Advanced Practitioner - Birth to Settled Adulthood

As an Advanced Practitioner working in the Birth to Settled Adulthood team, you will benefit from a strong supportive team culture centred around shared learning and reflective practice. You will have the opportunity to work with Social Worker and Family Support Workers in a new service where we aim to improve the way we support children and young people with complex needs or who are disabled as they grow into adults. We work with children and young people from birth to 25 years of age to ensure that our young people can progress smoothly at key stages of development in their life, so that by the age of 25 every young person eligible for support from the service will experience a smooth transition into adult services.

You will join a friendly, dedicated, talented and passionate team of social workers, family workers, students and apprentices who value getting things right for children and who use a strengths based restorative approach. Their passion and commitment to children and families is reflected in the performance data which is consistently good. Supervision is a priority, giving considerable focus and attention to ensuring the wellbeing of colleagues while remaining focused on achieving positive outcomes for our children and their family.  

What you will be doing: 

You will be part of an experienced and committed management team. You will be instrumental in driving development across our newly formed Birth to Settled Adulthood service, working alongside both children and adult practitioners. You will lead on the team’s professional development, including learning circles, reflective practice sessions and group supervision while holding a small complex caseload.  

You will have a key role with our Social Work Apprentices and students, supporting their learning and professional development. You will serve as a vital link between the principal social worker and the wider team, ensuring effective communication and collaboration for the benefit of all. 

 
About you: 

If you are passionate about making a real impact on the lives of families in Dorset, developing professionally, supporting others to develop and want to contribute to the development of practice more broadly an application from you would be welcomed. 

You must have a Social Work qualification, be registered with Social Work England for more than three years, and able to fulfil the travel requirements of the post. If you have significant experience of working in statutory social care services, strong leadership skills and a great working knowledge of statutory legislation, we would like to hear from you.

The post is based in the Dorchester Local Office and will be a county-wide role. Flexible working arrangements can be considered subject to the needs of the service. 

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Claire Western; [email protected]

At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future.

We:

• provide essential services that support over 300,000 residents
• work in partnership to make a real difference
• value every role and the impact it has on our communities
• support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive

You will:

• be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset
• have access to a range of benefits and support
• receive training and development opportunities to help your career progress

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible, if you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application.

This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement.

If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us.

Find out more about how to apply.