About the Role
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Advanced Practitioner to join Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council's Separated Children & Young People Team.
This specialist role focuses on supporting vulnerable separated children and young people, ensuring their welfare, safety, and development are promoted through high-quality social work practice. You will play a key role in delivering statutory interventions, completing assessments, and working collaboratively with partner agencies to secure the best possible outcomes for young people.
The successful candidate will be an experienced practitioner with a strong understanding of safeguarding, assessment, care planning, and multi-agency working. Experience working with Separated Children and undertaking Age Assessments would be a distinct advantage.
Location: Council House, Manor Square, Solihull B91 3QB
Rate: £33.30 per hour (Umbrella rate)
Contract: Temporary - initial 3 months, subject to review and potential extension
Hours: 37 hours per week
Office Requirements: 2 days per week office-based, 3 days per week working from home. Mandatory office attendance required during duty weeks, supervision sessions, and team/service meetings.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide a high-quality social work service to separated children and young people.
- Undertake assessments in line with the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families.
- Manage complex cases and ensure timely interventions that promote positive outcomes.
- Develop and maintain effective working relationships with children, young people, carers, colleagues, and partner agencies.
- Promote integrated and partnership working to ensure a coordinated response to identified needs.
- Develop, implement, and review care plans, ensuring children and young people remain central to all decision-making.
- Carry out regular reviews of individual plans, recording outcomes and updating plans accordingly.
- Prepare high-quality reports for statutory reviews, panels, child protection conferences, and court proceedings where required.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date electronic and manual case records in line with departmental policies and procedures.
- Fulfil all statutory duties relating to allocated casework.
- Support the development of best practice within the team and service.
- Participate fully in supervision, performance management, training, and professional development activities.
- Operate at all times in accordance with Social Work England Professional Standards and the Professional Capabilities Framework.
About You
- Hold a recognised Social Work qualification.
- Current registration with Social Work England.
- ASYE completed with at least 3 years' permanent experience as a statutory Children's Social Worker.
- Experience working with vulnerable children and young people in a statutory setting.
- Strong assessment, analytical, report-writing, and decision-making skills.
- Experience working effectively within a multi-agency environment.
- The ability to manage complex casework and deliver high-quality interventions.
- A sound understanding of relevant legislation, safeguarding responsibilities, and child-centred practice.
- Experience working with Separated Children and Young People.
- Experience conducting Age Assessments.
- A full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle.
If you are an experienced Advanced Practitioner looking for your next challenge within a specialist children's service, we'd love to hear from you. Apply today to join Solihull's dedicated Separated Children & Young People Team and help shape positive futures for vulnerable young people.
This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. A DBS check may be applicable for this role, applicants are required to declare any cautions and convictions that are not protected under current filtering rules.
If successful, candidates will be required to provide information to support the Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council's commitment to the prevention and detection of fraud. This information will be processed by the Council's Internal
Audit Services and may be shared with the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) for data matching.
