You will:

• Work directly with children and provide a clear and accurate assessment of the needs of the child and their family in each case
• Conduct interviews, develop observations and gather information from children, families and other agencies
• Devise, implement and review plans, including the development and management of protection plans within a child protection framework, care and pathway plans
• Ensure all statutory responsibilities are well managed, including visiting children, arranging reviews and reporting to the court

Acting as a role model and mentor to less experienced colleagues, you will contribute to training initiatives and proactively maintaining your awareness of changes in child development theories, legislation, policies, and practices. You will share your knowledge and uphold high standards of social work. You will be responsible for chairing key meetings decisions. Good leadership skills and a proven track record for delivering good outcomes for children and young people is required.

In the children social work services you will require knowledge of child protection, legal processes, including Public Law Outline and pre-proceedings. You would arrange and attend strategy discussions, permanency planning meetings and other professional meetings to contribute to the decision making for children in need of our service and protection.

As well as working for an Outstanding rated authority Kent offers an attractive benefits package and a commitment to ensuring that you are achieving flexible working arrangements and an emphasis on health and wellbeing. Kent also offers a range of professional development opportunities including the Social Care Academy other routes for progression.

Senior Practitioners starting salary is £43,216. This post also attracts additional market premiums.

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.

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.

Contact Details

For further information on this role please contact Carrie Bill - carrie.bill@kent.gov.uk

About the Company

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 and faiths, 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.