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- Tasks: Support foster carers and improve outcomes for children in care through supervision and collaboration.
- Company: Leicestershire County Council, committed to high standards of care and support.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working hours, and a supportive team environment.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in the lives of children and foster families while growing your career.
- Qualifications: Social Work degree or equivalent, with experience in childcare social work and fostering services.
- Other info: Inclusive workplace welcoming diverse applicants; flexible working options available.
The predicted salary is between 37800 - 41000 £ per year.
Organisation: Leicestershire County Council
Work Location: County Hall, Room 600, Glenfield, Leicestershire LE3 8RS
Worker Category: Hybrid Worker- working at home/in the community and within the office
Salary: £50,079 per annum (inclusive of market premia at £2,250) (pro rata for part time)
Working Hours: 22.5 hours Monday-Wednesday (can be flexible with days)
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date: 4 February 2026
Interview Date(s): TBC
Are you passionate about working with foster carers and helping to improve the outcomes for our children in care?
Are you interested in supporting the well-being of foster carers and their children?
Do you want to work within a busy and supportive team which is committed to ensuring that our children in care receive a high standard of care and our foster carers feel well supported and have the necessary skills to care for children?
If so, this role is for you!
About the Role
We are looking to recruit a senior practitioner supervising social worker to join our busy team which focusses on supporting mainstream foster carers to care for our looked after children. You must be passionate about working directly with foster carers to ensure that they have the necessary skills to care for children that have experienced trauma and you must have a keen interest in working with the whole fostering household including birth children. We encourage all of our foster carers to work in a trauma informed and therapeutic manner so you need to be able to support not only your own learning but also the foster carers to ensure that these principles are applied within the foster home.
As a supervising social worker you will be responsible for the fostering household, ensuring that the statutory regulations and requirements are met. It will be within your role to provide regular supervision to foster carers, undertake annual reviews and work collaboratively with other professionals both within and external to the council. In addition, you will work within the fostering duty team to ensure that children are matched to suitable foster homes with carers that have the skills to meet their needs. There will be an expectation that you attend weekly duty meetings and work on duty as required.
In addition, you will be expected to support the team manager in managing the operational aspects of the team such as chairing meetings, supervising support workers, facilitating skills to foster training and being the lead worker for our children who foster scheme in addition to other tasks.
As a team we hold a number of events throughout the year and it will be part of your role to help to arrange and facilitate these, some of which are outside of the normal office hours.
The role is 22.5 hours per week working Monday- Wednesday (can be flexible with days) and there is 1 permanent post available.
A DBS enhanced check for a regulated activity is required for this post.
For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement.
About You
To apply for this post, you must respond to and evidence the following 7 essential criteria within your personal statement.
- Have a Social Work degree or equivalent, e.g. CQSW, DipSW (with specialism in children\’s services) with evidence of continuing professional development (ASYE pass as a minimum).
- Post-qualification experience of working with children and families and experience of statutory childcare social work, including safeguarding, child protection and care proceedings.
- Have experience of working with service users from ethnic minorities and those who have a protected characteristic.
- Demonstrate your continuing professional development, including self-development.
- Experience of working within a fostering service/with foster carers and Children in Care alongside a working knowledge of Fostering Regulations and National Minimum Standards
- The ability to communicate clearly and accurately, both orally and in writing, with a wide range of people, including representatives from other agencies, using skills of negotiation and persuasion. In addition you must have the ability to prioritise effectively across a wide range of competing demands to meet deadlines.
- The ability to use information technology applications e.g. Microsoft Outlook, Word and database applications as relevant to the department.
You must also have an understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion.
In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.
Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability.
Interested in Flexible Working?
We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual\’s personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below. This may include requests for term-time working, part-time hours, compressed hours, flexible start and finish times, home/remote working, etc.
Every role within the Council has a defined working style which determines where they can work. The worker category applicable to this post is detailed in the above advert. You can find out more about our worker categories in the Our Working Styles page on our career site.
For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:
Rachael Young – Team Manager Team Around the Child
Telephone: 0116 305 4482
To contact me by email, please click here
How to Apply
Leicestershire County Council is an inclusive organisation which is on a journey to embed and celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion at every level. We warmly welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, as having a diverse workforce with different perspectives and ideas is fundamental to our values and enriches the services we offer our communities. We particularly welcome applicants from Ethnically Diverse and LGBTQ Plus communities and people with disabilities to create a balanced workforce and one that reflects the communities we serve. Applicants with a disability who meet the criteria listed in the \’About You\’ section above will be offered an interview under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme.
To apply for this job, please click on the apply button. You will need to upload a supporting statement as part of your application which explains how you meet the criteria listed in the \’About You\’ section above. For more information, see the How to Apply section on our career site.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: emss.org.uk/support
By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.
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Senior Practitioner-Team Around the Child employer: Leicestershire County Council
Contact Detail:
Leicestershire County Council Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Practitioner-Team Around the Child
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the team! Before your interview, do a bit of research on Leicestershire County Council and the Team Around the Child. Understanding their values and recent projects can help you connect during the interview.
✨Tip Number 2
Practice makes perfect! Run through common interview questions with a friend or in front of the mirror. Focus on how your experience aligns with the role, especially your work with foster carers and children in care.
✨Tip Number 3
Show your passion! During the interview, share specific examples of how you've supported foster carers or improved outcomes for children. This will demonstrate your commitment and enthusiasm for the role.
✨Tip Number 4
Follow up! After your interview, send a quick thank-you email to express your appreciation for the opportunity. It’s a nice touch that shows you're genuinely interested in the position.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Practitioner-Team Around the Child
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion: Make sure to express your passion for working with foster carers and children in care. We want to see that you genuinely care about improving their outcomes and well-being.
Tailor Your Supporting Statement: When writing your supporting statement, directly address the essential criteria listed in the job description. We’re looking for clear examples of how your experience aligns with what we need.
Be Clear and Concise: Use straightforward language and keep your application clear and concise. We appreciate well-structured responses that get straight to the point without unnecessary fluff.
Apply Early!: Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your application. We might close the vacancy early if we get enough applications, so get yours in as soon as you can through our website!
How to prepare for a job interview at Leicestershire County Council
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you’re well-versed in the key responsibilities of a Senior Practitioner-Team Around the Child. Brush up on fostering regulations, child protection laws, and trauma-informed care principles. This will not only help you answer questions confidently but also show your genuine interest in the role.
✨Showcase Your Experience
Prepare specific examples from your past work that demonstrate your experience with foster carers and children in care. Highlight situations where you’ve successfully supported families or navigated complex cases. This will help the interviewers see how your background aligns with their needs.
✨Communicate Clearly
Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and concisely. You’ll need to communicate effectively with a range of people, so consider doing mock interviews with friends or family. Focus on using clear language and avoiding jargon to ensure your points come across well.
✨Emphasise Teamwork
Since this role involves working within a busy team, be ready to discuss your teamwork skills. Share examples of how you’ve collaborated with others, chaired meetings, or facilitated training sessions. This will demonstrate your ability to contribute positively to the team dynamic.
