Senior Practitioner - Children Looked After
About the job
Salary: £42,839 - £46,242 a year plus £5,500 market supplement and £963 essential car user allowance
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Permanent
Are you an experienced social worker looking to take the next step in your career? Do you thrive in complex situations, value collaboration, and have a passion for leading best practices in children’s services? If so, we invite you to join our dynamic and dedicated Children Looked After team as a Senior Practitioner
In this vital position, you will work closely with children, young people and their families to provide high-quality support and protection, particularly for those facing complex challenges and risks. You will also contribute to developing and shaping our practice, mentoring colleagues and supporting service improvement initiatives.
Key responsibilities include:
Carrying out in-depth assessments, statutory visits, parenting assessments, and planning multi-agency interventions.
Working in partnership with internal teams and external agencies to develop and deliver holistic, child-centred support plans.
Supporting the development of procedures and practices aligned with Social Work Professional Standards.
Mentoring and coaching less experienced social workers to build skill and confidence across the team.
Leading joint casework and multi-disciplinary meetings to ensure coordinated, effective responses.
Supporting service managers in monitoring performance against key indicators and ensuring quality of service delivery.
Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.
About you
We’re seeking a confident, compassionate, and experienced professional who can bring leadership, insight, and clarity to complex and challenging cases.
You’ll need to have:
A Social Work qualification and current registration with Social Work England.
Substantial post-qualifying experience in social work, particularly in children and family services.
A strong working knowledge of the Children Act 1989 and relevant legislation, guidance, and standards.
The ability to make professional judgements within a multi-agency context, including working under pressure and with minimal supervision.
Confidence in managing cases involving vulnerability and risk, including significant harm.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to engage a variety of audiences including children, families, and professionals.
Sound analytical skills with the ability to assess need, evaluate risk, and plan appropriate interventions.
A proactive approach to identifying gaps in services and advocating for improvements.
Experience leading or chairing multi-agency meetings and negotiating for resources effectively.
You’ll also bring:
A strong understanding of child development, family dynamics, and the impact of social deprivation.
The ability to work independently and use your initiative to drive positive outcomes.
A collaborative and inclusive approach to service delivery.
About us
Luton Council has been selected to deliver the government’s Families First for Children Pathfinder programme.
Luton is one of seven new areas in the second wave to be chosen with the aim of protecting vulnerable children from harm and improving services to help more children stay with their families in safe and loving homes.
The programme is an amazing opportunity for Luton to shape future social care practice, which includes closer working relationships with our health, police, education and voluntary sector partners.
Children are at the heart of everything we do in Luton, and we are very proud of the tremendous work that is already taking place together with our partners, including the development of our Family Hubs and working towards making Luton a child-friendly town where our children and young people can grow up feeling happy, healthy and secure.
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.
The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?
We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough
Application process
Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person’s criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.
Additional information
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:
- From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel
- Friday Funday Socials - One Friday every 2 months where we encourage our staff to get together to socialise after work
Available documents
Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.Salary range
- £42,839 - £46,242 per year