Children\'s Senior Practitioner - Children in Care in Hereford

Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people and supporting them to reach their full potential? We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Practitioner with 3+ years' experience to join our Children in Care Service. In this pivotal role, you will provide leadership, guidance, and oversight to social workers supporting children and young people who are looked after. You will ensure that assessments and interventions are robust, child-focused, and delivered in a timely and effective manner. Your expertise will help ensure that every child has a safe, stable, and nurturing environment in which to thrive.

You will work directly with children, young people, their families, and carers, building positive, trusting relationships while providing professional oversight of complex cases. You will lead on planning for children's care, permanence, and preparation for independence, ensuring their emotional wellbeing, education, and future aspirations are supported. As a Senior Practitioner, you will act as a mentor and role model, providing guidance, supervision, and coaching to social workers and colleagues. You will champion best practice, contribute to service development, and support the team in delivering high-quality, consistent, and child-focused care.

Responsibilities:

• Lead on planning for children's care, permanence, and preparation for independence, ensuring their emotional wellbeing, education, and future aspirations are supported.
• Provide leadership, guidance, and oversight to social workers supporting children and young people who are looked after.
• Ensure that assessments and interventions are robust, child-focused, and delivered in a timely and effective manner.
• Mentor and coach social workers and colleagues, championing best practice, and contributing to service development.
• Support the team in delivering high-quality, consistent, and child-focused care.

Qualifications:

• Registered with Social Work England and holding a recognised Social Work qualification (Degree in Social Work, DipSW, or CQSW).
• Experience in managing complex cases with strong analytical, planning, and decision-making skills.
• Commitment to collaborative and restorative practice, working with families, carers, colleagues, and partner agencies.

Additional Information:

Our Children in Care service is made up of three teams. Each Team comprises a Team Manager, Senior Practitioners, Social Workers, and Family Support Workers. We are proud of our restorative approach to social work and collaboration at all levels.

A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:

• Salary range of £40,777 - £45,091 per annum
• Market rate supplement: £5,000 per annum
• Welcome Payment: £10,000
• Retention payment: £2,000 - £4,000 depending on team
• Relocation packages: support of up to £10,000
• Professional development: protected time and budget to develop yourself and your career
• Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Career progression: clear pathways to progress
• Annual Leave: 31 days' annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum during the request period
• Flexible working: including the potential for job-sharing, part-time hours and agile working
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
• Payment of professional membership fees (based on role requirements)
• Perks: access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits

Commitments and Safeguarding:

We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check and further pre-employment checks.

Equal Opportunity:

We encourage applications from all sections of the community and are committed to equality of opportunity in employment. We have disability, armed forces veteran/reservist, and Herefordshire care leaver commitments as part of our interview process for eligible candidates.

Why Choose Us?

Herefordshire is a beautiful, historic county on the Welsh border, one of England's most rural and unspoilt areas, with vibrant market towns and a strong sense of community. It's an exciting time to join us as we invest in our people and relational practice approach, supported by experienced managers and a genuine team ethos that values collaboration and care.