Senior Practitioner - Fostering Mental Health - Perm

Your new role

Southend City Council are looking to appoint a 28hrs per week, permanent children's experienced Mental Health Senior Practitioner to join the Fostering Team.

Within this position, hybrid working opportunities are available, depending on the needs of the team.

The team are happy to accommodate full and part time hours.

The role is focused on providing an efficient, cost-effective emotional health and wellbeing service to children looked after and their foster carers. It supports children's emotional, behavioural, and mental health needs through consultation, targeted intervention, and the development and review of support plans, particularly for young people with high SDQ scores. This is clinical role with no case holding.

The post provides professional consultation and guidance to colleagues across children's services, ensuring emerging needs and risks are identified and communicated. It plays a key role in developing foster carers' capacity through training, support forums, and trauma-informed practice, enabling them to meet the complex needs of children in their care.

The role works in close partnership with internal and external services to deliver placement-based emotional health support and promote stability, wellbeing, and improved outcomes for children and young people.

What you'll need to succeed

To be shortlisted for this position, you must be able to work in the UK and have a degree in psychotherapy/counselling as well as training in therapeutic interventions.

You must have strong statutory experience and a solid understanding of children looked after, child protection, and fostering regulations and knowledge of relevant psychology theories and be able to apply theory to practice.

You will need the ability to apply psychological and attachment-based theories to practice, particularly in relation to trauma, loss, and emotional wellbeing.

The role requires proven experience of multi-disciplinary working, including effective partnership with health services, CAMHS/EWMHS, and other professionals to ensure children receive appropriate emotional health and mental health support.

You must be confident in leading on SDQ-informed planning, delivering therapeutic assessments and interventions, and providing specialist consultation and advice to social work colleagues.

What you'll get in returnWhen joining the council, you can enjoy a range of benefits including: 25 days annual leave, flexible working and excellent training and development opportunities. They are committed to ensuring that you are supported in this varied and challenging role with the appropriate level of training.

What you need to do nowIf you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.

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