Join the London Borough of Hillingdon's Children's Kinship Team as an Advanced Social Work Practitioner, where you'll shape the future of social work practice. Seamlessly merging specialist knowledge with enabling and supporting others to learn and professionally develop. You will lead and model exemplary social work practice, going beyond routine caseload management, and consistently maintaining very high standards within writing of specialist assessments, with a strong emphasis on analysis. The Kinship team is part of the Court Service, and you should have sound legal knowledge of childcare proceedings and associated Kinship legislation.
Alongside the assessment work, you will lead the evolution of Kinship support for families, facilitating Skills to Foster training for Kinship carers. Your hands-on, office-based approach guides and supports learners, shaping the future of social work. The oversight, and annual reviewing of all our Kinship families in need of support, and continued development of our Kinship support offer, is a key part of this role. This entails the (non-statutory case) supervision and support to the Kinship support SW and Permanence Worker (with oversight and regular 3-way supervision with the Team Manager).
You will have strong organisational skills and be an integral part of ensuring a strong and stable team, with a focus on your being available and present to support staff, alongside managing your own caseload. Foster a dynamic team environment through co-ordinating and facilitating regular group supervision, reflective sessions, and coaching. Your commitment to continuous professional development creates a culture of growth within the team.
You will be able to work on your own initiative but also be a strong team player. This important role does require regular days in the office per week, with remote working optional outside of these days.
Assisting the Team Manager and deputising on tasks such as allocating of assessments, and quality assurance, is part of this role. Monthly auditing of children’s files (to ensure the focus of positive outcomes for children), attendance at leadership, service, and panel business meetings, is also required. You will receive peer support and consultation at the regular Advanced Practitioner meetings.
As the organizational expert in Kinship, your role extends to offering invaluable advice and support to colleagues and partners. Consultation with other teams as needed and sharing your specialist knowledge around Kinship all arrangements is key, including with regards to the fostering regulations and standards of care, as required, to ensure everyone stays on the cutting edge of best practices.
As a Social Work graduate with SWE registration and PEPS 1 & 2 qualifications, you're passionate about making an impact. Your leadership, Kinship expertise and experience, and commitment to continuous learning set you apart.
You will be able to manage a complex caseload and be able to also support others. You will have strong organisational skills and be able to communicate effectively. You will be fully invested and enthusiastic about the continuous development of the Kinship Support offer, and committed to supporting our families.
Join us for an exhilarating opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of children and families. Apply now and be the driving force behind positive outcomes in our community.
On joining our Children’s Social Care team, you’ll be welcomed and made to feel ‘at home’, benefitting from the right tools, skills, and resources. From day one you’ll meet with colleagues across the council who will provide expert guidance and support to succeed and develop your career at Hillingdon - giving you that ‘Hillingdon feeling’.
Our commitment to continuous improvement is also reflected in our dedication to lead, coach, and invest into our people. Whether you’re just about to embark on a career within social care, or aspire to progress into senior roles, we offer clear development pathways to help you achieve your career ambitions.
With access to a wide range of training and learning opportunities (PAMs, AIMs, CGP2, etc.), every day is a ‘learning day’. Partnering with local Universities to offer the ‘Practice Educators programme’ we’re keen to not only enhance the quality of our social care provision, but also supercharge your career!
In addition to a comprehensive career development plan, we offer a range of benefits which include:
Local government average salary pension scheme
From 26 to 34 days annual leave (rising to 37, dependant on length of service)
Free on-site parking when working at our civic centre offices
Career breaks
Hybrid working and flexible working hours
Season ticket loan
Access to a credit union
Access to a wide range of trainings, courses, and other types of professional development
Discount on a variety of adult education courses run by the council
Payment of professional fees where these are required
Discounts at council-owned leisure centres and swimming pools at Hillingdon (Uxbridge), Queensmead (South Ruislip), Highgrove (Ruislip) and Botwell Green (Hayes)
Cycle purchase scheme
Car sharing scheme
30% discount on green fees at council-owned golf courses
If you'd like to arrange an informal chat about this role, please send us an email to recruitment@hillingdon.gov.uk, highlighting your name, contact details, and the name of this role.