Practice Lead Youth Justice Support Service in Stoke-on-Trent

Bring your social work expertise to our Youth Justice Support Service and help practitioners make a lasting difference to children, young people and their families. We are looking for experienced, qualified social workers to join us as Practice Leads, championing strengths-based, relational practice and keeping children's needs, safety and family relationships at the centre of support. Working within the Youth Justice Support Service, you will provide practice leadership, reflective supervision, mentoring and coaching to social work qualified and alternatively qualified colleagues. You will help practitioners understand the needs and experiences behind a child's circumstances, recognise risk and protective factors, and deliver coordinated, evidence-based support. Through joint work, professional challenge and strong partnerships, you will strengthen safeguarding and the quality of practice within the Families First Partnership model.

• Provide practice leadership, reflective supervision, mentoring and coaching to practitioners within the Youth Justice Support Service, modelling strengths-based and relational approaches.
• Undertake joint visits and pieces of work, support complex assessments and decision-making, and help colleagues identify risk, harm, strengths and protective factors.
• Bring social work expertise to safeguarding decisions, including support for Section 47 enquiries and Public Law Outline processes where required, in consultation with the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team.
• Chair relevant meetings and group supervision, promote professional curiosity and support coordinated planning with children, families and partner agencies.
• Contribute to practice observations, collaborative audits and performance monitoring, using research, learning and constructive challenge to improve practice and elevate unresolved concerns.
• Support the Principal Manager with resources, allocation and service development, deputise when required, and ensure children and families understand their rights to advocacy and to provide feedback.

Why Join Us?

• Use your social work expertise in a youth justice setting, helping practitioners see the whole child and build support around their needs and relationships.
• Develop others through hands-on practice leadership, mentoring and reflective supervision, with real influence on the quality of work with children and families.
• Contribute to the Families First Partnership model and strengthen joined-up working between youth justice, children's social care and safeguarding partners.

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.

A recognised social work qualification and the ability to meet Social Work England registration and re-registration requirements, alongside a post-qualifying social work or management qualification, or willingness to work towards one.

• Extensive experience of complex children and families social work, including child protection enquiries, court work, care planning and supporting children across a range of needs.
• Sound knowledge of childcare legislation, statutory guidance and safeguarding procedures, with a strong understanding of child development, parenting capacity, environmental influences and evidence-based interventions.
• Experience of strengths-based and relational practice, reflective supervision, and mentoring colleagues to develop confident, analytical and child-centred practice.
• The ability to engage children, young people and families, chair complex meetings and communicate difficult information with clarity, empathy and professional confidence.
• Strong skills in analysing risk, challenging practice constructively and working across agencies, with the resilience and judgement to support colleagues in complex situations within the Youth Justice Support Service.

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.

Duties and benefits

• A permanent role with a salary of £49,817-£53,051 per annum.
• 28 days' annual leave rising to 33 days after five years' continuous service, plus eight public/bank holidays.
• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Professional development and learning opportunities, with relocation and commuter support available where scheme criteria are met.
• 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.

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.

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