Job Description
Lead Family Practitioner
Salary: £40,000 per annum
Service: Residential Family Assessment Centre (Banstead)
Reports to: Deputy Manager / Registered Manager
Role Purpose
The Lead Practitioner / Pre-Management role is a senior operational and practice leadership position within this beautiful therapeutic residential family centre. The post holder acts as a bridge between frontline practice and management, providing consistent leadership across shifts while maintaining a strong therapeutic and assessment focus.
This role is designed for experienced practitioners who demonstrate readiness for management responsibility and the ability to oversee complex practice, safeguard babies effectively, and support the quality and consistency of assessment work across the service. The Lead Practitioner plays a critical role in ensuring that the organisations values, ethos, and regulatory requirements are embedded into daily practice.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership and Shift Management
* Lead shifts across the residential service, ensuring safe staffing levels, clear allocation of duties, and consistent routines
* Coordinate rotas and staffing arrangements as required, responding flexibly to operational needs
* Act as the senior point of contact during shifts for practice, safeguarding, and operational issues
* Ensure the physical and emotional environment remains safe, calm, and therapeutic
Practice Oversight and Quality Assurance
* Provide oversight of assessment activity, ensuring consistency, quality, and adherence to the organisations outlined assessment framework
* Review records, observations, and assessment evidence to ensure they meet organisational and regulatory standards
* Identify themes, strengths, and areas for improvement within practice
* Support the implementation of service improvements based on learning and quality assurance findings
Safeguarding Leadership and Risk Management
* Act as a key escalation point for safeguarding concerns, incidents, or emerging risks
* Exercise advanced professional judgement in managing complex safeguarding situations
* Ensure safeguarding actions are implemented, recorded, and reviewed appropriately
* Support staff to understand safeguarding thresholds, risk management strategies, and professional accountability
Staff Leadership, Development and Support
* Provide leadership, guidance, and mentoring to Senior Practitioners and wider staff teams
* Support staff development through coaching, reflective discussions, and practice modelling
* Contribute to induction, training, and ongoing professional development activity
* Support performance management processes under the guidance of senior management
Multi-Disciplinary and Professional Engagement
* Liaise with external professionals, including social workers and partner agencies, as required
* Support effective information sharing and professional communication in line with statutory guidance
* Represent the service professionally in meetings or discussions under management direction
Governance, Inspection Readiness and Continuous Improvement
* Support senior leaders with audits, monitoring, and service reviews
* Contribute to inspection preparation and regulatory readiness
* Support the embedding of learning from incidents, audits, and feedback
* Promote a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement
Professional Standards and Conduct
* Adhere to all of the organisations policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements
* Maintain high standards of professional conduct, boundaries, and confidentiality
* Uphold and actively promote the organisations values, therapeutic ethos, and professional standards
* Demonstrate leadership behaviours consistent with the organisations expectations of future managers
Essential Requirements
* Extensive experience within residential, assessment-based, or child and family services
* Demonstrated leadership capability and readiness for management responsibility
* Advanced safeguarding knowledge and professional judgement
* Strong decision-making, organisational, and problem-solving skills
* Ability to oversee complex practice while maintaining a therapeutic approach
* High standards of written and verbal communication
Desirable Requirements
* Formal leadership or management training
* Experience contributing to audits, quality assurance, or service development
* Aspiration to progress into a Deputy Manager or Registered Manager role
Additional Information
* This role requires flexibility to work shifts, including evenings, weekends, and bank holidays
* All appointments are subject to enhanced DBS clearance and safer recruitment checks
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