Practice Lead - Childrens Social Care in Stoke-on-Trent

The Practice Lead is a key role within our Families First Partnership model, built on the belief that every child has the right to family life. You will provide expert practice leadership, supervision, coaching and challenge, helping practitioners deliver consistently strong, relational and legally compliant work with children and families.

• Provide supervision, coaching and practice support to Lead Practitioners and wider team members.
• Offer expert advice and support for section 47 enquiries, risk assessment, safety planning and Public Law Outline activity.
• Chair core groups and other relevant meetings, ensuring clear decisions and reviewable actions.
• Support allocation and resource decisions, including the effective use of section 17 funding.
• Quality assure practice through observations, collaborative audits and performance oversight.
• Deputise for the Principal Manager and lead defined areas of practice, policy development and service improvement., Any offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of required pre-employment checks. These may include:
• Right to Work in the UK.
• Proof of address.
• Satisfactory references.
• Occupational Health clearance.
• Evidence of relevant professional qualifications or registrations.
• A DBS check at the appropriate level.
  Stoke-on-Trent City Council's diverse and talented workforce is its greatest asset. The skills, knowledge and experience of our employees are essential to delivering our ambitions for the organisation and the city. We want to be an employer people are proud to work for, where staff are supported, developed and rewarded in an inclusive way that helps them excel and deliver the high-quality services our residents need., We are growing and developing our Children and Families workforce as part of an ambitious programme of service transformation. We are looking for talented, committed and values-led professionals to join us.
• Considerable post-qualifying experience across children's safeguarding, children in need, court work and care planning.
• Extensive knowledge of childcare legislation, statutory guidance, child development, risk and protective factors.
• Experience of reflective supervision, mentoring and developing both social work and alternatively qualified practitioners.
• The confidence to chair complex meetings, challenge practice and make sound evidence-based decisions in high-risk situations.
• A strong commitment to relational, strengths-based and anti-discriminatory practice.
  We are a city of strengths, with a proud heritage and bright future. Working for Stoke-on-Trent City Council is more than just a job; it is about making, protecting and improving services for local people, reducing inequalities and improving independence for those who live and work in the city. That is where you come in. We are looking for people of the highest calibre, with the skills, knowledge and experience to help us deliver our compelling vision. Your career matters here. At Stoke-on-Trent City Council, we are committed to helping our people thrive. From competitive pay and a supportive working environment to opportunities for development and career progression, we invest in our workforce because we know it is our greatest asset. We are building an inclusive organisation that reflects the communities we serve, where everyone is welcomed, valued and encouraged to make a difference.
• Stoke-on-Trent City Council is a unitary authority employing approximately 4,600 staff who deliver 700 services to more than 260,000 residents. Our city comprises of six towns: Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Stoke and Tunstall. We are a city of strengths, with a proud heritage and bright future. We have undergone significant changes over the last few years. New ways of working have already transformed many service areas and we are determined to continue to develop more innovative approaches to ensure that we can maximise the benefits of transformation.
• Our city Although the 13th largest city in the UK, Stoke-on-Trent is rapidly outstripping a number of parts of the country with our economic growth and recovery. Stoke-on-Trent is a city with a strong sense of civic pride - we've been voted the kindest city in the UK - and a place where you'll receive a hugely warm welcome. We have a rich and diverse culture, steeped in our prestigious industrial heritage as the celebrated 'world capital of ceramics'. But we don't just want to celebrate our proud past - we firmly believe that Stoke-on-Trent's best years are ahead of it. We are determined to raise aspirations and match them with high-quality education and health provision, as well as improved opportunities to secure fulfilling and well-paid work. Through uniting social and economic opportunities, we are maximising the full power of the city council as a secure and steadfast institution within the city.

Why Join Us?

• Shape excellent frontline practice at the heart of the Families First Partnership model.
• Develop practitioners through high-quality supervision, coaching and professional challenge.
• Influence service improvement and help children remain safely within their families and networks.

What we offer

• A competitive salary based on your skills, experience and talent.
• Hybrid and flexible working options, where these are compatible with the needs of the role and service.
• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Professional development through learning opportunities, regular training and apprenticeship and management programmes.

When you work for Stoke-on-Trent City Council you'll be helping to improve the lives and wellbeing of our residents. We'll provide you with support, learning opportunities and flexible working options and some amazing benefits including a competitive salary, generous holidays, an excellent defined local authority benefit pension scheme, annual leave purchase scheme, cycle to work schemes just to name a few. We also have access to lifestyle benefits which offer a wide range of discounts such as family days out, travel, retail and many more.

Our commitment to you Vibrancy and diversity are two of Stoke-on-Trent's greatest assets. A city founded on creative endeavour should value and celebrate the multitude of voices, ideas and identities that shape its culture. We are committed to creating a culture which is truly inclusive, where all staff feel valued, listened to, supported and able to do their work to the best of their abilities at all times. And we must ensure that our decisions and policies nurture and empower communities across our city and do not inadvertently disadvantage groups and individuals that we want to help to thrive. Our approach to Equality and Diversity is an invitation to all our communities to work with and for us so we can continue to improve how we deliver services residents need. Our employee networks are inclusive, open forums for colleagues with similar lived experiences. They allow staff to meet, support and mentor each other, alongside being a voice for under-represented groups to advise and support the organisation when developing policies and services.