Job title: Family Drug & Alcohol Court Advanced Practitioner

Salary: PO5 £47,754 - £50,788

Hours: 37

Contract: Temporary 

INTERNAL ONLY VACANCY. This post is open to existing Leeds City Council employees only. Applications will not be considered from external candidates.

Advanced Practitioner in the Family Drug and Alcohol Specialist Team (6-month secondment with the potential for extension).

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a secondment of an Advanced Practitioner into the Family Drug and Alcohol Specialist Team (FDAC), reporting to the Team Manager of the Specialist Team. The opportunity is only open to internal employees and will be live on the recruitment website. We welcome applications from existing Advanced Practitioners but also those Senior Social Workers that are aspiring to be Advanced Practitioners.

The FDAC Team has now been established in Leeds for nine years and has excellent partnership relations with its stakeholders and the Family Court Judiciary. The FDAC Team are looking for an Advanced Practitioner who is committed to continuing to develop their learning and practice, as well as support the development of the team at such an exciting time.

The post holder will form part of a multi-disciplinary specialist team, based in Barca-Leeds, to work with families who have children subject to care proceedings being held in the Family Drug and Alcohol Court, (FDAC). FDAC provides a problem solving, therapeutic approach to care proceedings which aims to improve the outcomes for children by helping parents change the lifestyles that have put their children at risk of harm. It seeks to address the issues around substance misuse, domestic abuse, mental health, offending behaviour and relationships and parenting that has led the families in to Care Proceeding. The work addresses the trauma and the entrenched drivers and behaviours behind the issues giving rise to proceedings to achieve safer and more sustainable family reunification and ensure swifter placement with permanent carers when that reunification is not possible.

The multi-disciplinary team is managed by Barca-Leeds and the professional support for this post will be provided by a designated officer within Children’s Social Work Service.   

Closing date for applications is Sunday 27^thApril 2025 and interviews are to be held on 7^th& 8^thMay 2025.

Please contact Service Delivery Manager Paul Fryer if you require any additional information.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s barred list will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds and the communities we serve. Leeds City Council is recognised in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2024. We are also an Age-friendly Employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader.

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six month probationary period.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, candidates must consider their own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the 'standard' salary rate of at least £38,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. For more information visit Skilled Worker visa on the government website. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description 

Job purpose The Advanced Practitioner role is to work with the courts as part of a specialist multidisciplinary team providing an accessible community-based assessment and intervention service for high needs families with a history of substance misuse and/or domestic abuse and poor mental health.

The post holder must at all times carry out the responsibilities within the City Council’s Policies and Procedures, and also within the Social Work England Code of Practice.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of the most complex cases. Case allocation will be determined based on their complexity, level of risk, profile and potential publicity surrounding a case.
• Undertake complex case assessments
• This post demands increased level of autonomy and decision making, based on experience and knowledge, around the case allocated and report to the Team Manager on case progress, risks, and outcomes.
• Ensure that your practice adopts an anti-racist and anti-discriminatory approach.
• To co-work and coach less experienced social workers on cases so they can benefit from the greater experience and expertise of an Advanced Practitioner
• Support Team Managers in

• overseeing and decision making with regard to allocation of cases and workloads
• ensuring case work is appropriately planned, critically evaluated, and reviewed
• achieving timescales and targets in respect to performance indicators
• Mentor, coach and advise newly qualified and less experienced social work staff
• Carry out the role of Practice Educator to directly supervise students, mentor new practice Educator and mentor NQSW and less experienced staff with your team
• Deliver informal and formal learning within teams and across the service
• Provide consultation, coworking support and development in the areas of social care staff requiring skills development.
• Chairing planning and review meetings e.g., supervision order reviews, child and family support meetings and other relevant meetings in respect of children in need or at risk
• Lead and contribute to strategic developments and support the embedding of excellent practice across the city
• To effective use and manage appropriate financial resources within available budgets.
• Flexible working arrangements, including evening and/or weekends, may be necessary on occasion to complete on-going casework, emergency situations, evening visits or meetings
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade
• Lead on and participate in appraisal, training and development activities as necessary to ensure up to date knowledge and skills to meet national standards
• To improve own practice through observation, evaluation, discussion with colleagues and development programmes.
• To work collaboratively with colleagues, knowing when to seek help and advice.
• Contribute to the overall ethos, work, and aims of the service by attending relevant meetings, training days/events as requested.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures e.g. child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding and promoting the values, standards and equal opportunities of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment or victimisation and any form of abuse of equal opportunities, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and this role will be expected to work within these parameters.
• The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.
• Work to and within the Post qualifying standards of social work
• The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications

The post requires an appropriate professional qualification (DipSW, Degree, CQSW or equivalent).  You should be registered with Social Work England upon commencement of the post and maintain registration.  To have and maintain Practice Educator level 2 on commencement of post.

Essential requirements Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the following essential requirements.

• Extensive post qualifying experience in Children and Families Work in a Local Authority setting with demonstrable experience in a child protection setting as a senior social worker level.
• Of developing inter agency and multi-disciplinary approaches to work with children and families
• Of providing structured supervision for social work staff/students
• Of supervising, mentoring and coaching staff through assessment and care planning processes and court proceedings
• Of preparing and presenting high quality reports on complex issues to a range of different audiences
• Extensive experience of using a range of social work interventions to undertake assessments of complex family situations
• Able to work flexibly across different work locations and areas as appropriate. 
• Able to critically apply social work theory in practice
• Able to identify indicators of risk and carry out effective risk assessment
• Able to communicate, negotiate and influence a wide range of practitioners, managers, and partners from other agencies
• Able to present and disseminate information to support learning and development of social care staff and partners
• Able to chair meetings
• Competent in the use of IT systems including Microsoft Office, Internet, and Email.

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

• Ability to inspire and motivate self and colleagues
• To be committed to deliver high quality social care services
• To deliver services to children and young people with a clear child centred approach and philosophy
• Taking ownership for informed decisions and delivering quality outcomes
• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
• Willingness to actively participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills.
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.

Desirable requirements Candidates are not required to meet all the desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between candidates. 

• Possession of a full current driving licence

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