Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Support children's emotional health and wellbeing through targeted interventions and consultations.
- Company: Join Southend City Council's dedicated Fostering Team.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days annual leave, flexible working, and excellent training opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in the lives of children and foster carers.
- Qualifications: Must have a recognised Social Work qualification and strong statutory experience.
- Other info: Hybrid working available with a supportive team environment.
Your new role Southend City Council are looking to appoint a 28hrs-per-week, permanent children's experienced Mental Health Senior Practitioner to join the Fostering Team. Within this position, hybrid working opportunities are available. However, you are required to be on-site at the Civic Centre a minimum of 2 days a week.
The role is focused on providing an efficient, cost-effective emotional health and wellbeing service to children looked after and their foster carers. It supports children's emotional, behavioural, and mental health needs through consultation, targeted intervention, and the development and review of support plans, particularly for young people with high SDQ scores.
The post provides professional consultation and guidance to colleagues across children's services, ensuring emerging needs and risks are identified and communicated. It plays a key role in developing foster carers' capacity through training, support forums, and trauma-informed practice, enabling them to meet the complex needs of children in their care.
The role works in close partnership with internal and external services to deliver placement-based emotional health support and promote stability, wellbeing, and improved outcomes for children and young people.
What you'll need to succeed
To be shortlisted for this position, you must be able to work in the UK, have a recognised Social Work qualification and have completed your ASYE. You must have strong statutory experience and a solid understanding of children looked after, child protection, and fostering regulations. You will need the ability to apply psychological and attachment-based theories to practice, particularly in relation to trauma, loss, and emotional wellbeing.
The role requires proven experience of multidisciplinary working, including effective partnership with health services, CAMHS/EWMHS, and other professionals to ensure children receive appropriate emotional health and mental health support. You must be confident in leading on SDQ-informed planning, delivering therapeutic assessments and interventions, and providing specialist consultation and advice to social work colleagues.
What you'll get in return
When joining the council, you can enjoy a range of benefits including: 25 days annual leave, flexible working and excellent training and development opportunities. They are committed to ensuring that you are supported in this varied and challenging role with the appropriate level of training.
What you need to do now
If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.
Senior Practitioner - Fostering Mental Health - 28hrs Perm in Southend-on-Sea employer: Hays
Contact Detail:
Hays Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Practitioner - Fostering Mental Health - 28hrs Perm in Southend-on-Sea
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the mental health and fostering sectors. Attend local events or webinars to meet people who might know about job openings or can give you insider tips.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions related to mental health and fostering. Think about your experiences and how they relate to the role, especially around trauma-informed practice and multidisciplinary working.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your expertise! Bring along examples of your work, like support plans or training materials you've developed. This will demonstrate your hands-on experience and understanding of the needs of children looked after.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Practitioner - Fostering Mental Health - 28hrs Perm in Southend-on-Sea
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the role of Senior Practitioner. Highlight your experience with children looked after, child protection, and fostering regulations. We want to see how your background aligns with the job description!
Showcase Your Skills: Don’t forget to showcase your skills in psychological and attachment-based theories. We’re looking for someone who can apply these theories to practice, especially in relation to trauma and emotional wellbeing. Make it clear how you’ve done this in your previous roles.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, be clear and concise. Use straightforward language to describe your experiences and achievements. We appreciate a well-structured application that gets straight to the point!
Apply Through Our Website: Finally, make sure to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at Hays
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of fostering regulations and mental health practices. Familiarise yourself with psychological theories related to trauma and emotional wellbeing, as these will likely come up during the interview.
✨Showcase Your Experience
Be ready to discuss your statutory experience and how you've worked with children looked after. Prepare specific examples of multidisciplinary collaboration and how you've successfully supported foster carers in meeting complex needs.
✨Demonstrate Your Approach
Think about how you would apply SDQ-informed planning in practice. Be prepared to explain your approach to delivering therapeutic assessments and interventions, and how you would provide consultation to social work colleagues.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions about the role and the team dynamics. This shows your genuine interest in the position and helps you gauge if the environment aligns with your values and working style.
