Hertfordshire County Council
Childrens Practitioner
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Job Introduction
Job Title: Children's Practitioners - MASH
Salary: £31,537 progressing to £34,434 pa - pay increase pending
Hours: 37.0
Location: Stevenage (office based)
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Childrens Services
About The Team
The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is a team of professionals including Police, Probation, Safeguarding Nurses, and Children's Services—who work together to protect vulnerable children in Hertfordshire. They handle concerns and referrals from the public and professionals, deciding whether children need safeguarding or early help services.
Hertfordshire has strengthened its frontline support through the Gateway, which combines MASH functions with a triage service for families. The team includes social workers and skilled Children's Practitioners, working to provide timely, appropriate support.
By using Motivational Interviewing, the team helps more children stay safely with their families, following recommendations from the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.
This role is primarily based in MASH, but you may also work within the Gateway service.
About The Role
Working as part of Hertfordshire’s Front Door team, you’ll help signpost services and deliver safe, child-focused care. As a Children's Practitioner, your role is to be the key contact for concerns raised from various sources, accurately recording key details and identifying needs with guidance from management. You will assess risk levels using your understanding of the different tiers of service provision, to support decision making to ensure children and families receive the appropriate support.
This is a fast paced but rewarding role, where you will be working with families and professionals to gather information primarily over the telephone, using computerised systems to record and maintain accurate information, attending regular team meetings, and collaborating with professionals to achieve the best outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.
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About You
Essential Requirements:
- Although there are no specific qualifications required for this role, previous experience in working with children and families is required.
- Excellent communication skills - both verbal and written, in addition to having good computer skills.
- Ability to work autonomously whilst being a team player.
- Excellent organisational skills to ensure that work is prioritised and completed within the set timescales.
- Sound analytical skills to make robust recommendations and plans.
- Effective rapport building skills and ability to demonstrate professional curiosity.
- Ability to maintain a good standard of work in a fast-paced environment.
Desirable:
- Experience of SEND
- Additional specialisms in areas such as child exploitation or contextualised safeguarding would be welcomed as such knowledge and expertise would enhance the function and performance of our newly developed Gateway.
If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, this role offers the chance to work within an “Outstanding” rated local authority and contribute to improving good outcomes for vulnerable children and families. In return, we can offer you support and professional development, along with a range of competitive benefits including local government pension scheme.
To hear more about this opportunity please contact Maggie.Wiggins@Hertfordshire.gov.uk or Gail.Jameson@Hertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role.
Interview Date: w/c 27th July
We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.
This job role is Level 8. Please locate the job profile here:
Job profiles - Health and social care
Benefits of working for us
How To Apply
As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.
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Additional Information
We are changing
Hertfordshire County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If you are employed by Hertfordshire County on 1 April 2028, it is expected that most roles will transfer to the newly-created unitary councils on existing terms and conditions under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) principles.
LGR is one of the biggest changes we will face in a generation. It will reshape how we work and how services are organised and gives us a real opportunity to build something better. To find out more, visit https://www.hertfordshire-lgr.co.uk/
Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.
Driving Required
You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.
English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.
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