Head of Practice

We are recruiting for a Head of Practice to be part of our senior leadership team in North-East England and the surrounding areas.

You will lead and support teams covering Tyneside, Northumberland, Teesside and Durham who are based from our Newcastle, Durham and Billingham offices.

If you join us, working closely with your Assistant Director, you will play a pivotal role in helping fulfil our strategic ambition for children where Cafcass is involved - exceptional experiences, for every child, everywhere and every time.

If this ambition resonates with you, let us tell you more about the role, what we're looking candidates to demonstrate and what you can expect if you join us.

Let us tell you a bit more about the role

As a Head of Practice, you will draw on your considerable, professional Social Work experience to lead and inspire those around you to ensure the delivery of high-quality services and practice.

You will set high standards and combine this with high levels of support so the Service Managers you lead can create the conditions for our Family Court Advisers, who engage directly with children and families, to deliver exceptional experiences.

Reporting directly to the Assistant Director - who has overall leadership responsibility for the two operational service areas that covers Tyneside, Northumberland, Durham Teesside, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire - you will lead on internal practice improvement as well influence local delivery partners while also working on a mix of strategic and operational matters.

By ensuring Cafcass priorities, policies and plans are delivered to the highest possible standard, you and your teams will deliver positive outcomes for children and young people going through significant events including care proceedings, adoption and parental separation.

More detailed information about the role responsibilities can be found in the job description, which you are encouraged to read prior to applying.

What we're looking for

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate their experience and capability as a highly effective Leader who guides, influences and inspires others to consistently fulfil their responsibilities and to identify individual and collective opportunities for professional improvement.

You will also thrive on the responsibility of ensuring quality of practice and service delivery across the operational area is not only sustained but continually improved. You will be motivated to achieve performance standards by supporting Service Managers to ensure strong, consistent performance management behaviours and processes are embedded.

Further information

Whilst you can expect to work remotely some of the time, reflecting the seniority of the role there is a requirement for some national travel.

Similarly, as a Senior Leader, you will be expected to have a regular, visible office presence not only for formal meetings but to also model the importance and value of staff using office spaces to connect and collaborate.

As a guide, it is reasonable to expect you may be in the Newcastle office - or other offices across the service areas - twice per week, on average. Therefore, whilst you don't necessarily need to live close to the office(s) this may be something for you to consider.

We are a diverse, inclusive organisation that is a safe space for colleagues with shared aspects of identity and lived experience, which helps ensure we provide a service which promotes the diversity and uniqueness of children and families from all backgrounds. We especially welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds as we strive to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the children and families we work with.

We provide extensive wellbeing support for colleagues, as well as excellent benefits, all of which we hope encourages you to join us. Further information is available on the ' Working for us ' pages of the Cafcass website.

Next steps / timelines

If and when you are ready to apply, our application process is straightforward and quick to complete. You don't need to complete your application in a single visit, you can start it and come back and amend your responses / update your CV, just make sure you come back before the closing date to submit.

Below we have given you an indication of a timetable we are hoping to work towards, although dates are subject to change.

Closing date: 11th October at 12:00

Initial interview: Friday 16 th October (c30 mins via Teams)

Panel interview: Friday 23 rd October (c75 mins via Teams)

We understand that considering a new role is a big decision, and you may require further information before applying. If so, please contact Rachel Anderton-Abeyie (Assistant Director) providing your contact details and best times to contact you.