Advanced Practitioner, Children Looked After, Corporate Parenting in London

Discover yourself in Lewisham where what you do makes a difference to our vibrant and culturally diverse communities! We have a rich history of welcoming people from all over the world and are proud to be recognised as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary, for our work in championing the rights of refugees and migrants. Lewisham is a wave 2 Pathfinder authority and is leading the way on national reforms to social work practice through the Families First for Children programme.

An exciting opportunity is available for a social work qualified Advanced Practitioner. This is a unique opportunity for a skilled and reflective practitioner who is creative and can work with children and their families in an innovative way to ensure they receive the right help at the right time. We are looking for applicants who are motivated, knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and who have the experience and confidence to work with Children Looked After and Care Proceedings.

You will work in a diversified team including advanced practitioners and social workers. This pivotal role offers the opportunity to manage a focused caseload and oversee duty responsibilities, while actively deputising for the team manager.

Key Responsibilities:

• Work directly with children and families where children are in our care; this includes children and families who are in care proceedings and progress care plans for children where their care plan is one of permanence; including adoption work.
• Work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies to ensure a coordinated approach to supporting children in our care.
• Deputise for the team manager and provide leadership and support to a team of social workers, ensuring the delivery of high‑quality services to children and young people in our care.
• Support the team manager to monitor the performance of the team, identifying areas for improvement and implementing necessary changes.
• Provide line supervision for AYSEs in their assessed year, social worker apprentices, supervise and mentor team members, offering guidance and support in complex cases.

Qualifications / Special Conditions:

• Social work qualification and registration with Social Work England.
• Subject to a DBS check (Basic/Enhanced).

Benefits:

• Local Government Pension scheme
• Flexible working and family‑friendly policies
• Season ticket and bicycle loans
• A range of staff discounts including local subsidised gym memberships
• Supportive staff networks
• Generous leave entitlement

Salary: £56,436 to £58,551 per annum (SCP 41‑43)
Location: The job is primarily based in Laurence House in Catford SE6. There are two local train stations 3‑5 minutes’ walk from the office, and the train journey from London Bridge is approximately 15 minutes. Numerous bus routes stop right by the office. We operate a hybrid approach where you will be required to work both in the office and from home on a regular basis.

For an informal discussion about this job, please contact.

Inclusive Lewisham / Diversity: A core value of Lewisham Council is to ‘draw on the diversity of our communities to create a more inclusive Lewisham’. We believe that freedom from discrimination and equality of opportunity are fundamental rights, and that each person should be valued regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, gender re‑assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, or age. Social inclusion lies at the heart of everything we do as a Council in our roles as an employer, a provider of services and a community leader.

Diversity Support: Lewisham Council is a Disability Confident employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme; further details are /access-to-work/apply.