Children\'s Senior Practitioner - Safeguarding & Support in Hereford

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About The Role

• Salary: HC09 £40,777 - £45,091 (plus £5,000 market rate supplement per year £45,777 - £50,091)
• Welcome payment: £10,000 (see attached guidance)
• Contract: Permanent
• Hours: 37
• Location: Multiple locations. Ross-on-Wye, Leominster and Hereford
• Relocation package of up to £10,000 available
• Closing date: 28/12/2025

Introduction

Our Safeguarding and Support service is made up of six teams, which work out of three locality offices: South Locality (Ross-on-Wye), North Locality (Leominster) and Central Locality (Hereford). Each Team comprises of a Team Manager, Senior Practitioners, Social Workers, and a team of Family Support Workers. Locality working gives you the opportunity to stay connected, meet new colleagues, and easily access support. We are proud of our restorative approach to social work - a way of working that is firmly embedded in our team culture and management style. Collaboration and reflection are at the heart of how we practice: senior managers are always available for guidance and support, especially when navigating complex cases.

The Role

We are seeking a dynamic and passionate Senior Practitioner to join us on our journey of improvement. Working within our Safeguarding & Support Teams, you will collaborate with partner agencies to make a real and lasting difference to children, families, and the wider community. Come and be part of Herefordshire's Restorative Journey of Improvement, helping us achieve the very best outcomes for the people we support. As a Senior Practitioner, you will play a key role in developing and supporting our staff to enhance their knowledge, experience, and professional practice. Working closely with managers, you will contribute to the ongoing growth of the team and help ensure the delivery of a high-quality service for children, young people, and families. In this role, you will provide coaching, mentoring, training, and support to apprentices, Step Up students, and Family Support Workers. You will also lead on areas of practice development and training across the wider service, supporting the implementation of our Practice Standards, Quality Assurance Framework, and professional values, policies, and procedures. Herefordshire is on a journey, and we would like you to be part of our next chapter. This is an exciting opportunity to have a genuine impact on the local authority and help improve the lives of children and young people across our communities.

About You

• Passionate about improving outcomes for children and families through high-quality safeguarding practice, robust assessments, and effective early intervention.
• Experienced in managing complex safeguarding cases, demonstrating strong analytical, planning, and decision-making skills to ensure each child's needs are clearly understood and effectively met.
• Committed to working collaboratively and restoratively with families, colleagues, and partner agencies to achieve the best possible outcomes and promote positive change.
• Resilient and reflective, with the confidence and professional curiosity needed to manage challenging situations and provide clear, evidence-based guidance to others.
• A skilled mentor and role model, supporting and developing colleagues through coaching, supervision, and leading areas of good practice within the team.
• Thrives in a supportive and fast-paced environment, contributing to a culture of continuous learning, improvement, and high professional standards.
• Registered with Social Work England and holding a recognised Social Work qualification (Degree in Social Work, DipSW, or CQSW).

We Offer

• 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 (see attached guidance)
• 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)
• Pick your perks - our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.

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. Our priority is clear: to keep children safe and give them the best start in life. We do this through passionate, dedicated professionals who build strong relationships with children, families, and partners to make a lasting difference. It's an exciting time to join us. We're investing in our people and our relational practice approach, working alongside our improvement partner, Leeds City Council. You'll be supported by experienced managers, continuous professional development, and a genuine team ethos that values collaboration and care. If you're committed to helping children and young people thrive, come and join the journey in Herefordshire - where your work truly matters.

Reasonable Adjustments

Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: [email protected]. If you're shortlisted for interview and require any reasonable adjustments, our Children & Young People Recruitment Team will be happy to support you.

Creating an inclusive workplace

We encourage our employees to feel empowered and to use their voices to help embrace diversity, promote inclusivity and shape our organisation. We have eight employee network groups, collectives of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and offer support and community. They also play an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.

Commitments, Covenants and Statutory Obligations

The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:

• Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the "Disability Confident" scheme.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.

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. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check and further pre-employment checks.

How to apply

To apply for a position, please upload an up-to-date CV and complete the application form demonstrating your experience, skills and abilities for the role. Be sure to include reference to the job description and person specification or role profile! If you are successfully shortlisted, the C&YP Recruitment Team will contact you via email to arrange your interview and/or assessment. They will confirm the date, time and location of your interview, so please keep an eye on your email inbox - check your spam/ junk folder too. Good luck, we're looking forward to meeting you!

Please note: the council is currently unable to offer overseas visa sponsorship for Social Worker roles in Children & Young People. Overseas prospective candidates that require sponsorship to work in the UK should not apply for these roles. We appreciate your interest in Herefordshire Council and would encourage you to consider other opportunities with us that may be open to sponsorship.