Senior Practitioner

• Suffolk County Council 
• Address:  Endeavour House, Ipswich IP1 2BX
• Salary: £43,723 - £47,054 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Hours:  37 
• Contract:  Permanent

Are you a creative, experienced/senior Social Worker who has worked in Adult Social Care with leadership experience? 

 We are looking to recruit a Senior Practitioner for our Mental Health, Learning Disability & Autism Review Team. The team is based at Endeavour House in Ipswich and works with all the out of county cases for mental health, learning disabilities and autism. The team is part of the Adult Social Care Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Service. There are locality teams within each area of Suffolk. There is a strong sense of togetherness within the service. Reimagine the possibilities.

 It is an exciting time for Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism teams within Adult Social Care as we seek to deliver our Independent Lives programme and transformation agenda.

We are offering a unique opportunity to move forward in your career using your skills and experience in an interesting and complex specialist area of the profession.

If you are passionate about supporting people to be as independent as they can be and enjoy working in partnership with customers, their families, service providers and health colleagues to identify ways to improve outcomes for the people we support, this could be the role for you.

Your role and responsibilities:

• Be responsible for working with customers, their families and service providers to carry out individual customer assessment and reviews to ensure services are meeting customer's needs. 
• Promote intervention that strengthens independence and support networks, maintains wellbeing and contributes to desired outcomes including multiagency safeguarding and risk management 
• Be responsible for undertaking the most complex work within the team
• Be responsible for deputising for the team manager at times
• Undertake case supervision and support to develop the learning and quality of practice of others, encouraging a culture of continued learning. 
• Promote Suffolk County Council's vision, objectives, and priorities effectively to your customers, our partners, and the public and inspire others by always modelling our organisational values.  You will promote a culture of outcome-based customer focus, continuous improvement and value for money.
• Ensure the team meet Suffolk County Council's statutory duties under the relevant legislation and guidance for adults with support needs and their carers 
• Oversee collaboration with statutory, private and voluntary services to deliver an effective joint response, providing the right information, advice and enablement to people to support them in achieving their outcomes in life

 You will need

• A Social Work qualification recognised by Social Work England and Social Work England registration
• The ability to adopt a collaborative approach through effective partnership working with people, families and wider services to address concerns
• The ability to adapt to changing priorities and service developments
• Passion to embrace new/innovative ways of working including digital technology
• To be skilled at assessing and working with risk, being risk positive where appropriate
• Ability to support others in developing and improving their own practice

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile. If you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

We will offer you:

• Regular supervision
• Annual appraisals with pay progression related to performance
• A supportive network of senior practitioners and managers
• Bi-monthly whole service workshops 
• Opportunities for continued professional development

The team

The Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Review Team is built upon a strengths-based approach using the Signs of Safety and Wellbeing model of practice. We make use of existing strengths and support to enable the people we support to achieve their outcomes and live more independently. The team comprises of a Team Manager, Senior Practitioner, Social Workers and Independence and Wellbeing Practitioners, we are a passionate, supportive and welcoming team. We are currently offering a hybrid model of working from home and the office. We have a strong, cohesive and supportive management team who are committed to continuous professional development and hold a reputation for developing services for the better. Our staff are our greatest resource and with you in our team, we can achieve the authority's priorities of enabling everyone to live long, healthy, fulfilling lives whilst safeguarding the most vulnerable people in Suffolk.

Empowering Everyone 

We're big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We're always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report.

For more information

For an informal discussion, please contact:

Louise Cummings (she/her) or telephone

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (JPP)

Step 2 - Click 'Apply Now' to start your online application.

Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement indicating how you meet each of the criteria in the 'Person Profile' section of the JPP.  

• You should use the Supporting Statement template.  
• Please use Arial font size 11 and keep your statement to a maximum of two sides of A4. 

Step 4 - Upload a CV (without name and personal details). 

We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences. Applications suspected of being generated by AI may be rejected. We ask you to present your own work and ideas throughout the application process. 

Please note: Without a supporting statement and CV, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format. 

If you require any reasonable adjustments to the application process before the next selection stage, please contact our Recruitment Team by emailing calling If you are invited to the next stage of selection, you will have another opportunity to request adjustments for the next stages of the process. 

Closing date: 05 January 2026

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid