Advanced Practitioner - Assessment in Barnsley

Want to find out more about working in Barnsley? Here are some reasons why you'll love it. 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.

• Putting Children and Families First
• Working together in partnership to deliver joined up care
• Delivered by a strong and valued workforce

Our vision and genuine commitment to supporting our teams and social workers to deliver the very best outcomes for our children and young people makes it the perfect time for forward-thinking, motivated, and dedicated leaders to join us in Barnsley.

Who are we looking for?

• You will be a qualified social worker with significant experience of practice.
• You will have experience of delivering reflective supervision.
• You will be committed to supporting and developing teams and workers, with experience of mentoring students, NQSW’s or colleagues.
• You will have extensive experience of working in statutory children’s social work, of driving plans for our most vulnerable children and of working in partnership with families and agencies to achieve positive change.
• You will maintain an up-to-date knowledge of the 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 a 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). Our excellent Children's Services has been a key part of our win; we’re so proud of what we’ve achieved not just for the council but for our partners and Barnsley.

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