Children&;s Senior Practitioner

Position: Children's Senior Practitioner
Children's Senior Practitioner

Cambridgeshire County Council

Pay Rate: £46,956 - £50,157 plus a retention payment scheme

Location:

Cambridgeshire | Full-Time | Permanent

Be Part of Creating a Greener, Fairer and More Caring Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire County Council is committed to improving outcomes for children, young people and families while building stronger, safer communities. Children, young people and their families are at the heart of everything we do, and we are looking for an experienced and passionate Senior Practitioner to join our Children's Services team.

This is an exciting opportunity for an accomplished Social Worker who is ready to take on a leadership role, supporting colleagues, driving excellent practice, and delivering outstanding outcomes for children and families across Cambridgeshire.

About the Role

As a Senior Practitioner, you will manage a highly complex caseload while providing professional leadership, coaching and mentoring to Social Workers and Child Practitioners within the team. You will work with a high degree of autonomy, supported by regular supervision, and play a key role in promoting best practice and safeguarding standards.

You will work within Cambridgeshire County Council's practice framework, ensuring that all work reflects the authority's commitment to high-quality, child-focused interventions and the consistent application of the "Big 6" Practice Standards:

Genograms
Chronologies
Voice of the Child
Meaningful and Planned Visits
Supervision and Management Oversight
Effective Planning and Review Processes

Key Responsibilities

Practice Leadership & Service Delivery

Manage a complex caseload involving children, young people and families where risk, safeguarding and complexity are significant factors.
Provide professional leadership and support across the team.
Undertake statutory assessments and interventions in accordance with legislation, policy and procedural requirements.
Develop, implement and review plans that improve outcomes for children and their families.
Chair and participate in key safeguarding and childcare meetings.
Prepare and present high-quality written and verbal reports, including court reports.
Deputise for the Team Manager when required.
Safeguarding & Risk Management

Lead on complex safeguarding cases and provide guidance on risk assessment and case management.
Support colleagues in managing risk effectively and making sound professional decisions.
Promote a strong safeguarding culture and champion best practice across the service.
Work collaboratively with children, families and multi-agency partners to achieve positive outcomes.
Team Development & Mentoring

Act as a role model and practice leader within the team.
Support the induction, development and supervision of less experienced practitioners.
Contribute to workforce development through coaching, mentoring and practice education.
Help shape service improvements and lead on development projects where required.
Performance & Quality Assurance

Monitor performance and support achievement of key service objectives.
Ensure workloads are managed effectively to meet statutory timescales and service priorities.
Support continuous improvement and evidence-based practice across the team.
About You

To be successful in this role, you will have:

Essential Requirements

✅ Recognised Social Work qualification (Degree, Master's, Postgraduate Diploma or approved fast-track qualification)

✅ Current Social Work England registration

✅ Significant experience working with children, young people and families within a statutory setting

✅ Strong experience of:

Child Protection
Children in Need
Court work
Complex assessments
Safeguarding investigations
Risk assessment and management✅Excellent report writing and analytical skills

✅…