Senior Practitioner (Temporary) - Fostering & Permanence in Bridgend

37 hours per week

Temporary – 2 years

Overview

Due to further expansion in the Kinship & Permanence team, an exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Social Work Practitioner to join our friendly and dynamic team. The role focuses on supporting kinship carers to become Special Guardians and achieve permanence for their kinship children through comprehensive and evidence‑based assessments, robust support planning, and reviewing.

Responsibilities

In this rewarding role you will be committed to working with kinship carers in a strength‑based and compassionate way, demonstrating established knowledge and experience of working within a kinship care/children's service at a senior level, including compliance and quality assurance monitoring. As a senior practitioner you will liaise closely with managers at various levels, the legal department, and other children's social work teams. You will develop and maintain collaborative working relationships through excellent communication to support a successful application.

To ensure that we consistently meet the needs of our kinship carers, the children in their care and their families, an important part of your role will be to oversee day‑to‑day operational tasks, ensuring we meet compliance and legal timescales. You will work with the Team Manager to contribute to the development of the service and may provide supervision to Social Work Assistants as required.

Qualifications & Requirements

The ability to greet customers through the medium of Welsh is a requirement for this post.

Protecting children, young people or adults at risk is a core responsibility of all council employees.

An Enhanced Children and Adults Barred list criminal records check by the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) is a requirement for this post.

A valid driving licence is a requirement for this post.

Benefits

We operate a convenient flexible working and hybrid working model, allowing you to maximise your time in line with your personal priorities.

We are committed to promoting the health, safety, and wellbeing of our employees, and provide access to a free Employee Assistance Programme which includes a confidential 24/7 counselling line and support specialists.

As a valued member of staff, you will have access to a generous pension scheme and exclusive discounts and rewards.

A monthly Health and Wellbeing newsletter with various initiatives and strategies to raise awareness and encourage a healthy workplace for you and your team.

Team and Working Environment

The Kinship and Permanence Team is co‑located with the General Fostering and Placements Team, Care Experienced Children and 15+ teams to enable effective collaborative working, based in the Civic Offices. We are a team of 16.5 staff comprising the Team Manager, Deputy Team Manager, Senior Practitioner, Supervising Social Workers, Reunification Support Workers, a Social Work Assistant, as well as dedicated Business Support staff. We are a forward‑thinking, creative, supportive, and friendly team who are passionate about kinship care. If you share our passion we would love to hear from you and you can expect a warm welcome when you join us.

Contact Information

Please contact Amanda Fraser, Team Manager, at 01656 642294 or email amanda.fraser@bridgend.gov.uk.

Additional Information

The council's Hybrid Working Policy applies to this post, providing a framework for establishing how you will undertake working hours between home and the office.

Closing Date: 29 July 2026

Shortlisting Date: 30 July 2026

Interview Date: 07 August 2026

Further Resources

Benefits to working at Bridgend County Borough Council

Job Description & Person Specification