Risk and Resilience Senior Practitioner

**Company Description**
At Catch22, we are proud of our reputation as a modern and progressive employer. Our 1,300 colleagues and 300 volunteers work at every stage of the social welfare cycle, supporting over 60,000 individuals, from cradle to career. Our work spans education, social justice and rehabilitation, children's social care, family support, social action, and getting people into work.

**Young People and Families**

Our Young People and Families Hub (YP&F) delivers a wide range of integrated support services that are designed to help resolve complex difficulties experienced by young people and their families/carers. Our Hub works with those in trouble, providing early intervention to those who are in crisis, leaving care, missing from home, or with substance misuse or mental health problems - services support people no matter what their situation, and have demonstrated a high success rate.

Our Merton Risk and Resilience Service is an integrated service, focused on mitigating risk, and promoting resilience, in children and young people (C&YP). Our service aims to reduce the harm to children and young people (aged 18 and under), within the Child Exploitation (CE) and Missing service area, and C&YP (aged 24 and under), within the substance misuse service area.

The role of **Senior Practitioner for Missing **is an excellent opportunity to make a direct and valued difference to the lives of children and young people (C&YP), who are going missing from home or care, and may be at significant risk of experiencing child exploitation.

You will oversee practitioners to deliver the ‘Missing’ part of our contract, and will be responsible for completing and maintaining internal and external data and case management system’s that we record on. You will support practitioners to deliver a first class service through the provision of return to home interviews (RHI’s), direct work interventions, assessments, and support planning.
- **This role requires access to a car, and a full driving licence.**

**Main Duties**:

- To oversee the Merton Missing Element to ensure that all young people receive a Return Home Interview within statutory guidelines.
- To support practitioners to engage with young people and their parents/carers through the provision of return to home interviews, direct work interventions, assessments, and support planning within agreed timescales.
- Lead in the development of materials and activities to raise awareness of the risks of running away to individuals and groups of young people.
- Ensure post-interview feedback for all interviews will be reported to allocated social workers / MASH and to the Weekly Missing Meeting.
- To ensure all service user information, interventions and other data as required by the contract are recorded on the relevant data management system in line with Catch22’s policy.
- To manage operational risk, health and safety, governance, and safeguarding issues in line with Catch22 and Commissioner policies.
- Be responsible for the allocation of referrals and ensure caseload management structures are in place
- When necessary, undertake return home interviews.
- Provide consultation, information and where required, training and presentations, to other professionals, family, and young people from a range of settings.
- Work alongside and ensure effective relationships with Police, Children and Families services (CFS) and other local agencies/stakeholders

This role works in partnership with a wide range of partner agencies and commissioners, providing continuous **opportunities to build your network and knowledge** within the Children’s Social Care Sector. We are highly invested in supporting the continuous professional development of our staff, and our staff are also encouraged to visit the extensive variety of national services that Catch22 can offer.

**The team** are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children and young people, working through a relationship-based approach, that draws on the ethos and values of young people. Integrating a variety of work backgrounds, the team utilise a ‘Think Family’ approach - and all staff are trained in motivational interviewing, trauma informed practice, and brief solution-focused interventions - click here to find out more.

Please click here to view the full Job Description.
**Qualifications**
- 5 GCSE’s (grade C or above), or equivalent.
- Relevant professional qualification in health & social care, health and wellbeing, youth and community work, or similar.

**Additional Information** Salary**:Up to £20,923.46 pro-rata (based on £32,257 FTE per annum)
**Hours of work**:Part time, 24 hours per week
**Contract**:Permanent
**Flexibility**:Hybrid role (open to discussions on balance of home/office working, based on service/business need*)
- This role requires access to a car, and a full driving licence.
- Catch22 supports **flexible working**, and we are ambassadors of a positive work-life balanc