Advanced Practitioner

Job Information

Achieving for Children is a Community Interest Company that has a public sector ethos, combined with the freedom to innovate enabling us to do things differently. As a not-for-profit social enterprise owned by three local authorities (Windsor & Maidenhead, Kingston and Richmond), we offer the freedoms of a social enterprise with the employment benefits of local government. To find out more about us

Advanced Practitioner - Safeguarding (Kingston & Richmond)

We are offering a £3000 welcome bonus plus a £3000 annual market supplement for this role

We have new and exciting opportunities to join Achieving for Children as an Advanced Practitioner within the Safeguarding Team based in Kingston and Richmond. As an Advanced Practitioner you will be responsible for assisting social workers to develop their experience and skills in managing court work.

About the role

This is a role within Achieving for Children’s Safeguarding service. The Safeguarding service is focused on progressing long-term plans for children and their families. This includes Child in Need, Child Protection, pre-proceedings and court work retaining responsibility until Final Orders are made.

This role is developed for those with extensive experience and skills that wish to remain in frontline practice and who may not wish to progress along a management route The post holder will have a more complex caseload of Child Protection, pre-proceedings and court cases The post holder will also be responsible for assisting social workers to develop experience and skills in managing court work including co-working cases to assist in developing this experience. They will be required to deputise for the Team Leaders where needed The post holder will support social workers so that their practice is effective, meets regulatory requirements, complies with statutory guidance, and learns from evidence-based interventions and innovative practice

For further information or an informal discussion about this role, please contact the below managers depending on your interest of area;

Catherine Power, Head of Service Safeguarding Richmond by email Sophie Doran, Head of Service Safeguarding Kingston by email

About you

To be an Advanced Practitioner in the Safeguarding Team you will need to...

Educated to a degree level with a relevant professional qualification in social work (CSS/CQSW or DipSw, MA SW, BA Hons SW) Active Social Work England registration and proven evidence of professional development Significant experience working in Child Protection, court work and permanency planning Experience of keeping and maintaining records (in accordance with local policy) and producing accurate reports, presentations, written updates to a range of stakeholders (which may include families, children or young people) An ability to manage an agreed caseload of complex cases including court work Experience of writing evidence for Court as well as giving oral evidence in court cases Knowledge of statutory legislation (for example The Children Act) and national policy drivers that will affect children’s services and your role A passion to demonstrate and promote our values (Trust, Respect and Empower) through professional behaviours and relationships with all stakeholders and staff to support children and young people to live safe, happy, healthy and successful lives

This role is developed for those with extensive experience and skills that wish to remain in frontline practice and who may not wish to progress along a management route.

About our benefits

We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:

29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC Hybrid and mobile working (between home and work) Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension) Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme A range of staff benefits and discounts An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway

To find out about all of the breadth of benefits of working for Achieving for Children . For our social work offer .

Important Information

Start dates: Achieving for Children have meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.

Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance.

Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

For more information about AfC:  Drop in and meet Regina on the first Wednesday of every month at Civic Centre, Twickenham or Ash on the first Tuesday of every month at Maidenhead Town Hall.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

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