West Sussex County Council
Practice Development Manager
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Our priority in West Sussex is ‘Children First’
This is an exciting and challenging opportunity for a Practice Development Manager to join and be part of West Sussex’s commitment and drive to provide quality interventions to the children we help, support and protect.
About Us
West Sussex County Council is clear about the positive changes that we want to achieve and the quality of service we offer to children and their families. We are committed to and value our employees, we strive to provide the best environment and working conditions to enable West Sussex employees to undertake their duties to the best of their ability and to create a stable workforce.
The Opportunity
Salary: Hay A 1 - 4: £62,561 to £66,848 per annum, inclusive of Market Rate Supplement
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: 37 hours per week, full time
Location: Countywide role; your base location will be agreed with you at interview
Closing date: 21 October 2026
Interview date: 03 November 2026
The Quality Assurance (QA) service at West Sussex County Council aims to maximise organisational effectiveness in responding to the needs of children and families and improving their outcomes. This involves providing the organisation with specialist advice on how to improve practice in order to optimise service delivery within Children’s Social Care, SEND and Youth Justice.
Practice Development Managers in the Quality Assurance service are responsible for the provision of the Quality Assurance Framework in Children’s Social Care, Youth Justice and SEND, contributing to the development and improvement of services for children across the authority. The team also supports inspection preparation across the directorate.
West Sussex County Council are currently driving forward a continuous improvement programme for Children’s Services to ensure that all children, young people, and families receive the best service possible. Working within the wider Children, Young People and Learning (CYPL) Directorate, the Quality Assurance (QA) service is responsible for the monitoring of the performance of children’s services and, as a Practice Development Manager, you will provide subject matter expertise in relation to what “good” looks like in Children’s Social Care, Youth Justice and SEND by contributing to professional practice standards and effective quality assurance systems, and collaborating with the wider service through learning audits and moderation.
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About You
To succeed in this role, you will have:
- The technical expertise to provide robust and accurate advice and guidance relating to the application of legislative and inspection frameworks, as well as internal procedures and guidance relating to Children’s Social Care, SEND and Youth Justice.
- Experience in contributing to both service and practice developments.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and a high level of credibility amongst professional colleagues, customers, senior managers and other key stakeholders.
- The ability to work collaboratively across Children’s Social Care, SEND and Inclusion and Youth Justice as necessary.
- Reflective practitioner skills with the ability to analyse your own experiences to improve the way you learn and work, in order to help the practitioners and managers learn and gain experience in reflective practice to increase their confidence and self-awareness.
Benefits
As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance, and are rewarded for the work they do.
For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.
Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:
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- Employer Pension Contribution: 15% (this alters per annum on the 1 April each year)
- Annual leave: 30 days holiday + Bank Holidays = 38 days
How to Apply
The reference number for this role is 105.
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Lauren Paget, Service Manager QA Inspection and Improvement, at Lauren.Paget@westsussex.gov.uk
To apply, please follow the links below.
In your application please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.
Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
Safeguarding Statement
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
This post is subject to Social Work England registration, an enhanced DBS check, five years referencing, and an occupational health check.
Equity, inclusion, and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.
We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.
If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact Natalie Greene, Recruitment Specialist, at Natalie.Greene@westsussex.gov.uk
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