Practice Development Lead

Practice Development Lead - Children’s Social Care

PO5: £52,674 pa rising in annual increments to £55,710 pa incl. LW

Permanent / Full Time / Hybrid Working

An exciting opportunity has arisen in the Academy due to the retirement of the current post holder; we are seeking a Practice Development Lead on a permanent basis. This is a great opportunity to support promoting and embedding excellent practice in Lambeth Children’s Social Care and key partners across the Directorate. To complement the current skills mix within the Academy, we would particularly like to hear from applicants with corporate parenting experience.

About Us:

It is an exciting time to join Lambeth Council, we have bold ambitions for the future of Lambeth’s communities and residents through our Lambeth 2030 Plan ‘Our Future, Our Lambeth.' To deliver on these ambitions, we have embarked on our transformational One Lambeth Programme ensuring we are ‘connected by purpose’ in everything we do to deliver excellence. We are proud to have recently developed a refreshed set of One Lambeth Values and Behaviours that were developed for staff by staff: Equity, Ambition, Kindness, and Accountability.

About the Borough:

Located in the heart of South London, Lambeth Borough is a vibrant community of over 317,600 residents. Stretching from the dynamic neighbourhood of Streatham in the South to the iconic landmarks of Waterloo in the North, we are proud to be the 9th largest borough in London. Our diversity is our strength, with more than 130 languages spoken, making Lambeth the home of the Windrush generation, London's largest LGBTQ+ community, and a thriving Portuguese-speaking community.

With exceptional schools, lush green spaces including Brockwell Park, cultural gems like the Black Cultural Archives, and world-renowned institutions such as St Thomas's Hospital, Lambeth offers an enriching and dynamic environment.

Why Lambeth:

• Fantastic, modern working environment in the award-winning Lambeth Town Hall and Civic Centre buildings
• Competitive Salaries
• Up to 35 days annual leave, dependent upon continuous service
• 5 Minutes from London Underground and excellent transport links into the centre of London
• Hybrid/Flexible working
• Cycle to Work Scheme (including City Bike Hire scheme)
• Attractive Local Government Pension Scheme
• Discounts at local restaurants
• Discount at our Active Lambeth Gyms

About you:

A successful social work practitioner, you have demonstrable recent experience and success in supporting the learning of social work students, ASYEs etc. and experience of influencing practice. Signs of Safety is Lambeth’s Practice Framework and preferably you will have experience of supporting practitioners or students to use Signs of Safety approaches although this is not essential.

About the role:

PDLs are part of our successful Lambeth Social Care Academy and report to the Head of Academy/Principal Social Worker and act as agents of change as part of Lambeth’s journey to excellence. You will be joining a wider dynamic Quality Assurance service which serves as an engine for raising standards across all areas of planning for children.

Please note to have your application processed you must be currently registered as a Social Worker with Social Work England.

For detailed qualifications and requirements, please review the job description and person specification in the hyperlink below:

Job Description & Person Specification

Think you could fit the bill?

If you would like to have an informal discussion, please feel free to contact: Rina Wood, Principal Social Worker on 07708 081 779.

We are a Stonewall diversity champion, a Living Wage Employer, and we guarantee to interview all disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria of the role. For a full list of our accreditations, please click here.

Successful candidates will be asked to apply for an Enhanced Certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Further information about the DBS can be found at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/dbs.

In addition, you will also be required to undertake a Cifas check from the Fraud Prevention organisation. Further information can be found here.

Please note we operate an anonymised application process. When uploading your Supporting Statement and CV, please use the ‘cover letter’ link and remove your personal details.

You must upload a Supporting Statement and CV for your application to be considered.

Interested?

Click on the apply button and complete an online application, along with uploading your Supporting Statement and CV, explicitly evidencing how you meet the shortlist criteria marked with an ‘A’ on the job specification.

Closing Date: Sunday 9th March 2025 at midnight.

Lambeth aims for quality services and equal opportunities for all and is committed to safer recruitment.