Senior Practitioner

How you'll make a difference

As a Senior Practitioner, you will play a key role in promoting an independence-focused approach, ensuring that the social, health and welfare needs of adults in South Gloucestershire are effectively met, while driving continuous improvement in service quality. This includes supporting adults with care and support needs and maintaining consistently high standards across Adult Social Care.

The Hospital Social Care team is made up of social workers, occupational therapists, and social care practitioners. We apply the Three Conversations model to support individuals following hospital discharge, carrying out assessments in a range of settings, including care homes and rehabilitation units. The team works collaboratively with both acute and community health partners. The Hub team is based within the Transfer of Care Hub at Southmead Hospital, where we partner with other organisations to support multi‑agency decision‑making, focusing on a ‘home first’ approach to achieve the best possible outcomes.

• With the support of a Team Manager, you will take a proactive role in the day‑to‑day supervision of the team, providing advice, guidance and support on casework and practice.
• Working alongside other senior practitioners, you will assess risk, manage safeguarding referrals and support staff with complex cases, ensuring decisions are made in line with procedures and professional standards.
• You will ensure performance and quality standards are met across the team, maintaining compliance with statutory and local requirements and supporting positive outcomes for service users.
• Using your experience and knowledge, you will effectively prioritise and allocate work, ensuring high standards of record‑keeping and the production of clear, high‑quality reports.
• As an experienced practitioner, you will maintain up‑to‑date professional knowledge of legislation and practice and support the development of students and newly qualified staff.

• It is essential that you hold a relevant professional qualification (e.g. DipSW, CQSW, CSS, OT Diploma or degree) and are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• With relevant post‑qualifying experience in a social care setting, you will have managed complex cases and supported casework supervision.
• We require you to have the skills, knowledge and experience to assess and manage risk, alongside the ability to provide effective supervision and guidance on casework.
• You will demonstrate a commitment to continuous professional development and maintain an up‑to‑date knowledge of current social care legislation and practice.

• This is a limited term contract, ending 31st March 2027.
• We are also offering this as a secondment opportunity; you should first seek your line manager's permission before applying.
• You will be expected to travel throughout the authority and surrounding area so you must have a full, valid driving licence with regular access to a vehicle, or have an alternative means of travel.
• Business insurance will need to be added to your insurance policy and you can claim back mileage expenses.
• Please note that due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained.
• This role is hybrid, with a mixture of working at our office in Badminton Road, working from home and working within the community.

• As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts
  , including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities.
• We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.
• If you want to develop a specialism, you’ll get the support you need and your cases will be aligned with your areas of expertise.
• Seniors and managers will genuinely listen at panel and will support you to ensure your service user’s needs are met.
• What’s special here is the strength of the team ethos
  . We are a relatively small local authority, so managers know staff well. They can plan their services to ensure teams have manageable caseloads and have effective supervision so feel supported to make decisions which are right for the people they work with.
• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.