Senior Practitioner - Children's Homes

About the role

The post holder will work collectively with team members and in the role of Senior Practitioner to advise and guide on using effective care practice, de-escalating and diversionary strategies and recognised techniques to manage children and young people who exhibit challenging, threatening and confrontational behavior; in accordance with the Behaviour Management policy.  They will support staff to encourage positive behaviour and ensure reparative consequences and that these are recorded. They will design, implement and lead shift plans and daily routines effectively and ensure all tasks are carried out which includes ensuring all aspects of the home are ready to receive a new child moving into the home.  The Senior Practitioner will work as part of the management team, support referrals to the service and the assessment of the suitability of the child or young person and the placement process and carry out impact risk assessments where appropriate

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Christine Flowers, Operations Manager at christine.flowers@achievingforchildren.org.uk

About you

The successful candidate will have:

• Experience in leading a team, undertaking line management and  performance management.
• Knowledge of relevant theory that informs practice delivery. 
• Experience of building strong partnerships, maintaining relationships and co-producing solutions to challenges across a diverse set of stakeholders, including children, young people and their families. Advocating the voices of those we are working with. 
• Experience of keeping and maintaining records (in accordance with local policy) and producing accurate reports, written updates to a range of stakeholders (which may include families, children or young people).  
• Knowledge of statutory legislation (for example Children’s Act) and national policy drivers

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(Or for term term workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non-working periods in your contract.)
• Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
• 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 click here. For our social work offer click here.

Important Information

Start dates: Achieving for Children have set start dates 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 GOV.UK website 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.

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.