Hospital Senior Practitioner

Job description

Contract Terms

Grade: PO5
Salary: £49,083 – £52,116 per annum
Full Time, Permanent (36 Hours per week)
Closing Date: Sunday 5th May 2024
Interview Date: Week commencing 13th or 20th May 2024

About Haringey

Haringey Council is one of 32 in London. Haringey is an extremely diverse borough, and the Council has set clear ambitious objectives through its borough plan to make Haringey a better place to live, encourage investment and create opportunities that all can share. Haringey’s vision for the future is one of sustainable growth, in housing and jobs and on helping our residents and businesses take advantage of that growth. We have got huge ambitions for Haringey. As the shape of local government continues to change, we are determined to rise to the challenge and find new ways to ensure that our residents enjoy the best opportunities in life. Working at Haringey gives you the opportunity to play a part in meeting those ambitions on behalf of everyone who calls the borough their home.

About the Role

The role encompasses several key responsibilities aimed at enhancing service delivery and promoting best practices within the organizational framework. Firstly, it involves developing and maintaining practice expertise across all areas covered by the service’s remit. This includes actively contributing to policy development and fostering a culture of organizational learning and development. By staying abreast of current trends, research, and best practices, the incumbent ensures that the service remains effective and responsive to the needs of its stakeholders, while also facilitating continuous improvement initiatives within the organization.
Secondly, the role involves providing support to facilitate relationships between hospitals and social work teams. This support may take the form of offering advice, guidance, and practical assistance to both parties, aiming to streamline communication channels and ensure effective collaboration. By fostering strong partnerships between these entities, the incumbent helps to facilitate smoother transitions for individuals and families navigating the healthcare and social services systems.
Lastly, the role entails offering expert advice, guidance, and consultation on casework practice to other teams within the organization. This involves attending various meetings as required to provide support, ensure consistency, and promote best practices across different teams and departments. Through sharing expertise, providing mentorship, and facilitating knowledge exchange, the incumbent contributes to maintaining high standards of service delivery and promoting a unified approach to casework practice throughout the organization.

About You

The ideal candidate for this role should possess a minimum of three years of post-qualification experience in children’s services, with a particular focus on safeguarding and child protection. Additionally, experience in court work and working with children involved in care proceedings is essential. They should demonstrate evidence of consistently high-quality practice, aligned with authoritative practice principles.
In terms of qualifications, candidates should hold a recognized Social Work Qualification and be registered with Social Work England. Alternatively, they may possess a professional qualification in probation or youth work, coupled with a minimum of two years’ experience in youth justice. Evidence of continued professional development is also required to ensure that the candidate stays abreast of the latest developments in the field.
The candidate should have a good understanding of relevant legislation, especially the 1989 and 2004 Children Acts, as well as current thinking and research into safeguarding practices and policies. They should possess the ability to influence and coach others, raising standards across practitioners. Moreover, a good knowledge of risk management and child development is crucial.
Strong IT skills, including proficiency in Word, Excel, and database systems, are necessary for effective data management and workflow. The candidate should also demonstrate the ability to manage their workload effectively, balancing competing demands and meeting objectives and deadlines. Commitment to promoting equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice, as well as excellent communication skills both verbally and in writing, is essential.
Lastly, the candidate should work collaboratively with other services and external partners to achieve successful outcomes, fostering constructive relationships both within and outside of the organization. They should also adhere to guidelines ensuring compliance with Health and Safety at Work, Data Protection, and other statutory requirements relevant to the role. Overall, the ideal candidate will possess a comprehensive skill set, extensive experience, and a commitment to delivering high-quality social work practice within a multi-agency context.

Working for Haringey

At Haringey Council we are committed to creating a workplace culture where all our people feel valued, included, and able to be their best at work, and we recognise the benefits of a diverse workforce so welcome applications from all ethnicities and communities so that we continue to make a difference to our residents and community.  Our benefits package includes a leave entitlement of up to 31 days + bank holidays, potential hybrid working opportunities, health and wellbeing support, a generous local government pension scheme and a range of discount schemes across leisure and culture that provide both financial and money-saving discounts.