INTERNAL Secondment - REACH Family Practitioner (Ref.4842)
- Devon
- Full Time
- £26,357 - £29,439 per annum pro rata
Internal DCC Employees Only
Secondment Opportunity Until 31.03 24
Mid and East Devon
Are you an experienced practitioner who is looking for a new challenge, are you passionate about making a difference to the lives of children and young people? Then we would love to hear from you!
Devon Children’s Services have made it a priority to protect children and young people who go missing from home or care and those who are vulnerable to Child Exploitation. An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic, motivated and enthusiastic person, to join Devon County Council’s specialist REACH Team (Reducing Exploitation and Absence From Care or Home), which supports young people who go missing or who may be at risk of Child Exploitation.
We currently have a full-time, fixed-term secondment opportunity until 31st March 2024 for a REACH Family Practitioner based in Mid and East Devon, but there will be occasions when the role also covers other parts of the county. If you are interested in working for an organisation that seeks to improve the outcomes of Children, Young people and families we would be delighted to hear from you.
About You
We are looking for an outstanding REACH Family Practitioner who has a strong understanding of safeguarding and contextual safeguarding, you will possess a wide range of skills and knowledge and will be
- Required to help fulfil the Local Authority’s statutory responsibility to offer Return Home Conversations to young people who have been reported missing.
- Able to develop an understanding of the issues affecting young people and the reasons why they go missing. You will provide direct support to young people and their families in order to reduce the risk of future missing episodes. For example, this may include working on a one-to-one basis with family members around negotiation and conflict resolution. You will be a skilled practitioner who will have experience of working directly with young people, adolescents and families and will have an understanding of young people who are at risk of exploitation.
- You will be emotionally resilient with the confidence to work under pressure and will have a proven ability to develop trusting relationships with young people and their families, whilst being able to maintain professional boundaries.
- You will be an adaptive and innovative practitioner who will be required to undertake direct support sessions with young people from a range of backgrounds, who may present challenging behaviour or reluctant to accept support, it is essential therefore that you remain persistent, enthusiastic and creative in your approach.
- You will be skilled at developing and maintaining relationships with professionals from a range of agencies including the Police, education and health and will possess solid experience of multi-agency working.
- You will have a proven track record of managing your time effectively, maintaining accurate records and preferably have experience of lone working arrangements.
- You will possess excellent communication, engagement and risk assessment skills and will be able to develop meaningful plans for intervention which keep children and young people safe from harm.
- You will have an excellent understanding of Devon County Council’s safeguarding procedures and your responsibilities when working with vulnerable young people and their families.
- You will possess a good understanding of Contextual Safeguarding and knowledge of the protection of children and young people who are exposed to risk within the community.
- You will have the ability to work with groups of young people and be confident to deliver preventative interventions within a range of settings for example schools.
- You will hold a valid driving licence, have access to a vehicle and be able to travel to a range of locations as required.
What we can offer you
As a place to live and work, Devon is hard to beat. We want you to grow and develop with us. In recognition of the vital contribution you will make, we offer an attractive package including:
- Ongoing learning and development opportunities through our Social Work Academy with dedicated support from our Restorative Practice Leads, as well as Research in Practice and CC Inform membership and full access to Devon Children and Families Safeguarding training programme.
- Dedicated support with regular supervision from line management so you can critically reflect on your practice on a regular basis. Group supervisions are also offered, allowing you to learn from your colleagues and grow the strength of your social work practice together.
- Continuing Professional Development Days in line with your personal Learning and Development Plan.
- 26 days paid annual leave per year, rising to 31 days with 5 years’ continuous service, plus bank holidays.
- Access to our confidential Devon Wellbeing Hub and Employee Assistance Programme to support you to balance the demands of everyday life – available 24/7.
- Flexible working opportunities, including flexitime and a degree of remote working (subject to the needs of the role - please discuss at interview).
- Links to staff networks and forums such as our LGBTQ+, BAME and Staff Diversity support networks.
- Devon Discounts Scheme which offers a variety of great savings.
Click HERE to hear from our workforce about working for us and why you should join our Children’s Services. #TogetherWeCan
If you would like to apply for the secondment, then please discuss with your line manager in the first instance.
For an informal discussion, please contact either Heather Neale (REACH Deputy Manager) Jenny Harris (REACH Team Manager) or Nick Meller (Service Manager)
Interviews to be conducted on 23/06/2023
- DCC embraces the positive benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to providing an environment that is inclusive and safe. We welcome applications from people who share our commitment to stop discrimination, challenge inequality and promote diversity across Devon. The Council offers flexible working arrangements in terms of when and where people work e.g. hybrid working, part-time, condensed hours etc. More information can be found on our Equality and Diversity webpages.
- We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
- This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
- Personal data we collect from you will be processed in accordance with the Applicant privacy notice.
- Happy to Talk Flexible Working.
- For more information about Working for Devon please visit our Working for Devon page.
- This role requires a DBS disclosure.