Advanced Practitioner

**Job title**: Advanced Practitioner - Social Work

**Salary**: PO5 £47,754 to £50,788 pro rata

**Hours**:18.5 - 37 hours a week (various)

**Contract**: Various

**Location**: Leeds (various office bases)

As an Advanced Practitioner in our children’s social work team, you will thrive on working restoratively with children and families by building strong relationships to inspire positive change and sustainable outcomes.

We provide comprehensive support and training packages for social workers at all levels with clear career progression opportunities. Our established in-house management team offers continuous support, guidance and reflective supervision alongside an in-depth programme of continuing professional development.

We are proud to be part of Leeds children’s services, rated by Ofsted as outstanding, and to be an award-winning employer, recognised as best employer in the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2019.

We are committed to the ambition of **Child Friendly Leeds**. We want Leeds to be a city where all children are safe, happy and healthy, do well at school, fulfil their potential and grow up to be active citizens with voice and influence. We aim to improve outcomes for all our children and want to close the gap facing children and young people from vulnerable and deprived backgrounds.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our **council values** and **ambitions**.

**About you**

As an Advanced Practitioner you will hold an appropriate professional qualification (degree, DipSW, CQSW or equivalent) and must be registered with Social Work England on commencement in post.

In addition to your professional qualification and registration you will have completed Practice Educator Level 1 or 2 or be willing to work towards this.

**You will also bring to the role**:

- extensive experience in a child protection setting.
- ability to mentor, coach and advise newly qualified and less experienced social work staff.
- strong communication and collaboration skills to build productive working relationships in a multi-agency environment.
- ability to engage individuals, families and carers and use their views to inform complex assessments, plans and interventions.
- extensive and up-to-date knowledge of relevant trends, policies, regulation and safeguarding.

**About the role**

As an Advanced Practitioner in Children and Families, you will be integral to a close-knit, supportive team which has your professional and personal wellbeing at heart.

You will provide a high quality comprehensive social work service, managing a complex caseload with a child-focused approach, underpinned by our culture of restorative practice and family decision making. We work closely with local health and third sector partners, and you will develop and maintain these strong links in your role.

You will support the Team Manager on day-to-day operational issues and mentor less senior colleagues. You will model skills in relationship building, developing positive working partnerships internally and with our local health and third sector partners. Demonstrating your social work values throughout your work, you will look to ensuring best practice and innovation.

**What we offer you**

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

- a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
- membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
- a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities.
- a range of **staff benefits** to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further.

**How to apply**
- If you have any queries or would like an informal discussion about the area roles, please contact Fiona Tharme 0113 3784007 or Gemma Hill 0113 3784957. For an informal discussion about a role in Children Looked After service please contact Janine Craven 01133785371._

**We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.**

**We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds. Leeds City Council is recognised in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2024. We are also an Age-friendly Employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader.**

**This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.**

**Job Description** practice educators.

**Job purpose**: The Advanced Practitioner role is to deal with the most complex cases requiring a social worker of considerable experience with a