Action for Change Practitioner

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Job description

Work with birth parents to rebuild their futures after children are permanently removed into care

In Kensington and Chelsea, we put local people at the heart of decision-making, working in partnership with them to provide quality services that are responsive, effective and efficient. We are committed to ensuring the most vulnerable families can access the support they need, when they need it. We work hard to intervene before children need to enter care, but also support parents who have undergone the trauma of removals.

Our Action for Change team offers an innovative shared service that supports birth-parents who have had children permanently removed through care proceedings. Working across Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham and Westminster councils, we provide bespoke interventions, often utilising systemic practice as well as practical support. We strive to develop resilience, self-esteem, self-care skills and independence within this vulnerable and marginalised group to enable them to make informed and positive choices. Our overall aim of the service is to prevent future removals from this cohort of parents.

Action for Change is based within Kensington and Chelsea and sits within the wider complex needs and edge of care team; Families Forward.

The Role:

Building long-term, collaborative, trusting relationships is key to success, and you'll be given the time and space to deliver an effective service. Taking on a small but complex caseload, you'll work directly with parents, usually in the home and the community, tailoring plans to their agreed needs and wishes. Working in a flexible, responsive and persistent way, you will draw on your therapeutic approaches and offer both emotional and practical support to clients about the care proceedings and removal of their child(ren). We collaborate with our clients to help them develop resilience, develop their self-esteem and relationships / support networks, as well as to connect with learning, employment and recreational opportunities, and other relevant support services such as mental health, housing, substance use and domestic abuse.

About You:

We welcome creative, compassionate people from a variety of professional backgrounds who can engage and support people dealing with chronic and complex difficulties. This might include social work, family therapy or domestic abuse services. Significant experience of working with people who have experienced loss and trauma, and faced challenges such as substance misuse, domestic abuse or mental health issues is key. Gentle perseverance is essential to making things work, as is considerable emotional resilience. You'll have a good grasp of statutory services as well as the range of community-based support available. Sound knowledge of children's or adults' safeguarding is essential as well as managing and prioritising a complex case load

In return, you can look forward to a package that includes a competitive salary, a high-quality pension scheme and generous annual leave plus bank holidays.

Please apply online explaining how you meet the requirements set out in the person specification and job description. CV's will not be considered for this role.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applicants.