Birmingham Children's Trust
Senior Practitioner - Children in Care NWC
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Birmingham Children’s Trust
At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.
Senior Practitioner for Children in Care
This is an exciting role and a great opportunity to develop your leadership skills and progress your career pathway in Social Work.
Role Overview
You will hold up to a number of complex families with the remainder of the role focused on role modelling, supporting, and developing good practice and consistent performance within your team alongside the Team Manager. You will coordinate and facilitate group supervision, advising and guiding social workers in their work with children and families and progressing tasks delegated by the Team Manager.
Our Mission
At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are dedicated to providing outstanding care and support to children and families across Birmingham. Our mission is to ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive in a safe, nurturing environment. We are a dynamic and forward-thinking organisation, committed to innovation and excellence in social work practice.
Children in Care
Within children in care, our work is both varied and rewarding, working with children and young people aged 0-18 who are subject to both interim and final Care Orders or placed in local authority care under section 20. We support children living at home under care orders, within connected care placements / foster care/ residential / semi-supported settings. We hold care proceedings within our children in care service at the point of interim care order, through until final order. We have a strong focus upon achieving permanency for our children at the earliest opportunity along with progressing reunification where safe and appropriate to do so.
Our services will always be joined up and you will develop robust partnerships with other teams and outside agencies; to include the police, health, schools, and voluntary organisations.
Position Summary
- To provide a lead role in improving the quality of professional social work practice across the breadth of the case work cycle to children, young people and their families.
- To provide a needs-led, professional social work service to children, young people and their families, complying with legislative requirements and in accordance with established best practice.
- To undertake complex casework arising within the children and family services.
- To share/communicate a thorough working knowledge of relevant legislation, national standards, guidance, research, departmental policy and procedures.
- To be responsible for allocated cases including a complex caseload.
- To take a ‘joined-up’ approach to ensuring the effectiveness of case working, actively promoting/encouraging effective partnership working with service users and other teams/agencies/organisations.
- To provide quality assurance and coaching/mentoring to work colleagues.
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Requirements
This is a hybrid role based in Birmingham so you must reside within a suitable commutable distance around Birmingham and have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship.
About You
We’re looking for someone who has:
- A recognised Social Work qualification.
- Current Social Work England registration.
- Significant post-qualifying experience within children’s social care.
- Experience working with Children in Care and managing complex safeguarding issues.
- Strong knowledge of relevant legislation, statutory guidance, and child development.
- Excellent assessment, analytical, and decision-making skills.
- The ability to coach, mentor, and support colleagues to develop their practice.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
- A commitment to achieving outstanding outcomes for children and young people.
Our Offer to You
At the Trust, we value our people and are committed to supporting your professional development, wellbeing, and work-life balance. When you join us, you’ll benefit from:
- In addition to the salary offered, there is a welcome payment of £1,000 paid in full in your first month's salary - T&C's will apply.
- A Retention payment of up to £5,000 per annum paid monthly subject to tax and NI deductions - T&C's will apply.
- A relocation allowance of up to £8,000 - T&C's will apply.
- Payment of your Social Work England registration fee.
- Payment of your DBS application fee, plus reimbursement of your DBS Update Service subscription.
- A generous annual leave entitlement of 30 days, plus bank holidays, increasing to 33 days after 5 years’ service and 35 days after 10 years’ service.
- An early finish every Friday, helping you make the most of your weekend.
- Access to our Salary Sacrifice Car Scheme, offering the opportunity to drive a brand-new car through an affordable fixed monthly payment, with no deposit or credit checks and a range of all-inclusive driving packages.
- Free on-site parking at our One Avenue Road (Aston) and Lifford House (Stirchley) offices, including free electric vehicle charging points.
- A comprehensive employee benefits package, including Occupational Health services, reward and recognition schemes, employee discounts (including the Blue Light Card), health and fitness offers, wellbeing support, and much more.
- Flexible and hybrid working, with a range of working patterns that support both the needs of the Trust and a healthy work-life balance.
- Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme, providing a generous career average pension.
- Discounted gym memberships with PureGym and Nuffield Health to support your health and wellbeing.
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Help Us to Change Children and Young People’s Lives!
At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.
Why Join Us?
- Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
- Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
- Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
- Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.
Our Values
We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.
We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.
We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.
Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.
Safeguarding
At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.
The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.
We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.
Please note that we reserve the right to close the job early should we reach the required number of applications, therefore please ensure you submit your application and supporting statement early to avoid any disappointment.
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