Practice Supervisor - Non Case-holding

Vacancies in the following Service – Localities, Looked After Children and/or Court. A high number of candidates may make applications for this position, so make sure to send your CV and application through as soon as possible.

Main Responsibilities of Post

• Working closely with the Principal Social Worker, be a practice leader within the team and service area for the improvement and development of good quality practice for the benefit of children, young people, and their families by modelling standards through motivating, nurturing, and mentoring of staff. This includes embedding the Restorative practice approach that the Trust has adopted.
• As an expert in good practice, act as a consultant for others, advising on the most complex of situations involving children, young people, and their families. This will include mentoring, observation of practice and peer reflection to support good case management underpinned by quality assurance of assessments and reports; taking a lead role where necessary with complex assessments while supporting others to develop excellent analytical and risk management skills.
• Act as an Assessor for Newly Qualified Social Workers completing their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment and be the Practice Educator for student social workers including the provision of regular reflective supervision, participating in regular reviews, report writing and attendance at panel.
• Where necessary being the co-worker for children and young people to support the development of practice by modelling good practice and offering high support and high challenge.
• To support less experienced social workers with the care proceedings process, which includes the quality assurance of reports and assessments for court, in conjunction with the Court Consultant.
• Supporting the Team Manager to understand performance in the team, feeding back on strengths and areas of learning within the team, providing support through reflection, training, and additional support to help improve services for children and families.
• Embed quality assurance function, ensuring compliance with practice standards, practice guidance, relevant legislation and adhere to organisational procedures, policies, and professional codes of conduct to uphold a high-quality seamless service.
• Undertake audit activity and moderation responsibilities, taking responsibility for the learning from these audits to be disseminated within own team/service linking in with the Workforce and Learning Service around the delivery of learning and development workshops.
• To be part of and undertake practice development projects, working with both colleagues, service users and stakeholders to deliver solutions to a complex range of issues. Identifying practice changes, resource implications and training required and feeding this back to the Principal Social Worker.
• To support the team in the absence of the team manager in conjunction with the duty Team Manager for the Service Area.
• To lead on group reflective supervision with the team, undertake direct observations of practice and hold individual reflective practice discussions as set out within the agreed policy and supervision procedures, mapped against the PCF descriptors and the post qualifying practice standards to understand the quality of social work practice and the impact on service users.
• Provide/offer expert opinion within the organisation, developing expertise in one or more areas of practice and acting as a member of a professional or Service Planning Group.
• To work in conjunction with the Principal Social Worker and the Practice Supervisor forum to drive identified practice improvement and new initiatives and local and national agendas relating to social work, which will include delivering training to the wider service.
• Liaise and promote positive relationships with colleagues, service users, partners and stakeholders ensuring that there are opportunities for co-production of resources and learning and development opportunities.
• To identify own development needs and participate in continuous professional development opportunities including attendance at mandatory workshops and enhanced learning opportunities including supervision, appraisals, and own directed learning in line with registration expectations for social work registered bodies.
• Tracking the development and progression of team members to understand the training needs of individuals. This includes ensuring that the team are accessing training and development opportunities and how this is impacting on and influencing their practice.
• Promote the priorities and policies of the Trust, through active promotion and support and acting as a champion for the Trust and Bradford; actively promote equality, diversity and inclusion policies and practice.