Advanced Practitioner - Assessment in Barnsley

Overview

Position reference: 50130313. Directorate: Children’s Services | Service: Children & Family Social Care

Salary: £47,181 - £50,269 plus laptop

Working Arrangements: Agile Working. This is a full-time role. We are committed to supporting work–life balance, and requests for flexible working, including job share, will be considered in line with the needs of the service. Given the requirement for continuity of support to service users, any flexible working arrangements would need to ensure consistency in case management.

Hours per week: 37

Contract type: Permanent

Closing date: 20/02/2026 at 23:59

Interview Date: Wednesday 4 March

The successful candidate will be required to speak English to an appropriate standard.

This post requires an Enhanced DBS Check.

Overseas criminal records check: If you are currently living overseas or have lived overseas in the last five years please be aware, if you are the preferred candidate for the post, you will be required to apply for an overseas criminal records check from the country/countries you have resided in.

Police Vetting Check: Prospective employees will be required to apply for a Police Vetting Check. Please note that this doesn’t supersede the DBS check.

When applying, please ensure you are prepared to start work with all the necessary legal documents, such as a valid visa. Please be aware that our organisation does not possess a Home Office license and, as a result, is unable to provide sponsorship for anyone seeking a visa as a skilled or temporary migrant worker.

Pensions Regulations have provisions to reduce pension payments in certain circumstances of those who return to work within local government service. If you are in receipt of a pension upon commencing employment with the authority, this may affect your pension entitlements and you should therefore seek advice from the relevant Pensions Authority.

At Barnsley Council you can start a career that makes a real difference to people’s lives, helping our council and residents to be the best they can be.

We’re an award-winning council and one of the biggest employers in the borough, supporting around 243,000 people. We put people at the heart of everything we do, and that includes our employees. As part of the team, we offer lots of benefits and rewards to support you to thrive and grow, like flexible working, employee discounts, support for your health and wellbeing, and opportunities for training and development to grow your career and develop your skills.

There’s so much happening in our thriving borough, and now’s the perfect time to join our excellent Children & Family Social Care team as we work to make Barnsley the place of possibilities.

About the Post

This is an exciting time to join Barnsley Children and Family Social Care. Working in partnership to achieve better outcomes for our most vulnerable children, our Social Work Team Managers are key to supporting the development of our workforce and leading best practice for children across our Children and Young People’s Service.

Co-located with the police and the Integrated Front Door MASH at the Wombwell Police Station, our four Assessment Teams work with children in need of a statutory assessment and intervention. Our Assessment Teams are dynamic and energetic, driven by a passion for ensuring that children, young people, and families in our community receive a positive and timely service. The work is diverse and engaging, allowing for extensive multi-agency collaboration, often within tight deadlines. The nature of our work means that positive outcomes are seen quickly.

We have recently adopted our Stronger Together practice model, underpinned by Signs of Safety and a relational approach and our managers and leaders are key to embedding this into practice. As a manager you will be responsible for the leadership and oversight of a small team of Advanced Practitioners, Social Workers and Newly Qualified Social Workers, offering regular support and supervision and driving practice in your team.

Our vision in Children’s Services is clear – Barnsley a Place Of Possibilities. We are one service with one goal, working together to build a brighter Barnsley for every child.

Who are we looking for?

• A qualified social worker with significant experience of practice
• Experience of delivering reflective supervision
• Commitment to supporting and developing teams and workers, with experience mentoring students, NQSWs or colleagues
• Extensive experience of working in statutory children’s social work, driving plans for our most vulnerable children and working in partnership with families and agencies to achieve positive change
• Up-to-date knowledge of legislation, policies and procedures and how we implement these in practice

In return we will offer you:

• A supportive working environment with manageable spans of control
• A highly competitive salary
• High quality regular supervision and support and a nurturing senior management team that encourages learning and development
• Flexible working arrangements
• A commitment to continuous professional development with a strong training and development offer
• Good IT support and equipment
• A commitment to health and wellbeing and access to dedicated assistance programme

How do we sum up Barnsley Council?

We are an Ofsted rated ‘Good’ Children’s Services and a double award-winning, high-performing council with a growing economy, a thriving town centre and some truly impressive outcomes in our communities. We have been awarded Council of the Year for 2023 by the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) and The Municipal Journal (MJ).

We’re impressed. Are you? It’s the perfect time to join our excellent team.

For an informal discussion please do not hesitate to contact: Jessica Boland, Team Manager: JessicaBoland@barnsley.gov.uk

Please use the documents below to help support you with your application form.

We welcome the opportunity to have a chat about the role and are happy to address any questions you may have about flexible working arrangements, including as a result of caring responsibilities.

We’re committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued and everyone truly feels able to be themselves. If you have any support needs during the recruitment process, please let us know.

CVs are not accepted for this role. At Barnsley Council, we believe in second chances and value diversity. Our recruitment process is inclusive, and we welcome applicants with past convictions. We’re committed to fairness and do not discriminate. Join us in building a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.