Advanced Social Work Practitioner - Family Help

Location:- Cable Plaza, Brierley Hill, Dudley. DY5 1LW

Our developing Family Help service aims to provide targeted support and help to families so that children and families can thrive and more families are able to stay together. We recognise that providing the right type of support at the right time for families is key to working effectively and that lasting relationships with professionals is central to working alongside families and their networks. We believe in the power of relationships. Our Family Help model is rooted in Restorative practice and built on trust, consistency and co-production. You will work with families to create plans that reflect their voices and values – whether under Child in Need, Child Protection or care proceedings that will help to develop meaningful and lasting change for families. This includes increased capacity to manage complex parenting challenges and reducing risks within family networks and across our community.

Our Family Help service provides a whole family approach to support. Social workers and Family Help practitioners will co-ordinate the support offered to families drawing on the knowledge and skillset of experienced Child Practitioners; Drug and Alcohol practitioners’ Probation Officers; Domestic Abuse Workers, and Mental Health Practitioners.

We are based centrally at Cable Plaza, Dudley Waterfront but our Family Help service is a locality-based model. Teams working closely alongside Dudley’s 5 Family Hubs who provide early support to families through their links with our local partners. As the Family help service continues to develop, improved relationships between Family Help practitioners and our local partners will enable more families to be supported earlier when problems and difficulties are easier to address.

We believe our children and families deserve the consistency and stability in the support provided. Our service works with families who require a single assessment, a co-ordinated plan including child protection plans and we undertake pre-proceedings and care proceedings work. We recognise that strong permanency planning for our children is key to supporting family relationships and networks, even when it is not safe for children to remain within the care of a parent. Our kinship offer is developing and we working closely with our kinship team to secure creative and supportive plans for family networks.

Our service is a friendly and passionate service, always seeking to improve the best outcomes for our children and families. We offer a great opportunity to expand your skillset, knowledge, and confidence within front line help and safeguarding practice, supported by regular supervision, learning and development opportunities and a committed and supportive management team.

Our Advanced Practitioners are pivotal to establishing consistently excellent social work practice in our teams. You will be the allocated social worker for a small number our children needing the most skilled help whilst sharing your expertise with others through modelling, coaching, reflective supervision and other learning activities. You will support your team to improve the quality of performance and practice, support our ASYE social workers and work alongside our Centre for Professional Practice. Ideally you will possess the Practice Educator Award and be willing to work towards this. You will be able to demonstrate how you have led and supported practice in a children’s social work setting.

So that we can demonstrate Dudley’s commitment to diversity and inclusion and to improve bias in the recruitment process that could create barriers for candidates. Your personal data will be anonymised when you apply, to ensure that you comply with our anonymisation process, please ensure you have removed your name and date of birth from any attachments prior to uploading them to your application.

All applicants must be able to provide documentation to prove their right to work in the UK.

Please note: Dudley MBC does not currently offer sponsorship for candidates without the Right to Work in the UK.

Dudley Council will check the information that you have provided against any details already held for accuracy and completeness. The Council will check, share and cross match your information both internally within the council and with external organisations to protect public funds and prevent or detect crime, only where the law allows us to do so.

The Council’s full Privacy and Disclaimer Statement can be accessed on the website at

N.B. We reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the advertised date should we receive a large number of applications

Attached documents
JD/PS
Employee Benefits List.pdf

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