Short Break Practitioner

About Us:

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF KAKOLI’S PASSION AND DRIVE

Children’s Services in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories. Where inspirational people like Kakoli are dedicated to encouraging everyone they work with to be the very best they can be.

Ever since she was a child, Kakoli has believed that children are the ones who’ll change the world for the better. Who’ll create the future we all wish for. And she always knew her calling was to get on the front line and help those who might not be as fortunate as herself.

Driven and passionate about making a difference, she first joined Westminster as a Social Work Assistant, and her managers immediately saw she had huge potential, so they encouraged her to apply to study for a degree in social work. She passed with flying colours, and over the next fourteen years worked as a frontline Social Worker, a Senior Social Worker, a Deputy Service Manager and is now one of our Service Managers.

Kakoli’s vision is as clear now as it was all those years ago – to encourage and support children, and help them grow in safe, vibrant communities. Her achievements are many, but she’s most proud of the fact that these days Westminster doesn’t ‘do things for families’ but ‘does things with families’. And she believes this huge but subtle difference to the way we work has allowed thousands of children in Westminster to fulfil their potential and live their dreams.

The Role:

As a Short Breaks Practitioner you can make your own powerful contribution to Westminster’s success. We believe that all children and young people should enjoy every opportunity to thrive, whether in education, employment, independent living or participation in their community. In this role you’ll join the Bi-Borough Short Breaks Service that supports families with a disabled child in The City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, and complete short break assessments and reviews. We deliver an integrated service in partnership with parents and professionals from health, education, social care and the voluntary sector.

The children and young people you work with will be at the heart of everything you do, and you’ll focus on learning about their views and ideas by using a range of aids and communication tools. You’ll undertake regular home visits and face-to-face meetings with families, carers and children as you help them discover more about the services available, and identify other support needs that will enable them to adjust. You and your team will propose support plans that meet the needs of each child – these will include resources such as parenting programmes, inclusion services, care packages and set pieces of parenting work.

This is not a budget holding role, however the Short Break Assessment and Review team carries significant financial responsibility. With this in mind we’ll expect you to manage delegated budgets, funding and resources in line with our processes, and keep written records using Mosaic, which is the Bi-Borough recording system.  

Please refer to the Job Description for more information.

About You:

To be a success in this vital role you’ll have well developed experience of working with families who have a disabled child or young person, possess a good understanding of the SEN local offer and the short breaks service, and be capable of providing families with early intervention and practical help. It’s important that you have a sound understanding of child development and the skills to complete assessments and review care packages, and experience of using local authority assessment tools and online recording processes.

We’ll look for practical knowledge of early interventions programmes such as NAS Early Bird/Triple P-Sensory workshops, and your confident and empathetic communication skills will allow you to work with families from a diverse range of backgrounds. A collaborative team worker with the ability to cross organisational boundaries and influence others to achieve results, you’ll also be capable of juggling competing demands and prioritising casework.

You should have good analytical writing skills and the ability to process information, record salient points and provide evidence to support your views while producing clear recommendations and ‘smart’ outcomes. We’ll also expect you to be capable of writing case notes, assessments, reviews and letters, and analyse information and support decisions and recommendations.

What We Offer:

Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.   
 
At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties  
 
As a forward-thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.  
 
The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application, we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.  

Closing date: 15 September 2024

Interview date: 26 September 2024

Contact details for Informal discussion: Fiona Pottinger, Principal Practitioner, via email: fpottinger@westminster.gov.uk