Adolescent Practitioner

**About the team**
We are seeking an Adolescent Practitioner to join Hertfordshire’s West Herts, St Albans and Dacorum, Specialist Adolescent Service.
- Adolescent Practitioner - Social Care

The post is for a Social Care Focused Adolescent Practitioner whose primary responsibility will be to work with children aged 11 - 18. You will be part of a highly supportive and motivated, multi-disciplinary team that provides support to children and their families to prevent escalation into specialist services.

The post provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your skills and knowledge with working with children who are transitioning through their adolescent stage of development. This is a great opportunity to truly influence the lives of older children.
**About the role** Social Care Focused Adolescent Practitioner**

You will work directly with children and their families requiring support, help or protection, to navigating challenging and difficult situations that may be occurring in their lives. You will be responsible for organising and coordinating the Team Around the Family using the Common Assessment Framework.

You may also be required to work alongside Social Workers to complete pieces of work with children or families who are being supported under the legal frameworks of Child In Need, Child Looked After and Child Protection.

As a Social Care Focused Adolescent Practitioner you will provide support and help to:

- Children aged 16 - 17 years old who are at risk of or have experienced homelessness.
- Children aged 11 - 17 at risk of significant harm due to extra familial harm including but not limited to exploitation, serious youth violence, modern slavery, and trafficking.
- Children aged 11 - 17 at risk of being accommodated by the Local Authority due extra - familial concerns.
- Children aged 11 - 17 who require additional support following an admission to a Tier 4 Adolescent Mental Health facility.

Multi agency working is essential to enhancing support and improving outcomes for the children and families that we work with consequently you will work closely with other professionals to ensure that children and families that we work with receive the right response and an effective service.

You will be expected to undertake comprehensive assessments, implement and coordinate action plans, and will have a number of children and families assigned to you, who you will complete direct interventions with.

**About you** Essential criteria for the role**:

- An understanding of the child first / child focused approach and have the ability to build positive relationships with children and parent/carers.
- Ability to meaningfully engage and communicate effectively with children as well as a range of individuals including parent/carers, victims, wider professionals and external agencies.
- Self-motivated and able to organise and effectively manage own workload.
- Experience of dealing with conflict and problem solving.
- Experience of contributing to multi-agency meetings.
- Strong IT skills to maintain confidential and accurate records on both case management systems and Excel spreadsheets.
- Good IT, organisation and communication skills are essential as you will need to record information on a case management information system, coproduce intervention plans, produce reports, and correspond with children, parent/carers and partners.
- You will be required to travel, so a driving licence and access to a vehicle is essential.
- Experience and a sound knowledge of relevant legislation and policies relating to children and their families within a social care setting.

This is an incredible opportunity to make a real difference in children’s lives at a critical time. As an Adolescent Practitioner, you will be on the front line, helping children navigate challenges, make safer choices, and find a path towards a brighter future.

Your work will directly impact not only the children you support, but also their families and the wider community. If you are passionate about shaping young lives and have the drive to inspire change, this is a role where you can truly make a positive impact and leave a lasting legacy.

**How to apply**

**Additional information** Disability Confident**

**Safeguarding**
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

**Driving required**
You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

**English Fluency**
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.

Job Reference: HCC27300