Practice Development Worker (South Gloucestershire Council)

You will make a difference by working alongside staff to embed the Signs of Safety model into their everyday practice ensuring the views of children, young people, their parents and carers are fully heard with the strengths of the family clearly identified.

Role modelling exceptional practice you will motivate and guide staff and partner agencies to implement Signs of Safety through targeted training and support to achieve the best outcomes

What will you be doing?

You will model best practice and be responsible for leading, developing and facilitating the group supervision process across our teams and with partner agencies (schools, health) to enable individual teams to deliver opportunities for reflective practice and practice using a strength and relationship-based approach.
You will promote effective partnerships with those providing preventative or specialist services to develop and deliver training relevant to that service
You will work with those teams to ensure that the Signs of Safety model is understood and how it can be used effectively to benefit the children and families they work with. This will include targeted training for signs of safety awareness, signs of safety in practice and bite size sessions.
You will focus on and have responsibility for quality assurance of signs of safety group supervision sessions ensuring we are offering opportunities for high quality, reflective practice.
You will promote and encourage staff engagement and offer support and challenge to practitioners and Team Managers.
What we need from you
You must have received formal (5 day) Signs of Safety Training delivered by an accredited trainer
You will hold a relevant professional qualification or equivalent specialist qualification which may have been gained in Social care, health, education or will have equivalent relevant experience
You will have demonstrable understanding and knowledge of children’s social work practice
You will have effective relationship building skills, including handling difficult and sensitive issues, confident to challenge team managers and practitioners to develop best practice.
You will demonstrate a high standard of practice skill in direct work with children in need and their families (including children in need of protection). This includes relationship building, communication skills and analysis,
You will have experience of engaging with families in their own homes
You will demonstrate well developed written skills (e.g. reports) and verbal and non-verbal communication with children and families, able to tailor material to the audience

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different

We know our team work best when they have balance in their lives and we offer genuine flexibility to help them achieve that work/life balance.
We value our staff as individuals, investing in their careers and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps make the greatest long-term difference in work.
We invest in the careers of our people and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps our people make the greatest long-term difference in their work.
What’s special here is the strength of the team ethos, the support and the training.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.
We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.

Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.

We’re building and shaping communities which people are proud of
We’re working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life
We’re investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential.
We’ve achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.

We’re making a difference, be part of it!

This role is offered as a limited term contract for a period of 2 years. If you are applying for this role on a secondment basis you must obtain your line managers permission before applying.