Senior Practitioner - Young People's Team covering East Kent

What will you be doing?

About the Team

We have an exciting opportunity for a full-time and permanent Senior Practitioner in the Young People's Team covering East Kent. The team covers Canterbury, Thanet and surrounding areas. We have various bases across the area. There is an expectation that you are able to work flexibly across the whole area covered by the team.

We work predominantly with young people aged 18 - 25 with a range of care and support needs and we place the individual at the centre of their support. You will be involved in assessing the needs of disabled young people as they are transitioning into adulthood and planning with them to support the development of their skills and independence. You will undertake work of varying levels of complexity which includes; person centred assessments, developing SMART plans, undertaking Mental Capacity Assessments, Court of Protection applications and Section 42 safeguarding enquiries.

We offer an attractive benefits package and a commitment to ensuring that you achieve a healthy work/life balance and opportunities for flexible working arrangements which meet business need. We also offer generous market premium payments (subject to eligibility), and you will also be entitled to a generous annual leave allowance and the local government pension scheme.

You will receive regular personal and professional supervision and have the opportunity to critically reflect on your practice. You will be supported to develop your practice and progress your career.

Role and Responsibilities

You will have a small and protected caseload which will allow you to role model good practice whilst also supporting the Team Manager to set performance expectations as well as assist with facilitating reflective group supervision, team meetings and performance meetings. You will supervise, motivate and mentor a small group of Social Workers and Social Work Assistants and be expected to oversee the team’s work in the Team Manager’s absence.

We are looking for somebody who has a positive, forward-thinking attitude who will be able to use their strengths-based practice with individuals which is built around their desired outcomes and goals. Our team is creative and imaginative, and we are looking for a qualified Social Worker with a like-minded approach who will be able to work collaboratively as part of the team.

You will have excellent opportunities for professional development, be supported to consolidate your skills and knowledge and assisted to develop areas of specialist practice development such as Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP), Best Interest Assessor (BIA) and Practice Educator (PE) training.

About You

You will need to be registered with Social Work England and possess substantial and varied experience of working with either children, young people or adults.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring service and registration as a qualified Social Worker with Social Work England.

This role is subject to holding a Full UK Driving Licence – The Council is committed to making reasonable adjustments so whilst this job requires the jobholder to drive your application will still be considered if you are unable to drive due to a disability.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Interviews will take place on Tuesday, 3 March 2026 at Kroner House, Ashford.

About you

For more information about the role, please contact the current Team Manager, Ricky Martin Medcalf on 03000 417350 or County Transitions Manager, Ross Parkin on 03000 417721.

About us

Work that works for you and us - let's talk flexibility!

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note - if you are interested, please apply soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.