Practice Development Manager

We are currently recruiting for a Practice Development Manager to support the research, design, and delivery of high-quality adults practice across all of Adults Services and the wider system.
To lead on a specialist area within newly qualified social workers, social work students and adult apprentices. Coordinating the design and delivery of the programmes and implementation and facilitation of resources to promote best practice.
Responsibility for the recruitment, retention, induction, workshops, and observations alongside providing feedback for critical reflection and learning for individuals.
Support the development and career progression of students and practitioners, to develop their knowledge, skills, values, and practice.
Promote professional development, creating a robust learning culture which will provide high quality practice and effective outcomes for adults, carers, and families.
To adhere to and uphold professional standards set out by Medway Council, Social Work Post-Qualifying Standards, Professional Capability Framework and Social Work England.
To be an active change agent in driving improvements in the standards of practice, promoting and delivering Medway’s ASC vision alongside, the Care Quality Commission’s commitment: to ensure health and care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and to encourage those services to improve.
Implement and support training/learning opportunities, to embed strengths-based practice which maximises individuals’ autonomy and promotes independence and healthier lives.
Contribute to a comprehensive Quality Assurance framework across the service, by undertaking a range of auditing activity, analysing, and distributing findings to develop and deliver a learning culture across adults.
Actively engage the voice of practitioners, adults, carers, and families ensuring individuals experiences and outcomes are tailored, promoting the minimisation of inequalities, enhancing equality including those with different cultural and protected characterises.
To support and develop integrated, effective, and efficient approaches in the co-producing with and engagement of adults, carers, and families.
To understand the potential and actual inequalities in care and support outcomes: and work across adult’s social care and the wider systems alongside such groups to co-produce actions to reduce inequalities.
To be an active participant and lead in collaboration with partner agencies, communities, and wider systems to ensure a diverse and flexible joined up approach is embedded within practice.
To provide support and challenge across the service where appropriate to ensure practice remains focused on the Adult.
To support in policy development across Adult Social Care.

In return we will offer you:

• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Generous local government pension scheme package
• Access to wider training and development qualifications
• Flexible working scheme
• Travel plan discounts
• Access to CAREFIRST advice & counselling service
• Employee discount scheme for national and local retailers

Career Progression Frameworks (CPF) have been introduced for all roles at Medway Council. These frameworks provide a mechanism for employees to take ownership of their development within their post and be rewarded accordingly. This means that the salary you will be offered will be at level A unless, based on an assessment against the CPF criteria, you demonstrate that you are meeting the criteria of level B or C. There will be further opportunity once in post to progress from level A to B, and B to C.

When writing your application, it is important to ensure you identify your suitability against the requirements of the job profile, as this information will be used for shortlisting and may contribute to the CPF assessment. Your application may be rejected if the minimum required criteria is not met. Further information relating to the requirements for this role can be found in the CPF Guidance document attached.

The person specification of a job profile is split into three levels: Level A details the essential criteria that all applicants must be able to demonstrate through their application and interview.

Level B details the developed competencies that an individual who is practised in this role would be able to demonstrate and will be a progression of knowledge, experience and skills from level A.

Level C requires the highest level of competence and applicants would need to fully meet and demonstrate all aspects of the job profile, including qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience.

You can demonstrate knowledge, experience and skills to allow you to perform within this role. You will identify, through application, how you meet the elements detailed within the person specification, at either Level A, B or C. You will be supported to develop in your role through induction, probation and a supportive Performance Appraisal and Career Conversation. Through your induction you will be introduced to the Career Progression Framework (CPF), which will help you to identify your areas of strength and any development needs.

Our organisation:

Medway is a unitary authority in the South East of England, made up of the towns of Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham and more rural areas, including the Hoo Peninsula.

Situated in Kent in the South-East of England, the area has plenty of green spaces, excellent facilities and easy access to the national motorway and rail networks, facilitating superb transport links to London.

We provide all local Government services for a quarter of a million people, looking after education, environment, social care, housing, planning, business and much more - everything from frontline services such as rubbish collection and events like the Dickens Festival to work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure services in Medway run smoothly and cost effectively.

Working at Medway Council means that you get to be part of this journey working alongside talented, professional colleagues to drive forward change to transform the lives of our residents and the communities they live in.

Important Information-

Applicants must be able to demonstrate all essential requirements as listed in the job profile

Equal Opportunities Commitment Statement

Medway Council is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All appropriately qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or age

For further information please refer to the Medway information pack available as a download or to view online

Please be advised that if you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted. All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email.

Please visit http://www.mindfulemployer.net/ for information on how Medway Council put good practices in place to ensure employees and job applicants who declare mental health issues receive the right level of support.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy at any time prior to the closing date.

If you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted.

All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email, if you require documentation/correspondence in different format such as braille or large print, please contact the Resourcing Team on 01634 332878.