Job Introduction
We’re recruiting a Senior Practitioner to join our Children in Care team at Milton Keynes City Council.
You’ll take the lead on our most complex cases and support the management team to make sure we meet our statutory and legal responsibilities for the children we care for.
You’ll bring the knowledge, skills and experience of a senior social care professional, while mentoring colleagues and providing expert advice and guidance.
You’ll help us improve safety, development and wellbeing for children and young people through strong assessment, care planning and purposeful intervention.
We are dedicated, respectful and collaborative.
We aim to make a difference by tackling social inequalities and creating cleaner, safer and healthier communities.
Milton Keynes City Council delivers over 200 services and we act as one council, working with partners to make our city a better place to live.
Salary - £48,226 - £52,413
Plus - Annual £4,000 retention payment and £6,000 Golden Hello payment (subject to T&Cs)
Social Work England professional membership fees paid
This is a site-based role
Where possible interviews may be arranged with ideal candidates upon receipt of applications and may be prior to the closing of the job advert.
Interviews for this role will be held on 12 May
At Milton Keynes City Council, we aim to make a difference every day. We’re dedicated, respectful and collaborative. We act as one council, and we work hard to create cleaner, safer and healthier communities while tackling inequalities and supporting people to thrive.
Find out more about working with us here: www.mkcounciljobs.org.uk
Main Responsibility
- Lead and progress the most demanding, sensitive and complex children’s social care cases from assessment through to care planning and intervention.
- Provide expert support, advice and guidance to colleagues, including mentoring and professional leadership across the team.
- Supervise the case work of social workers, social work assistants, students and childcare professionals so practice is safe, timely and effective.
- Resolve complex case management issues with the deputy team manager or team manager so risks are addressed and plans move forward.
- Represent the local authority in complex public and private law proceedings, including giving oral evidence and producing high quality court documentation.
- Contribute to service development and quality improvement, including audits, keeping practice current with legislation and research, and supporting the development of policy and procedures
The Ideal Candidate
- You’ll have a recognised social work qualification and be registered with Social Work England.
- You’ll bring strong specialist knowledge of childcare issues, legislation, policy and research.
- You’ll have proven experience completing complex assessments and building robust care plans that you can implement and review.
- You’ll communicate clearly in writing and in person, and you’ll be confident questioning, challenging and meeting deadlines.
- You’ll be able to support and supervise colleagues, sharing your expertise openly and helping others develop.
- You’ll be flexible, able to take part in an on call rota for emergencies when needed, and able to travel across Milton Keynes and surrounding areas
To be successful in this role, you’ll need a full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle. If you’re offered the position, we’ll ask for proof of your licence and vehicle insurance, including business use cover. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to confirm your appointment without these documents.
If you’re offered the role, we’ll arrange an Enhanced DBS check as part of our pre-employment process (unless you’re already registered with the DBS Update Service).
Package Description
In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:
- Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years. In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
- Excellent pension – everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
- A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support and a childcare subsidy.
- Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
- Salary sacrifice car scheme – low-cost leasing of electric and low emission vehicles.
- Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.
Why join us? Along with more on our Benefits, discover why Working at the City Council could be the right move for you here Working at the Council | Milton Keynes
Our roles are either designated ‘site based’ or ‘home based’. ‘Site based’ roles can include up to two days a week working from home whilst ‘home based’ roles are based at home four days a week. Of course, managers designate which category roles are in based on the needs of the service and the circumstances.
About The Organisation
Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.
We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference.
We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.
We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.
If you’d like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council.
