Senior Practitioner - Children's complex and enduring mental health

Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and families?

If so, Birmingham Children’s Trust wants you! An exciting opportunity has arisen to join a developing dynamic frontline service within Birmingham Children's Trust.

About us

Ascent (The Complex and Enduring Mental Health Team) is focussed on bringing about meaningful change, preventing admission/readmission to secure mental health services and Safeguarding Children and Young people.

The Children and Young People who we work with have experienced reoccurring mental health crisis and/or Acute mental ill health resulting in Secure mental health service admission and detention under the Mental Health Act 1983.

The service has developed an effective model of intervention that is embedding Relational, Systemic Principals and Trauma Informed Practice along with a broader range of tools and perspectives.

We are committed to working in partnership with children, families and partner agencies to safeguard; understand the broader mental health issues and intervene to address Social Issues impacting on young people's mental health, recovery and development.

We are looking for, forward thinking senior social work professionals to join our service to safeguard and protect our children and young people in Birmingham

The work is varied and challenging and encompasses work with children in need to those children in care and everything in between.

We have been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, following a 2023 inspection. This is a fantastic achievement for Birmingham Children's Trust, with many positive highlights focusing on areas including the quality of staff leadership, partnership working, safeguarding and corporate parenting.

About you

• You will be an experienced safeguarding led Senior Practitioner and be registered with Social Work England (SWE)
• Ideally you will have a background in child and adolescent complex mental health or have the passion and desire to develop these specialist skills, that can support a culture of
• Experience of excellence and good practice in an inclusive environment.
• You will have a proven track record in safeguarding, and can undertake complex case management and exceptional quality assessments and service delivery in a timely accurate manner, with a relationship based, consistent child centred approach.
• Confident to implement and case manage creative social work strategies to provide consistent high service delivery and the best possible outcomes
• Forward thinking vision and dynamic in your approach and social work practice
• Be prepared to fully safeguard and support the child, young person and their families/carers consistently and sometimes over a long period of time and be dedicated to improving their lives
• Be an effective team player, to be able to mentor and support newly qualified social workers, students and family support workers
• You will be supportive in your approach and promote a strong team environment with a mixed ability social work team and be able to adeptly cover your Team Manager during their absence and leave periods.
• You will be able to form, develop and maintain strong professional internal and external relationships and engage in multi-agency partnership working with education and health, with excellent interpersonal and communication skills on all levels.
• It is an essential requirement for this role that you have a driving licence and access to a vehicle (mileage and expenses paid) in order to be able to do this role.

Our offer to you

• In addition to the salary offered, there is an incentive payment of £1,000
• Retention payment of up to £5,000 per annum, subject to tax and NI deductions - T&C's will apply.
• A generous annual leave package of 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 5 years of service and 35 days after 10 years of service.
• Free on-site parking at our offices on One Avenue Road (Aston) and Lifford House (Stirchley). We also provide onsite electric car charging ports which are free to use!
• Full access to our amazing internal employee benefits scheme including, Occupational Health services, Rewards Schemes, Benefits discounts (including the Blue Light Card), Health & Fitness and Personal Wellbeing support and much more!
• Full reimbursement of your annual Social Work England registration fee
• Flexible and mobile working policy - we are well adapted to a hybrid model of working which includes a combination of time spent in the office and at home.
• Pension Scheme - You will receive a generous local government career average pension scheme in line with the local government pension scheme.
• We are proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit.

This is a hybrid role based in Birmingham so you must reside within a suitable commutable distance around Birmingham and have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship. Onboarding Process Please note as part of our onboarding process, the successful candidate will be required undergo a series of background checks with Experian including Experian DBS, Experian Right to Work, and Digital ID verification. These are essential pre-employment requirements.

Benefits

Help us to change children and young people’s lives!

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.

Why Join Us?

• Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
• Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
• Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
• Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.

Our Values

We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.

We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.

We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.

Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.

Safeguarding

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.

The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.

We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.

Please note that we reserve the right to close the job early should we reach the required number of applications, therefore please ensure you submit your application and supporting statement early to avoid any disappointment.