Main duties of the job
We have an exciting vacancy in the Adolescent Team for a part time Senior Practitioner. For more details about the role please see the below.
About us
We have a wide range of great benefits if you join us as a colleague at Cambridgeshire County Council. To find out more please see below.
Job responsibilities
The Cambridgeshire Adolescent Service is focused on safeguarding vulnerable young people who are facing risks outside the home. We achieve that by building:
* Relationships with children and their networks, using a trauma-informed approach.
* Safety, through direct work with children and addressing the contexts of harm.
* Connections with community resources that can move children towards positive futures.
We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced social worker to join the Adolescent Team South as a Senior Practitioner on a permanent part‑time basis 3 days per week.
The Adolescent South Team is a stable, motivated and well supported team working across Cambridge City, South Cambridgeshire and East Cambridgeshire. It is at the forefront of our new pathways for children facing risks outside the home, and closely connected with colleagues in the Missing and Exploitation Team and Youth Justice Service. Young people are referred to the team for one or more of these reasons: they regularly go missing; they are at risk of criminal or sexual exploitation; they are involved in serious violence; they have significant challenges with their mental health or substance misuse; they are aged 16/17 and homeless.
In Cambridgeshire we strive to ensure that children are at the heart of everything we do and to provide practitioners with the tools and resources they need to do their best practice.
If you would like an informal chat or require any further information please contact Service Manager Chris Leach at chris.leach@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
Closing date 2nd November 2025. Interviews will be held week commencing 10th November 2025.
Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an enhanced disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Our benefits
* A comprehensive wellbeing package to cover all aspects of wellbeing, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family.
* 6 days of protected time each year to support in maintaining your continuous professional development.
* A relocation package of up to £8,000 (eligibility applies).
* A pay progression scheme to enable you to accelerate through the pay grade as you gain experience and skills.
* Scalable retention payments of up to £8,850 (pro rata) over a 3 year period, starting after your first full year of employment.
* Refer a Friend Scheme where if you refer another social worker to us who is subsequently employed by us as a result of that introduction, we will pay you an introduction fee of £350.
* Access to our Cambridgeshire Academy for Reaching Excellence (CARE) who will support your development, enabling you to become the best practitioner you can be.
What will you be doing?
You will be responsible for a small caseload of approximately 6-8 children aged 12 and above where the primary safeguarding concerns relate to risk outside the home. Most children open to the team are supported through Child In Need Plans, but you will also undertake some Child and Family Assessments and work with some Children in Care and some subject to Child Protection Plans (including through our recently launched ROTH CP framework).
Your days will be varied, but include core tasks such as visiting children at home or in the community, attending meetings with professional networks, and completing written tasks.
As a Senior Practitioner, you will be responsible for supporting the Team Manager with the mentoring of colleagues and the development of good practice in the team, as well as sometimes deputising for the Team Manager.
We operate flexible working including regular home working, but ensure that staff are well connected to their team‑mates, including weekly check‑in calls and in‑person team meetings on a fortnightly basis.
About you
We're looking for an experienced, confident and dynamic social worker, who enjoys working with teenagers and their families and making a difference in their local community. You will be curious and creative, enjoy building relationships and be a team player.
You will have experience working in statutory social work settings and have a high level of knowledge and skills in the areas of assessment, Child In Need, Child Protection and Children in Care.
You will be able to provide professional leadership for children with multiple complex needs and vulnerabilities, in situations which involve risk, complexity and safety.
You must:
* Be a qualified Social Worker with a Social Work England registration.
* Have the ability to work from a variety of locations and travel countywide independently.
For a full list of the requirements of the role, please check out the Job Description & Person Specification.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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