Practice Development Officer

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Practice Excellence service and work alongside the Principal Social Worker, Deputy Principal Social Worker and Workforce Development colleagues to promote a range of evidence-based practice approaches across the children and families system, embedding a culture of learning and reflective practice.

You will assist with the promotion of practice excellence underpinned by research and national, regional and local data and audit findings, in doing so, contributing to the operational development of teams and services and supporting and developing best practice across the County.

You will be assisting the Deputy Principal Social Worker to disseminate learning from local and national audits, outcomes from learning reviews, complaints, workforce feedback and the interpretation and implementation of statutory guidance to directly improve practice across the system and outcomes for children and their families.

You will ideally hold an NVQ Level 3 or above, or equivalent in a childcare related subject, or demonstrable experience in a relevant field.

You will have knowledge and experience of working in a children and families setting

You should have

• Good communications skills
• Ability to build and establish effective relationships
• Commitment to development of restorative practice
• Commitment to improving outcomes of children and young people

For an informal chat about the role, please contact Deputy Principal Social Worker, Liz Fuller on liz.fuller@staffordshire.gov.uk

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.

Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:

We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.

We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too. 

Our benefits:

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance. 

In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire

Our recruitment process:

As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Silver Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post. 

As you’ll know safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people/vulnerable adults is important to us and that’s why this position is subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. If applicable you should disclose details of unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.