Quality Assurance and Improvement Officer - FTC 12 Months

Are you passionate about excellent outcomes for children, young people, and families?
Do you have a flare for enabling the professional development of children services practitioners?
Are you passionate about improving the quality of social work practice that children receive?
Then we want to hear from you!

Birmingham Children’s Trust is the largest children service provider in UK and Europe. The overall assurance position of our services to the city’s vulnerable children, young people, and families is GOOD. Rated 'Good' by Ofsted in 2023, our latest focused visit in 2024 highlighted the continued improvement with positive comments about our leaders and our social workers.

Quality assurance systems are being increasingly integrated across most Trust services. Regular practice evaluations, Trust Leadership Team (TLT) audits, thematic & diagnostic audits, and service audits are conducted. Managers and social workers appreciate the opportunity to reflect on their practice. The practice hub enhances practice evaluations by gathering direct feedback from children and families. Nevertheless, there is a need to increase both the number and frequency of these evaluations. There is a need to continually embed and engage managers in QA activities across the Trust.

We are looking for a Quality Assurance and Improvement Officer (Senior Practitioner level) for a fixed term of 12 months to support our commitment to continual service improvement. We welcome applications from social workers or managers with extensive experience of auditing and practice improvement across the spectrum of children's social care.

The role will include undertaking and moderating practice evaluations, dip sampling, closing the loop, working alongside the research and QA specialist to analyse a range of complex information and data, link it to performance and practice, and delivering improvement activities using our excellent practice model.

This is a hybrid role based in Birmingham so you must have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship.

About you

• Dedicated and compassionate, committed to making a difference.
• Be social work qualified and is passionate about giving the children and young people of Birmingham the best start in life.
• Ability to mentor and support others to recognise what good looks like.
• Be professionally curious, apply relationship based and trauma informed practices to all aspects of work.
• Have the ability to hold difficult conversations to improve practice, be enthusiastic, organised, and solution focused.
• You will be expected to attend a variety of meetings to share findings from quality assurance and improvement work so excellent communication skills is essential.
• Can develop and sustain effective working relationships with colleagues across the Trust.

Other key and essential criteria's we're looking for:

• A degree in Social Work and you must have completed your ASYE.
• Qualified and experienced Social Work Practitioner, ideally minimum of 4 years post qualified.
• Registration with Social Work England (SWE).
• Experience working with children and families in a social work setting for at least 4 years.
• Strong assessment and analytical skills.

Our offer to you:

• In addition to the salary offered, there is an incentive payment of £1,000 (T&Cs Apply)
• Supportive peer group
• 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.
• Salary Sacrifice Car Scheme which gives you the chance to drive a brand-new car for an affordable fixed monthly amount as part of a salary sacrifice initiative. With no deposits or credit checks required a range of all-inclusive driving packages
• 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!
• You will receive a generous local government career average pension scheme in line with the Local Government Pension Scheme.

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, 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.