Childrens Practitioner

About The Stronger Families Team:

The Stronger Families Team is dedicated to working alongside social workers to work with carers and families to promote change, ensuring children can remain in their home or return home to their family or connected networks in a safe environment. Our team work directly with parents and carers and focus on building on the strengths of families, collaborating with all involved agencies, focussing on building a positive working relationship with families. We offer planned support for identified needs for families with children, working with the FAMILY model to provide tailored interventions, with the aim to achieve sustainable change for families. The stronger families team also facilitate case formulation meetings, of which you will be a part of, and we offer a crisis intervention service at weekends and evenings that is also part of the children’s practitioner role.

Role Overview:

As a Stronger Families Team member, you will play a vital role in supporting families in Derbyshire. You will work as part of a cohesive service, with two teams covering the north and south of the county. The advertised posts are in the south team. Travel to the office base will be required. You will attend weekly face to face group supervisions and work across the locality areas (Erewash, Amber Valley and South Derbyshire South Dales), as well as working from an office base and attending development and team building sessions. This diverse role offers the chance to make a real impact on the lives of vulnerable children and families.

Responsibilities:

• Work collaboratively with social workers and other professionals to deliver support services to children and families.
• Engage positively with parents and carers in their communities, utilising their strengths and ensuring collaborative planning in line with the FAMILY model.
• Provide immediate support during crisis situations and planned assistance for families in need.
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills, motivating and empowering others while maintaining composure in challenging situations.
• Utilise your experience in complex issues such as children’s residential care, mental health needs, risk of exploitation, substance misuse, education, or domestic abuse to effectively support families.
• Embrace flexibility, we have a rota system to provide some crisis intervention in the evening on a weekday and in the daytime on a weekend.

Whilst we have this service on offer every day, this is on a needs basis and is a planned intervention agreed by the end of the working day. Please contact the team manager for further information

What we offer you:

At Derbyshire County Council, we value our employees and provide a comprehensive benefits package to support their well-being and professional growth. Here are some of the benefits you can expect:

• Local Government Pension Scheme: Secure your future with a generous pension plan.
• Employee Discount and Rewards Scheme: Enjoy exclusive discounts and rewards.
• Generous Annual Leave and flexi work scheme: Achieve a healthy work-life balance.
• Discounted Leisure Centre Memberships: Stay fit and active at a discounted rate.
• Free On-site Parking: Convenient parking facilities at most locations.
• In-house Counselling Service: Access professional counselling services.
• Occupational Health Service: Support for your physical and mental well-being.
• Sessions with a Trained Physiotherapist: Take care of your physical health.

 What you can bring to the role:

• Demonstrable confidence, compassion, and exceptional communication skills.
• Ability to motivate others and remain calm in difficult situations.
• Experience working with complex issues involving adults and children.
• Familiarity with areas such as children’s social care and residential care, mental health support for children, youth justice, substance misuse, education, or domestic abuse.
• Willingness to work flexibly, including weekends and evenings, as per duty rota.
• access to transportation for travel within Derbyshire.

Join our team and make a positive impact on the lives of children and families in Derbyshire County. Apply today and embark on a rewarding journey of helping others.

Provisional Interview Date: 6 and 9 May 2025