Children's Services Senior Practitioner

We are recruiting for a Children’s Services Senior Practitioner to join Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Full Time, Paying up to £32.34 Per Hour.

**Job Purpose**:

- Contribute to the delivery of an effective children’s social care service as part of a social work team, improving outcomes for children and young people.
- Manage caseloads dependent upon experience, grade of post and complexity of cases, utilising specialist knowledge for appropriate interventions, needs assessments, care planning, and child protection investigations.
- Carry out high quality assessments, using child-centred, community focused, and multiagency interventions to bring about positive change through developing effective relationships, and to secure the best outcomes for children and young people.
- Ensure children and young people are adequately protected in line with Dudley LSCB, departmental policy and procedures, and relevant legislation.

**Main Responsibilities**:

- Holds and manages a varied caseload reflecting the function of the team in accordance with relevant policies, procedures and legislation.
- Identifies and assesses levels of risk and need, and delivers protective or supportive services for children at risk, in need and/or looked after.
- Maintains an up-to-date assessment, care plan and reviews for all cases.
- Assesses and analyses need, contributing to and implementing plans and reviewing progress against identified outcomes ensuring that the child’s welfare is paramount throughout.
- Ensures that reports are up to date, of a high quality and submitted according to appropriate timescales
- Work co-operatively with colleagues and in partnership across agency boundaries.
- Attends a range of meetings including child protection case conference meetings and court hearings to represent the local authority.
- Undertakes direct work with children, young people and their families in line with agreed care plans.
- Carries out all work within equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory frameworks.
- Carries out statutory obligations in accordance with departmental policy and practice.
- Keeps up-to-date and act in accordance with current legislation and departmental practice and initiatives.
- Develops/maintains good working relationships with other professionals in all agencies.
- Maintains accurate, up to date, and relevant case recordings and any other records as specified in departmental guidance and procedures’ and utilising tools such as the Children Case Management (CCM) system as appropriate.
- Maintains regular supervision through frequent meetings and briefings in line with the Department’s supervision policy. Contribute to the development of other workers sharing knowledge and skills as appropriate.
- Reports changes to risk levels, care plans or children’s circumstances to their supervisor on a regular basis or immediately as required. Seeks advice on appropriate action, developing new risk assessments and care plans as guided by their supervisor
- Contributes through team meetings and organisational events to the development of the service.
- Maintains and develops up-to-date knowledge and relevant skills through continued learning.
- Ensures that expenditure on cases is properly authorised and recorded, in accordance with departmental procedures.

**Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills and Experience**:

- DipSW or an approved social work qualification. Registered, or eligible for registration, with HCPC
- Must be able to demonstrate the capacity to work with children and families
- Must be able to demonstrate the ability to work within current legislation and statutory guidance
- Demonstrates current knowledge of professional social work practices
- Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the social work task
- Demonstrates experience and understanding of key legislation
- Skills in assessment, critical analysis and decision-making
- Demonstrates evidence-based practice in social work assessments, decisions and interventions
- Ability to communicate effectively in all formats
- Ability to accurately record information in accordance to statutory requirements and timescales
- Ability to prioritise conflicting demands
- Ability to plan and effectively evaluate interventions and outcomes
- Ability to develop effective working relationships
- Ability to reflect on social work practice
- Ability to challenge others appropriately
- Ability to respond flexibly to services users needs and the requirements of service delivery
- Ability to utilise IT and a willingness to undertake IT training as required
- Demonstrate the commitment to Equal Opportunities and inclusion
- Ability to manage and resolve conflict