Practice Educator

This is a full time permanent position. If the postholder requires a Standard or Enhanced DBS disclosure the candidate is required to declare full details of everything on their criminal record unless the conviction/s and/or caution/s are considered “protected” in line with filtering rules for DBS checks.

Hull Children's Services has recently achieved its strongest ever Ofsted judgement, being rated Good overall, with Outstanding judgements for the impact of leaders on social work practice and for the experiences and progress of care leavers. Inspectors recognised the significant progress made across the service, describing it as "safer, stronger and more consistent" for children and families. Ofsted highlighted Hull's strong workforce culture, effective early help services, strong management oversight, and a commitment to ensuring children's voices are central to decision-making. This is an exciting time to join Hull. We are a service with a clear vision, ambitious plans for the future, and a workforce committed to improving the lives of children, young people and families every day.

As a Practice Educator you will ensure excellent learning and development opportunities and experiences for newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) completing their assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE), student social workers and apprentices by working closely with training providers, supporting and developing mentors and practice educators and directly supervising, supporting and coaching learners. The role provides critical support to Hull’s ‘grow your own’ strategy by ensuring a learning environment in which aspirant and newly qualified social workers can flourish and become Hull’s outstanding social workers of the future. We would love to hear from passionate and motivated qualified practitioners interested in joining us.

Why it's great to work for Hull City Council:

• A competitive salary of up to £48,226
• Relocation Allowance for newly appointed staff moving from outside the area
• Excellent Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Free Parking on most sites (City Centre sites – reduced price parking passes)
• Laptops and mobile phones for all social workers
• Generous annual leave allowance
• Cycle to Work and car schemes
• Supportive and forward-thinking culture
• Great career development opportunities

For further information please do not hesitate to contact Gaynor Skelton or via email: gaynor.skelton@hullcc.gov.uk. We provide a range of benefits to motivate, reward and recognise the valuable work of our employees.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

1. Strategy – To promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people. Teaches, supervises and assesses NQSWs, and supports and develops practice supervisors, to ensure that ASYEs experience high-quality learning and development enabling them to develop as social workers and choose to pursue social work careers in Hull. Works with local universities and with practice educators and mentors across children’s safeguarding to improve standards in social work education, maintaining the quality of practice placements for social work students and apprentices, to ensure the development of competent practitioners. Ensures the provision of high-quality practice placements where effective education, supervision and assessment meet the student's needs, ensuring that professional standards are consistently applied so that only suitable candidates are supported to progress in the profession. Contributes to continuous professional development (CPD) activity, via training, workshops, coaching & mentoring, to ensure that social workers and social work managers maintain and develop their knowledge and skills, in order to sustain safe, effective, ethical and lawful practice.
2. Customer Focus – Works with NQSWs and other entrants to the social care training and employment market (students & apprentices) in a supportive and positive way which encourages them to continue to grow as NQSWs or trainee social workers, so that they choose to pursue a social work career in Hull. Directly teaches, supervises and assesses NQSWs during their assessed and supported first year, social work students and apprentice social workers, to supplement practice education capacity when required, by applying the Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS) and promoting continuous professional development, so that opportunities are maximised for learners to develop as competent practitioners. Provides support and challenge to practice educators across safeguarding, including opportunities for new practice educators to grow and develop, to ensure high standards of practice supervision and assessment, so that Hull can ‘grow its own’ competent social workers. Ensures a sufficient range of practice learning opportunities throughout CYP&FS, in order to meet the needs of NQSWs/ social workers in training and the needs of the service in relation to the recruitment of social workers. Liaises with training providers in the region, primarily through the work of the Humber Social Work Teaching Partnership, influencing the provision of high-quality social work education, so that newly qualified social workers are equipped to become excellent practitioners. Presents and delivers information to social workers in training at local universities regarding career pathways and opportunities within Hull City Council CYP&FS, so that Hull is able to attract aspiring social workers to pursue their careers with the authority. Supports Team Managers in the recruitment of ASYEs and the appropriate matching in terms of assigned service areas so that ASYEs experience excellent learning and development environments. Conducts matching interviews for students requesting statutory placements and delivers a programme of induction and practice skills days for selected students. Matches and allocates students to placement settings and practice educators ensuring compatibility and compliance to Practice Educator Professional standards (PEP’s). Works as a member of the relevant subgroups of the Humber Social Work Teaching Partnership under the attract workstream for people embarking on the social work career pathway and the recruit workstream to identify and support new practice educators to ensure that Hull is able to both recruit and support the number of new entrants needed to ensure a stable workforce. Works in partnership to develop the Practice Education training and ensure that there are sufficient programmes available, and that the quality of the programmes match expectations of local employers and accreditation bodies. Participates in selection processes, including with higher education institutions, to assess the suitability of people aspiring to be on social work degree courses, social work apprenticeships and newly qualified social workers. Commissions Independent Practice Educators (IPE) to support the service should there be a shortfall of sufficient internal practice educators to ensure the continuous provision of placements within the statutory social work teams, ensuring IPE’s are compliant with professional standards and matched appropriately with relevant experience, so that there is consistent professional integrity in assessing learner competence. Monitors the income from social work training providers for placements provided and administers the payments to IPE’s, Practice Educators and on site supervisors and ensures that the setting up and reimbursement of expenses for students are processed, so that learners and supervisors feel supported and valued. Sets up shadowing opportunities and other short learning opportunities for students considering social work as a career and social workers wishing to return to the profession following a career break/significant absence from practice, in order to attract more suitable people into the profession. Works alongside the Principal Social Worker & Social Work Academy Manager to manage the delivery of an annual CPD audit, ensuring that the training and development offer for qualified social workers meets identified needs and addresses any practice areas for development as identified through service user feedback and quality assurance activity.
3. Performance Management – Supports operational manager with organising and facilitating team meetings, forums and workshops. Supervises and develops staff through a variety of forums e.g. 1-1 practice development, reflected practice, mentoring, coaching including providing honest and constructive challenge/feedback. Provides 1:1 supervision with a maximum of 1 person, this could be the Grade 9 assessors or business support. Monitors and evaluates the quality of practice placement opportunities provided within the Service, seeking feedback from any on-site practice educators, social work training providers and social workers in training as to the quality of the offer, in order to take action to address any identified gaps/areas for improvement in conjunction with local service managers. Works closely with the on-site PEs and Team Managers to ensure that appropriate levels of support are available to those teams supporting newly qualified social workers through their ASYE year at the same time as social work students on placement, in order to ensure high-quality learning environments. Organises and facilitates a Practice Educators Forum in order to support the ongoing development of practice educators and consults in relation to local and national developments in relation to social worker training. Develops, facilitates and monitors peer supervision groups within children’s services and provides quality feedback to service managers, Humber Social Work Teaching Partnership and cascades key messages in terms of learning. Intervenes and ensures a conflict resolution approach as required, in relation to issues within individual practice placements (eg where a social worker in training or ASYE may be at risk of failing their probation or a placement or a placement is not meeting the individual’s needs) negotiating with all those involved, using established processes agreed with the social work training provider. Offers consultation and mentoring to all practice educators during times of their learning, including during challenging and conflicting times with students, and supports them with their attendance at panel and hearings, so that Hull’s practice education is of a consistently high professional standard. Provides performance monitoring information for the Head of Service monthly performance meetings as required. Together with the Principal Social Worker and Social Work Academy Manager, reviews the CPD offer for qualified social workers in order to evaluate its effectiveness in supporting the provision of the local social work standards and the provision of high quality social work which improves outcomes for children and young people in Hull. Contributes towards and supports the PSW and Social Work Academy Manager in developing the Workforce Strategy and L&D Plan so that the local learning and development offer helps social workers and managers continually develop and improve their practice.
4. Leadership – Provides support, advice and encouragement to meet the principles of legislation, guidance, policies and procedures. Assists team managers to promote a culture of professional curiosity embracing research within areas of responsibility, encouraging the exploration of different cultures, concepts and ideas. Validates assessments with quality audits of casework, including observation of practice, to ensure that staff have the skills, knowledge and competencies to practice safely and confidently. Promotes, articulates and supports a positive social work identity. Understands the professional capability framework and knowledge and skills statement and applies this to appraisal processes/performance reviews of social work teams and individuals through supporting social workers with their CPD work throughout meetings and reviews.
5. Statutory Obligations – Via comprehensive knowledge and understanding, provides support, advice, mentoring, challenge and monitoring to ensure full compliance in Hull with: The legislative framework for the provision of children’s social care services, The Professional Educator Professional Standards, The Professional Capabilities Framework and Knowledge & Skills Statements for aspiring and qualified social workers, The guidance for the assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE), and the requirements of Skills for Care, for newly qualified social workers, The mandatory requirements for social work statutory placement provision. Contributes, alongside the Principal Social Worker, Social Work Academy Manager and strategic managers, to ensuring that the Standards for Employers of Social Workers are delivered to a high standard in Hull.

We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality, and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. We adopt a ‘name blind’ approach to shortlisting. Recruiting managers will not have access to personal information, including your name and contact details, until a shortlisting decision has been made. Equality monitoring information is not accessible by recruiting managers at any stage. We reserve the right to amend the dates associated with this advert, which may include closing the advert early where required. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.