Key areas of our work include:
Safeguarding our children through our multi-agency Barnet Children’s Safeguarding Board.
Looking after children who are in care.
Recruiting foster families and potential adoptive parents and placing children in their care.
Making sure that children in need of social care receive the support that they need.
Reducing Domestic Violence and working with perpetrators of Domestic Violence.
Working with Young Offenders and young people who are at risk of getting involved with crime or gangs to reduce youth crime.
The role: We are seeking a skilled, dynamic and motivated practitioner with a passion for achieving excellence to join the team as an Advanced Practitioner. Dedicated to supporting care experienced young people together and with proven experience of supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to achieve their best outcomes, you will be a senior practitioner based within the leaving care service.
The Onwards and Upwards team provide support to young people aged 16 - 25 who are looked-after or leaving the care of the London Borough of Barnet. Supported by an excellent workforce development programme, you will hold a manageable caseload of higher complexity and will support the management team to lead excellence in practice by supporting social workers and personal advisors.
The successful candidate: will possess in-depth knowledge and understanding of the legislative framework and polices in relation to looked-after children and leaving care and be able to articulate a developed sense of the particular needs of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. You will also be able to provide evidence of your excellent written and oral communication skills and demonstrate an ability to influence professionals to achieve the very best outcomes for care experienced young people.
If you thrive in a demanding, complex and rewarding environment and are creative in your practice to get the best out of others, then we would love to hear from you.
The post holder will be based at the team office in Woodhouse Road, but will be supporting young people across the Borough, and occasionally in neighbouring authorities and beyond. An ability to transport themselves and young people safely is essential.
Barnet - in the north-west of London - is the second largest borough by population and home to over 389,000 people.
With 30 flourishing town centres and over 200 family-friendly parks, nature reserves and greenspaces, Barnet is a brilliant place to live, study, work, and raise a family.
If you think working in Barnet might be for you, then we would love to hear from you. You can arrange to come for a pre-interview visit or call us for an informal chat. You can also find out more about working in Barnet by watching the video below.
We provide members of our children’s services workforce with:
Free Parking
Competitive renumeration packages (including Barnet Flex – talk to us about this)
Access to Pool Cars/Parking Permits
30 days annual leave, plus public and bank holidays
Work-life balance options may include flexi-time, job-share, homeworking, part-time
Generous Local Government Pension Scheme
Excellent training and development opportunities
Interest-free season travel ticket loan
Cycle to Work Scheme
Relocation package of up to £8,000
Enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity pay
Childcare voucher scheme, salary sacrifice scheme
Corporate rates for membership of Better Leisure
Occupational Health advice/Health and Wellbeing Programme
Employee Assistance Programme
Modern purpose built offices based in the heart of our Community at Colindale, 5 minutes walk from the underground station.
If you have any questions about applying for roles within children's social care at Barnet please contact our recruitment team FS.Recruitment@Barnet.gov.uk