Senior Practitioner

Role Responsibility

Senior Practitioner – South Kent Coast & Thanet A, 26+ Community Learning Disability Team

Inspire success at Kent County Council (KCC).

Working with adults who have a learning disability and their support networks, our staff are committed to ensuring every member of our community is safeguarded and supported to achieve their best outcomes, in accordance with the Care Act 2014.  The Community Learning Disability Team is part of the Lifespan Pathway and supports people aged over 26 with a learning disability. We are unique in Kent in that we already work in an Alliance with our NHS colleagues.  In practice, this means that we work in integrated teams to intervene and deliver care and treatment quickly and effectively to those who need it most. 

As Senior Practitioner you will have a supervisory role in your team, take a lead role for a complex area of practice, as well as managing your own small caseload of the most complex cases.  You will help ensure that the team is making the best use of resources, utilising both commissioned services and community facilities.  From complex, high risk casework to attendance at the Court of Protection, no two days will ever be the same as you support the team in their endeavours to develop high quality care and support plans for their clients. 

Taking a strength-based approach, you will also work closely with your own clients, supporting them to take positive risks whilst aiming for the least restrictive interventions. You will be expected to produce complex, high quality reports, chair case conferences and support team members through court proceedings.  Crucially, you will also mentor social work students, registered and non-registered staff and deputise for the Team Manager and Service Manager in their absence.

At KCC, we want every member of our community to be safeguarded and supported to achieve their best outcomes.   You will be central to this remit and, in recognition of this, we offer an introductory payment when you start work with us and a relocation package if you need it.   With the confidence and the ability to supervise and develop colleagues and work placement students, you will have good mentoring and teaching skills.

You will be a registered Social Worker and will need to demonstrate at interview that you are competent to work at the advanced level of the Social Work Professional Capabilities Framework. Registered Nurses and Occupational Therapist already working in KCC’s Community Learning Disability teams are also welcomed to apply for these posts and must also be able to demonstrate they are working at an Advanced Level. Successful candidates will either have already completed KCC’s Social Care Capability Framework advanced portfolio or sign up to complete it in their first nine months in post.

You will also have an extensive knowledge of all relevant legislation, policy and practice guidance, with the ability to inspire excellent work from your team. 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

We are on an exciting journey in which we are transforming the service we provide to adults with a learning disability living in Kent. So, please come join us, we would love to have your help leading our teams.

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.

Contact Details

For more information please contact Alyson Wagget on 03000 412483