Senior Practitioner

Role Responsibility

We are recruiting Senior Practitioners with experience in Safeguarding, as Designated Senior Officers, within the Safeguarding Hub in the Adult Social Care Connect Team North Kent.

Permanent, full-time opportunities are available.

We operate a hybrid model of office-based working and working from home, to meet the needs of the service.

About Us

This is an exciting opportunity to join our Adult Social Care Connect Team as we enhance our locality working practice and put the person and good practice at the heart of what we do.

The Team provides initial contact following a referral from a range of sources including the person themselves, a professional, neighbour, carers, and partner agencies such as police and health services. We receive referrals relating to North Kent (Dartford, Gravesend, Swanley, Sittingbourne and Sheppey).

We work with adults with a range of care and support needs, placing individuals at the centre of their support. You will be in the role of Designated Senior Officer in accordance with the Kent & Medway policies and procedures; to progress Safeguarding enquiries, Risk Assessments and action plans, including working on a proportion of complex cases – some of which require a significant level of specialist expertise. You will ensure that proportionate assessment and enquiry is undertaken to identify safeguarding action required for adults and ensure an appropriate and effective level of resource allocation is made to help people be safeguarded. You will promote good practice in safeguarding to ensure recognition and proportionate response to adults believed to be experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect, and who have or may have Care and Support needs.

Our social care interventions are structured around the three pillars of excellent practice, exceptional innovation, and meaningful measures. Therefore, our work is orientated around building relationships with the individual their families and carers. We engage with communities early on to help people feel empowered to find trusted help and support locally from a range of sources.

You will be supporting the development of practice, skills and knowledge with the registered practitioners and social care assessors within the team. You will:

• Provide supervision, direction and guidance to practitioners and social care officers within the Kent County Council (KCC) Adult Social Care directorate.
• Provide professional expertise, skills and advice to enable the provision of an effective, high quality social care service that meets existing and new KCC and multi-agency policies, procedures and practices.
• Lead and oversee social care activity for the team, providing oversight, guidance and advice on all activity within the team.
• Ensure that a strength-based approach and proportionate assessment is undertaken to inform care and support planning, to enable people to meet desired outcomes, identified needs and maintain wellbeing.

About You

We welcome applications from practitioners who can demonstrate post-qualification experience in Social Services, Health related agencies or related private or voluntary organisation.

You will have experience of managing risk and completing safeguarding enquiries.

You will be responsible for supervising staff and monitoring performance.  

We are looking for future employees who have a positive, forward-thinking attitude. Using strengths-based practice with individuals which is built around their desired outcomes and goals. Our teams are imaginative, locally focused and flexible and we are searching for registered practitioners with a like-minded approach, working collaboratively as part of a team.

The ability to travel across a wide geographical area in a timely and flexible manner at various times of the day is essential.

Our Support Offer

In return, we offer an attractive benefits package and a commitment to ensuring that you achieve a healthy work life balance and opportunities for flexible working arrangements that meet business need.

£3000 Golden Hello payment to all new joiners (subject to criteria) and service related payments following continuous service.

We offer generous market premium payments (subject to eligibility). You will also be entitled to a generous annual leave allowance and the local government pension scheme.

You will have excellent opportunities for professional development with access to our social care academy, progression routes and our newly launched practice framework.

We will support you to consolidate your skills and knowledge, assisting you to develop areas of specialist practice development such as Approved Mental Health Professional Training, Best Interest Assessor Training and Practice Educator training.

You will receive regular professional supervision and have the opportunity to critically reflect on your practice. You will be supported to develop your practice and progress your career.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring service and a relevant professional qualification (Social Work, Nursing or Occupational Therapy) as well as up to date registration with the appropriate professional body.

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.

We also welcome applications from experienced registered nurses and occupational therapists with relevant experience into our Community Practitioner roles. If you hold a registration with a professional body (Social Work England, HCPC, Nursing and Midwifery Council) and would like to know more about these opportunities please contact Kim Hatcher on Kim.Hatcher@kent.gov.uk/ 03000 418633.

Contact Details

For more information about the role, please contact Kim Hatcher 03000 418633.

About the Company

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.