Advanced Social Work Practitioner - Kinship

Job Title: Advanced Social Work Practitioner - Kinship

Location: Civic Centre, High Street Uxbridge, Middlesex, London, UB8 1UW

Salary: £50,031 - £54,129 per annum

Job Type: Full time, Permanent

Working Hours: 36 Hours

Closing Date: 26th January 2024

About us:

At Hillingdon we're proud of our commitment of 'Putting our residents first', ensuring they're at the heart of everything we do! We want to attract talented individuals like yourself who share our aspirations for the borough and can support us to deliver exceptional services for Hillingdon.

With an ambitious strategy we pride ourselves on delivering services that improve the lives of all our residents, businesses, and partners. Embarking on a journey of continuous improvement, we've set an agenda to ensure the provision of; safer communities, a thriving local economy, a greener more sustainable environment, whilst increasing our digital capabilities.

Embark on a rewarding career in Children Social Care with us, where excellence is not just a goal but a proven standard. We are proud to announce that our Children's Services have recently received an outstanding rating from OFSTED, a testament to our unwavering commitment to providing exceptional care and support for children and families.

What does an Advanced Practitioner do at Hillingdon?

Join the London Borough of Hillingdon's Children's Kinship Team as an Advanced Social Work Practitioner, where you'll shape the future of Social Work practice. Seamlessly merging specialist knowledge with enabling and supporting others to learn and professionally develop. You will lead and model exemplary Social Work practice, going beyond routine caseload management, and consistently maintaining very high standards within writing of specialist assessments, with a strong emphasis on analysis. The Kinship team is part of the Court Service, and you should have sound legal knowledge of childcare proceedings and associated Kinship legislation.

Alongside the assessment work, you will lead the evolution of Kinship support for families, facilitating Skills to Foster training for Kinship carers. Your hands-on, office-based approach guides and supports learners, shaping the future of Social Work. The oversight, and annual reviewing of all our Kinship families in need of support, and continued development of our Kinship support offer, is a key part of this role. This entails the (non-statutory case) supervision and support to the Kinship support SW and Permanence Worker (with oversight and regular 3-way supervision with the Team Manager).

You will have strong organisational skills and be an integral part of ensuring a strong and stable team, with a focus on your being available and present to support staff, alongside managing your own caseload. Foster a dynamic team environment through co-ordinating and facilitating regular group supervision, reflective sessions, and coaching. Your commitment to continuous professional development creates a culture of growth within the team.

Assisting the Team Manager and deputising on tasks such as allocating of assessments, and quality assurance, is part of this role. Monthly auditing of children's files (to ensure the focus of positive outcomes for children), attendance at leadership, service, and panel business meetings, is also required. You will receive peer support and consultation at the regular Advanced Practitioner meetings.

As the organizational expert in Kinship, your role extends to offering invaluable advice and support to colleagues and partners. Consultation with other teams as needed and sharing your specialist knowledge around Kinship all arrangements is key, including with regards to the fostering regulations and standards of care, as required, to ensure everyone stays on the cutting edge of best practices.

About you:

As a Social Work graduate with SWE registration and PEPS 1 & 2 qualifications, you're passionate about making an impact. Your leadership, Kinship expertise and experience, and commitment to continuous learning set you apart.

You will be able to manage a complex caseload and be able to also support others. You will have strong organisational skills and be able to communicate effectively. You will be fully invested and enthusiastic about the continuous development of the Kinship Support offer, and committed to supporting our families.

Please note the company is not able to offer sponsorship or relocation assistance for this role so candidates must already possess the right to live and work in the UK.

Candidates with the relevant experience, qualifications, and job titles of:Social Worker, Support Worker, Enabler, Carer, Care Management, Family Support Worker, Support Coordinator, Care Manager, Support Manager, Care Coordinator, Social Worker, Adult Social Care, Social Care Worker, Social Support, Guidance Councillor, Young Persons Advisor, Youth Worker, Youth Support may also be considered for this role.